P2K Hof Ashkelon & Kiryat Malachi

Four Israeli Artists from Hof Ashkelon to Visit Partnership Cities in US: Tucson, Phoenix, and Seattle

2012-01-26T15:01:00.000-08:00

Yehudit (Judith) Ogorinsky, Vered Otmy, AdaBouganim, and SaralehHaitman will travel to the US on January 31st, first visiting Phoenix from February 1st to 5th, Tucson from February 1st to 12th, and Seattle from February 10th to 15th. TTheir visit is part of the People-to-People program of the partnership, a way for Jews in these 3 American cities to interact personally with Israelis in our Partnership region. They will teach art at Jewish schools and synagogues, in synagues with adults, and talk about their life experiences, art in Israel and the partnership in their region as they visit these three cities. They also will see art in these three communities and interact with local Jewish artists there.

Yehudit,from Moshav Kochav Michael, is a well-known artist specializing in mosaics. She made aliya from Minneapolis 40 years ago. Her work can be seen at www.mosaico.co.il .

Vered, from Moshav Geha, specializes in paper mache. Her work can be seen at www.veredotmy.com. A

Ada , from Nitzan, studied to be an art teacher and now designs sets for special events including B'nai Mitva, weddings, etc.

Sarale, also from Moshav Geha, was an art teacher for many years in south-central Israel, taught teachers how to teach art, and also taught film and communication at Sapir College in Sderot.

Arizona Birthright Comes to Hof Ashkelon

2011-01-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

Birthright Arizona Visits TIPS Region, January 2011

Thirty eight students from the University of Arizona and Arizona State University visited Hof Ashkelon as part of their birthright/israel trip sponsored by the Jewish Federations. The students visited Nitzan Bet, the temporary home for more than 1,400 former residents of Gaza who were evicted by the Israeli Government in 2005. The students took up 12 stations for a sports day planned by the local community center. Over 60 elementary school aged children came after school to play hockey, basketball, ring toss, boffle, catch with a variety of instruments, and to have their faces made up and engage in crafts. The children had a great time, almost as great as the Arizona students who were able to take a break from constant touring and enjoy time playing with children. Thanks to the staff of the community center and the Hof Ashkelon staff that helped make this happen.

Labels: Arizona birthright

Kiryat Malachi Celebrates 60 Years: TIPS Makes Its Mark

2010-09-15T17:07:00.001-07:00

Kiryat Malachi is celebrating the 60^th anniversary of its founding with a full year of special programs and activities. The celebratory year was kicked off by a gala program on June 16, 2010 attended by thousands of residents and guests who gathered in the park in front of a large and creatively lit outside stage.

The program included official speeches from a representative of the government, Minister of Finance Yuval Steinitz, who spoke and who was given honorary citizenship to the town of Kiryat Malachi; a speech by a member of the opposition, MK Shaul Mofaz who is the past Minister of Defense, a speech by the mayor, local entertainment, historic and contemporary films of the town, and a well known Israeli entertainer, Miki Geva.

All of these elements and more including a spectacular stage, lighting, and personal stories presented in the most creative and entertaining way were in the program.

A closer examination of the evening event reveals just how integrated the TIPS (Tucson, Israel, Phoenix, Seattle) presence is in the life of Kiryat Malachi, the partnership town along with the Hof Ashkelon region that is linked to the American Jewish communities.

The Tzuza dancers, an integral part of Art City and not long back from a successful performance tour of Phoenix, Tucson, and Seattle, were on stage five times dancing with their usual energy and skill.

The master of ceremonies was a comedian named Miki Geva. Miki grew up in Kiryat Malachi and got his start by singing in the Dor Sheni musical group of Kiryat Malachi, which was supported for many years by our partnership. The group was brought over to perform in the American communities twice in the last 10 years. He is a masterful MC and told a funny story: "When I was younger I performed in Dor Sheni during the Yom Ha'atzmaut celebrations in the town. Of course, the town had no money and at the end of the program when it was time for the fireworks, the mayor told everyone to stand up and pointed to the northwest and the audience to look at the fireworks display

from Ashdod in the distance.

A key element of the 60^th celebration gala evening was a version of the TV program Amazing Race."

Here it was called the "Race to 60" and four teams of two individuals were featured as they tried to complete assignments as fast and as well as possible. Most of this was off stage and film clips showed how they participated in "building" the first refugee camp that became the town; how they chose specific objects that revealed something of the early that history of Kiryat Malachi; or how they put together puzzles and answered questions on stage. What was truly amazing is that 7 of the 8 individuals had a connection to TIPS. One team was composed of Hila Kordana and Ariel Kasis. Hila is the coordinator of the production group of Art City and has spoken and performed in Tucson and Phoenix three years ago. Hila also answered correctly the question, " What is the name of the youth project that has changed the image of youth and of the town? Of course, the answer is Art City, the program that TIPS supports and helped create. Ariel is a drummer who was groomed in the Music Club which is also part of Art City. He is now in the army and still plays whenever he can in the club. Three years ago when Hila was the coordinator of the TIPS Kefiada English Day Camp with counselors from America, Ariel was the head counselor. He composed a percussion piece that was played by about 20 people during the celebration.

Mazal Caravani and Sara Kadori were another pair. Both Mazal and Sara are part of "Taamei Ami" (Tastes of My People), the ethnic food group that TIPS started last year.

Mazal was part of the delegation that came to America in the fall of 2009, where she led the singing and dancing. Sara is one of the most active volunteers in town. She heads one of the major volunteer groups which meets on the second floor of the Yedid Center building. This building, since earlier this year is used as the volunteer center and young adult center (another program of TIPS) thanks to the generosity of supplemental gifts from Tucson and Portland. She travelled twice to visit American communities over the past decade. Both of them along with Hila sang in one of the choral groups – one project of the town that we are not directly involved in.

Another pair was Yarden Golan, a high school student who was one of eight teen counselors sent to America to work in JCC camps. He spent the summer of 2009 in the Seattle JCC day camp organizing Israel programs and serving as a counselor as part of the TIPS people-to-people programming. With him on stage as a partner was Shlomo Gedamo who was selected to be a counselor but could not participate.

The seventh person with a contact, more peripheral than central, to TIPS was Rima Popov. She is the chair of the town's deaf group which is very active and meets weekly in the Yedid Citizen's Empowerment Center. Yedid is supported by supplemental funds from Tucson and Seattle.

Moti Malka, the Kiryat Malachi mayor, mentioned TIPS in his speech, thanking the communities for their valuable and consistent support of key programs, enabling youth and young adults to be more integrated and strengthened in the town. The program ended with a powerful performance by Sarit Hadad, one of Israel's best known singers. It was the only act on the stage with which TIPS had absolutely no connection.

Adam Schwartz, the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, who visited and volunteered in Kiryat Malachi during the last two weeks of June, was amazed at the strong connection between the American communities and everything happening on the stage. "I knew that the federations were doing good things here but I had no idea how much good we were doing and how we were impacting on so many people." Kiryat Malachi would welcome many more TIPS members to come to the 70^th anniversary celebrations and to witness for themselves the progress that is being made with the support of the American TIPS communities.

Ira Kerem

TIPS community representative in Israel

Two Schools Rebuilt at Kibbutz Yad Mordechai

2010-08-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

Kibbutz Yad Mordechai is the home of two Hof Ashkelon regional schools:

Hofim, one of three elementary schools in the Hof Ashkelon region
and
Shikma, the regional secondary school (7th to 12th grade).

Since the kibbutz is less than two miles from the Gaza Strip, the school needs to be fortified to protect the children in case of any missile attack. The new Iron Dome system is supposed to work, but it will only be affective four miles or more from the Gaza Strip.

Therefore, the school needs buildings that are built to withstand a direct missile hit, from a Qassam, Grad, or whatever.

A year or two ago, "portable" classrooms were brought in that had been in the Gaza Strip and were used for many of the students at Shikma. However, they did not have bathrooms, and students had to go outside to get to the bathrooms. They also were small, and could not easily hold up to 30 students. Most of the two schools, however, had not been built to sustain such attacks. Therefore, the government is in the process of building new schools.

Portables

Shikma is 2/3rds finished with four of the six modules ready to use.

2 of the new buildings at Shikma

The empty space is where the English teachers had their own room,
a thing of the past and new module in background

The contractor for the secondary school uses construction crew mostly from China. In the US construction work pays quite well, but not so in Israel. However, Chinese and Romanians are delighted to work in construction.

Contruction Workers from China

The building above was the "new" Shikma library two or three years ago. It will be torn down after it is replaced by a more secure building

Hofim is going to be adjacent to Shikma, with a wall or fence separating the students from the two schools. It, hopefully, will be finished during the school year. The contractor for Hofim employs mostly Israeli Arab or Palestinian workers.

Also, each home on Yad Mordechai has to have a "secure" room with extra thick walls and roofs. Many people have been remodeling/expanding their homes to up to 130 square meters (1400 sq. feet), so in the process have added a secure room. Others have had secure rooms built on by the government.

Safe room on the right

Security room attached to a home

Right now the yards in a good part of the kibbutz are in disarray from the construction but they will soon be restored to their normal beauty.

Kohav Nolad in Hof Ashkelon--a delightful evening!

2010-08-02T05:46:00.000-07:00

On July 27th, I (Dina Tanners) was treated to a wonderful evening at the Hof Ashkelon regional center auditorium.

Before that night, 70 children (ages 7 to 12 from many communities in Hof Ashkelon auditioned for the Israeli version of a American Idol, Kohav Nolad (A Star Is Born) כוכב נולד . Ten children in 8 groups (two duets) from ages 8 to 12 made the finals. They were from Nitzan, Kibbutz Karmia, and Moshav Talme Yafa. Many were 9 1/2. A small group of "supporters" who danced in the background also accompanied several of the groups. They were children and teens from the local area.

It had been the custom in one of the communities in Gaza for the children to have an annual Kohav Nolad competition. When many of them moved to temporary housing in Nitzan Bet, they continued the tradition. This year, the regional council of Hof Ashkelon decided to make it a regional competition, and with 70 auditioning, it was quite successful. The talent was amazing!

The first to perform were twin sisters, age 9 and a half from Kibbutz Karmia.

Twin Sisters from Kibbutz Karmia

They were very very cute and fun to watch. I was surprised to realize that they were lip sinc-ing and not singing, but I was told for this age group, it probably was the best as they were less nervous.

Before each performance, there was a short video, interviewing the participants. They introduced themselves and told what they loved to do in addition to singing. You can see the screen in the backgrounds.

Both the 2nd and 3rd peformers had husky voices, stronger than I would have expected for anyone that age. They both have tremendous potential with training.

Second performer, also 9ish, from Nitzan

The theme for the song contest was songs from the army bands, so each performer had to choose an appropriate song. There are many amazing songs that the military bands have performed. Such groups have come to the US many times.

The fourth performer was Shir, an 11-year-old from Nitzan. When she began to sing, I was blown away by the maturity of her voice. It was amazing.

Shir

The girls that danced in the background had different costumes for each performance. The change below must have been the third set of costumes and more were to come.

Another 9 year old

End of Song--with Entourage

Pair from Nitzan

I was wondering if any boys made it to the finals when this duet came on stage. They too were very cute, and the boy especially had a strong voice. Revital said that he originally was quite nervous and not sure of performing but got stronger and more confident as he continued to practice.

When the seventh performer came on stage and began to sing, this twelve-year-old also blew me away. I had been named one of the 6 judges (as an honor to me as American chair of the TIPS partnership), and I knew I would have a tough time deciding between her (Valerie) and Shir for first place.

She too had a strong voice and also a great stage presence.

We were also asked to choose our "favorite" performer...and not base the decision on singing quality but just on gut instinct, cuteness, stage presence, whatever. The last performer, Shon, the yougest of the group at age 8, was the winner. He was adorable.

Shon

The audience was animated, and groups came with signs supporting their favorites.

Supporters of Liav and friend form Nitzan

After the individual performances, as the votes of the 6 judges were tabulated, the 10 performers sang together.

The award staff is at work below. The woman on the left is from Hof Ashkelon and was on the national TV show Kohav Nolad several years ago. She is blind. Dina is 3rd from the left.

Handing Out Gifts to the Finalists

The Winner--Valerie from Moshav Talmeh Yaffeh

The top three places were awarded to:
First Place:      Valerie from Talmeh Yaffeh ולרי דבורקין- תלמי יפה
Second Place: Shir from Nitzan     שירי יפרח- ניצן
Third Place:     Sapir from Talmeh Yaffeh    ספיר קסר-- תלמי יפה

Congratuations to all the participants. They were wonderful!!

Schwartz family celebrates KM's 60th anniversary & special Bar Mitzvah

2010-08-02T03:01:00.000-07:00

Today was not our first visit to Kiryat Malachi during this trip. Last week we had the pleasure to attend the 60th Anniversary celebration for the city. It was exciting to see a dozen or more members of the Knesset in attendance along with the city’s Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Council members. I had the pleasure of sitting next to a gentleman who had moved to Kiryat Malachi at it’s founding. Periodically during the ceremony he would tap me on the shoulder to tell me one interesting fact or another about the early days of Kiryat Malachi. He told me how people lived in tents, the limited kinds of food they ate, and much more. He was really a very interesting source of information about the community that I had not heard previously.

The celebration was filled with speakers, a take off on "The Amazing Race", as well as song and dance. What was so gratifying was how much of a role our partnership played in the celebration. Among the entertainment were the dancers that performed at our local Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration this past April. An example of the role our Federation played was to fund the creation of "Art City" which brought together what had been separate clubs involved in song, dance and music. Our initiative brought these groups (along with dramatic arts groups) together under the auspices of one coordinated performance troupe.

During the celebration, it was fun to see a "rock band" made up of teenagers, performing with young singers and fabulous dancers, which together created an amazing spectacle for all in attendance. During the performance, I asked our Israeli staff person if I had a right to feel the kind of pride I was feeling and his response was "absolutely". It was truly a one of a kind experience that I don’t think I will ever forget.

After spending our final Shabbat (for this trip) in Jerusalem, which is always a highlight of travel to Israel, we began to pack our bags for our move to Kiryat Malachi. Upon our arrival we receive a friendly welcome by others living in the same complex. We are now looking forward to our time in Kiryat Malachi as we prepare to spend some time volunteering. Our first assignment will be at one of the local schools where we, including our children, will have an opportunity to help local youth develop their English skills. We also hope to work with some after-school programs that will enable us to interact with some of the families who live in this community. I anticipate that this opportunity will certainly add an important element to our experience here in Israel and for my children, especially my eldest, to understanding in very real terms what it means to be part of a Jewish people worldwide.

Jacob, son of Adam (president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix) and Stacey Schwartz, became a Bar Mitzvah at Yad Mordechai. This kibbutz in our TIPS Partnership Hof Ashkelon region was the site of an important battle during Israel’s War of Independence. Jacob conducted a Monday morning service, chanted the Torah portion and led a discussion on the d’var Torah. He gave his interpretation of the Torah reading, first in Hebrew and then in English, to the surprise and delight of everyone, especially the Israelis. Yair Farjun, chair of the Hof Ashkelon regional council, presented the celebrant with a copy of Pirke Avot, and a group of Ethiopian women prepared lunch afterward. These women had visited Phoenix and Tucson as part of the TIPS Women’s Ethnic Cooking Project last fall, when Jacob struck up a friendship with them, leading them to offer to cater his simcha. Also, thanks to modern technology, the celebrants were able to Skype the entire service back to family members in the United States

Shabbat in Kiryat Malachi, Schwartz Family, June 2010

2010-08-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

June 28, 2010 at 12:57 PM

I have spent a fair amount of time in Kiryat Malachi during past missions/trips to Israel. But I have never spent a full Shabbat in this city that makes up part of our TIPS partnership.

As this past week ended and we prepared to celebrate Shabbat here, I was excited to see how it compared to my experiences in other communities in which I have celebrated Shabbat.

As Friday moved along, we could definitely sense a change in the community. Stores were closing early. There was less and less traffic on the streets. A calm was beginning to settle in that would accompany us through our celebration of Shabbat.

As the time for Shabbat began, we lit candles in our apartment and headed out for Shabbat dinner at the home of the Attal family. I have known Dvora Attal for many years as she plays a critical role in our partnership on behalf of the Kiryat Malachi municipality. And I had celebrated Shabbat dinner with her family once before many years ago. I was looking forward to having an enjoyable evening celebrating the start of Shabbat. And a wonderful evening it was. The food was outstanding. The company was even better. My wife and children loved being with Dvora’s family who could not have been more hospitable. They helped get our Shabbat off to a wonderful start. My wife and I had a very nice visit with our children as we walked home on the quiet streets of the city.

For lunch Saturday, we headed out on a lovely walk to the Peretz family home. This was not a family that I had spent time with, but I knew that they had been very involved with the partnership. I also knew that the art contest that we have run through the partnership was dedicated, in part, to their son who had passed away from cystic fibrosis. Once again, we had a delicious lunch. And, again, the company was even more wonderful. We talked about a whole range of things in Hebrew and in English. And our hosts could not have been more gracious to our children. They were able to see olive trees, fig trees, pomegranate trees and more…all in the yard of an urban Israeli home…They were amazed!

We had a lovely walk home, again on quite (but hot and sunny) streets of Kiryat Malachi. We had time for a quick nap, at least our two year old and me and my wife. And then it was off to another home for seudah shlishit, the third Shabbat meal. This time it was to the home of the Azriel family. Their daughter Shir is going to be leaving this coming week to work in the day camp at the Barness Family JCC. And, not to repeat myself, we had a terrific meal and fantastic company. We could not believe that it was after 11 p.m. when we finally packed the kids up for our walk home.

In thinking about this amazing, wonderful, uplifting day, a number of things really struck home with me. The first was how hospitable the families were towards me, my wife and our children. This was especially impressive given the fact that none of them had young children at home any longer.

The second thing that struck me had to do with the type of food we ate this Shabbat. At every meal, we enjoyed traditional Sephardic dishes that my children had never seen or heard of before. It was wonderful to be able to expose them to other aspects of Jewish life.

The third, and in fact the most important, was the connection that we have through our partnership and through being Jews. It did not matter whether or not we had known each other. And the respective levels of observance were unimportant. We were celebrating Shabbat together as Jewish people who shared that bond.

I have spent many Shabbat in Israel. But I am hard pressed to find any that were more meaningful or enjoyable. And my family and I are deeply grateful to the families in Kiryat Malachi who made it such a special day (and this past week) for us. We are looking forward to our last few days this coming week with a mix of happiness and regret. We have experienced so many incredible things and have made so many wonderful friends. And we look forward to building on these experiences in the future.

I wish you all a Shavua Tov and a wonderful week ahead.

Adam Schwartz, President and CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix

Shorts from Israel, July 30, 2010, on subjects big and small

2010-07-31T06:42:00.000-07:00

1) The city of Kiryat Malachi continues to upgrade the way the city looks. We see street sweepers at least twice a week go by our apartment.

The roundabout at the intersection of Ben Gurion and Jabotinsky really looks lovely, with a mature olive tree in the center and a bubbling fountain too.

There are signs of construction in town:

2) We are amazed at the building of new roads and improving old ones. We found out that one reason there is a huge push to improve roads in the south of the country is that the army will be moving its basic training location from the center of the country and some parts further north to the south, in the greater Beersheva area.

Expanding road outsdide of Beersheva

Most main roads have dividers (see left of photo above) between the two different flows of traffic for safety. To reduce congestions, there are new and improved roads going on the outskirts of Beersheva The new highway intersections/cloverleafs are quite spectactular in that area. We also noticed a number of speed traps with police using laser guns to catch speeders.

There is a new train line that will go to Beersheva and a lot of improvement is going into the roads there. Highway 6, the toll road, last year opened its branch from the Ashdod/Ashkelon exit southward. There is no toll on that part of the highway as the government built it and not private industry as the volume might not have been big enough for profit, but it was needed because of the army shift and to encourage more people to move into that area.

3) This past week, Israelis were shocked by the deaths of 4 pilots and 3 other air force officers in helicopter training exercise in Romania. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3927326,00.html The helicopter is huge, and could carry 50, but they only allow up to 20 in one after 50+ were killed years ago in a training exercise. After the names of the dead were announced, the daily national newspaper Maariv dedicated one page for each of those who died in the crash.

4) Some of the people who left Gush Katif and moved into temporary housing 5 years ago north of Ashkelon are now moving into their permanent homes. We visited with the librarian at Nitzan, Ayala.

Ayala on right at work

Her family should be able to move into its new home before the holidays.

Ayala in her new kitchen

Her son Itai was a counselor in Seattle a few years ago. We met another man, a doctor, who had rented a home in Gaza when he lived there. As a result, he was not given a subsidy since he had not owned a home. Others like him are in limbo. They are trying to negotiate with the government to get something so that they can get out of the temporary housing they have been in for 5 years.

5) Here are a few signs that we would not see in our communities in the US:

No entrance on holidays and Shabbat

Beware of Camel Crossing near Mamshit--also visual signs with picture of camel

Street signs in 3 languages, Hebrew, Arabic, and English
The letter "Q" not followed by a "U"

This is one of the few signs in the area pointing toward Kiryat Malachi. It is about 7 miles from town.

6) Friday night we were invited to friends for dinner and we offered to bring a bottle of wine. Suddenly at 3 p.m. I remembered to buy it and rushed to the supermarket across the street. I was afraid that it had already closed, but I was assured by the guard on duty that the store would stay open until 3:30 p.m. Most of the other businesses in town usually close before that on Friday afternoon and stay closed until Saturday night or Sunday morning, the start of the week. Here is a picture I took in front of our apartment at 5:30 Friday afternoon. The usually busy streets were empty, as you can see.

7) Plastic and glass bottles are the main items recycled by residents in towns. Large plastic bottles (a liter or more) are collected in huge bins, while smaller plastic and glass bottles can be returned to supermarkets for 30 agorot each (approximately 8 cents US).

8) One day I went to buy 1% milk. When Howard took a drink, he wondered if something were wrong with the milk. I looked carefully at the container and realized that it was a milk "drink" with sugar added....and yes, it was 1%--lower fat but added sugar. Phoey!

9) Bread is the staple of life, so for many people it is hard to throw away. In the US we often freeze it for stuffing or make bread crumbs from it. Many Israelis don't like to throw it away either, so they often put it next to the community garbage can or in other conspicuous places. Here are two of my favorite ones:

Bread on a fence post

A crow pecking at a bag of bread on top of the plastic bottle recycling cage

10) Driving in Jerusalem is an experience that we don't want to do very often. Even Dalia Burgana has told me that when she has to go to Jerusalem, she drives just inside the city and then takes a cab to where she has to go. We drove in Jerusalem last Thursday to get to Har (Mount) Herzl and then to visit some cousins in Katamon (now called Gonen). It was definitely harrowing. Twice Howard made u turns where they were not allowed. If he hadn't we might not have been able to turn around for a long time. There is a lot of traffic, many hills, huge intersections, new one-way streets, a lack of numbers of buildings, often a lack of street signs, and crazy drivers. What more can I add!

Youth Council in Kiryat Malachi--On the Move

2010-07-31T03:26:00.000-07:00

On July 26th, I met with Moriah and a member of the Kiryat Malachi Youth Council, Lital, in Moriah's apartment. Moriah lives in the Weitzman neighborhood, very close to Dalia. This year the Youth Council was restructured, under the leadership of Moriah Ben-David, who was appointed the Youth Director (ages 12 to 18) for the city of Kiryat Malachi in late August, 2009.

I talked almost exclusively with Lital as my main purpose was to hear from a member of the Youth Council about the group itself. All but two of the YC members this year are girls. They hope to add more guys in the fall (to replace the graduates, like Lital.)

Lital just graduated from high school. She has been active in Migdalo, a program mainly for teens in the poorer neighborhoods in town so that teens have some place to go after school and in summers. it is directed by Yaffa Golan. (Yaffa's son Yarden was a counselor in Seattle the summer of 2009). Migdalo, a Better Together program, is one of two teen groups in KM that has its own steering committee/leadership group, and Lital has been a member of that leadership group. This fall, they appointed her as the representative from the group to the KM Youth Council.

Lital was wearing a yellow KM Youth Council shirt so I asked her about it. She said that the group felt it was important to have a YC shirt so that teens around town would recognize who they were, to "brand" them. Three or four in the group worked together on the shirt project. They made a design, checked out places that print shirts, found a good, cheap price and had 50 made, the minimum number. They distributed a bit more than 20 this year and will have more for new members that join in the next few years. Each shirt had the logo of KM, the MATNAS, and the Jewish Agency. (At that time they did not have the TIPS logo, but they do have it now and will use it from now on. Moriah has taught them it is important to recognize those who support the group.)

Lital said that it took a while for the new youth council members to learn to function as a group. They didn't really know each other in depth....in some cases they knew others enough to say "hi" but that was about it. The city gave them the "first building" in town, Beit Harishonim, to use as their center. It was messy inside, so they spent a lot of time cleaning it up, painting it, putting up pictures, etc.

The group meets regularly from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday evenings and sometimes on Wednesdays too when needed. (If they cannot attend meetings or if they will be late, they are required to contact Moriah in advance.)

At the beginning, they had activities to learn about each other and more about themselves. Through these activities and planning of events (includiing cleaning of Beit Harishonim and taking responsibility for different parts of the clean up), Lital said she learned a lot about herself. She learned that she could "give" more than she thought she was able to. Also, she learned in depth what "responsibility" meant and how important follow through was. She learned that if she volunteered for something, she had to follow through because others counted on her, so she could not say later that she could not do it.

The first big event that they planned was the "opening ceremony" of the youth council where the YC members were officially sworn in. It was in the MATNAS auditorium, and the place was full. The YC members felt it was important to have a big public event so that people would know who they were and what they stood for. One girl named Avniela who never had spoken up much, volunteered to be the master of ceremonies. (Moriah was surprised to see her volunteer, but let the group take control of the program.) It turned out that Avniela was a great MC. BTW, she represents the "teens at risk" in the Youth Council. Less than 6 months before the event, this young woman would never have volunteered to do such a thing.

One memorable training program that 15 out of 20 of the YC members attended was a workshop on leadership for members of Youth Councils in all of the southern region of Israel, around Purim. They got permission from schools to be absent. The program was from noon to 9 p.m. They attended a number of workshops on being leaders. For example, in schools, they are not taught to speak in front of groups. At one workshop, they learned and practiced how to do so, a skill that Lital feels has really helped them. A side effect of the workshop day was that they met and interacted with youth leaders from other parts of Israel.

As a result of the meeting, several KM YC members wanted to get together with the YC in Ashkelon and share ideas. So far they have not succeeded, but they continue to try. (They are learning that planning takes a lot of work and not every suggestion that they work on comes to fruition.)

They divided into sub-committees for a while, but then found out that many wanted to work on several different sub-committees, so they have dropped that idea for the time being.

They were involved in the KM 60th anniversary celebration and helped with different parts. One thing that they did with other youth was to work with the local deaf group and learned to sign the song "Yachad Lev v'lev" and sang and signed with them at the 60th anniversary celebration.

For several months they have been planning a big event that will take place this coming Tuesday afternoon, August 3. (Unfortunately, we fly out of Israel that morning.) The event is to mark 1500 days that Gilad Shalit has been a captive. At 5 p.m. participants will gather near the soccer field and then march together with signs (made by the youth) to the park near the MATNAS, where a program will follow, totally planned by the youth. They had hoped to get a member of Gilad's family, and he did agree to come at first, but then when other bigger communities started to plan a similar event, he had to turn them down. However, another representative of the national group to free Gilad will come and speak in KM. Other speakers include the mayor, the head of the MATNAS, and a member of the YC; the KM chief rabbi will give a blessing for Gilad; and Limor will sing as will a choir from AMIT high School. (I heard her last week when she tried out for Kohav Nolad...she has a lovely voice.) They will have 150 balloons that will be released in the park, symbolic of 1500 days Shalit has been a prisoner.

About 7 from the YC also went on a bus rented by the city to a Gilad Shalit event as his parents were walking to Jerusalem from the Galil. The mayor had invited them to represent the city youth. They had to be ready to leave at 6 a.m., not a common time in the summer for teens here. In advance, the YC made signs for the group to take and had extras for some other people on the bus.

As a follow up activity to the big event on August 3, they plan to go to different youth groups in town and hold small discussions called "Cafe Dilemma." They will talk about the "costs" of freeing Gilad, and of not freeing him. Members of the youth group will help lead the discussions.

In advance, the group did big cloth posters and put them up in town.

The flyer (above) is being passed out now throughout town.

One more event is in the planning stage but still the early stages. The group wants to do something on the problems of drugs and alcohol, or on responsible driving. At this point, the have not yet decided on which area to focus. Once they do, they know they want an event where they can bring in a teen group that sing songs focusing on these issues to get the attention of teens in town. Then they plan to do follow up activities, mainly through the youth groups in town to have educational discussions on the focus problems.

The group also has a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=100001024635531 for ‏נוער קריית מלאכי

I also asked Lital what the Youth Council meant to her personally. She said that although she only had one year to be involved since its rebirth, it really helped her a lot. As I mentioned earlier, she really learned what responsibility meant in depth and the importance of follow through. She also learned how to deal with many different kinds of people. Through the YC events and programs, she was pushed out of her comfort zone and succeeded, growing and maturing. She is religious, so will not go to the army but will do "national service." She originally had planned to work in a hospital. But since her experience on the Youth Council, she decided to work with teens at risk in Petach Tikva. She feels that if she is capable, and should take responsibility to do something more challenging.

Now I have finished my "reporting," and want to add a personal note.

If Lital is representative of the teens on the Youth Council, I think that TIPS can be proud of what the group has succeeded in doing. It has taken them longer to do some activities than we had expected, but they are working as a group, learning and growing from the experience, and leading the teens.

Sports and Structure turn potential delinquents into Leaders in Kiryat Malachi

2010-07-31T03:14:00.000-07:00

In mid-July, at Dvora Attal's suggestion, I met with Elad, the head staff person at Moadon Shahar, where the Poel Tel Aviv program for 7th and 8th graders is centered.

Elad is the head staff person (1/3 time officially but works much more) for this program. He moved to Kiryat Malachi after getting married. Moadon Shahar is supported by Better Together and 2 other organizations. It was begun 2 years ago to reduce vandalism in town. During the school year, the program is run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m. in the AMIT school, and includes 35 boys and girls in the Herzl, Weitzman, and Kibbutz Galiot neighborhoods. Over 75% are Ethiopian-Israeli. They do meet in the summer too.

The program is built around 3 factors, each one lasting an hour:
1. Studies: For one hour the youth sit in groups of 5 together with a “teacher” who helps them with homework. If they don’t have homework, the “teacher” supplies educational activities to improve their study habits and basic skills. The teachers are volunteers, some through a special army program, some in National Service, and a few local people who want to help.

2. Planned Activities: The activities revolve around a month theme. For example, one might be the “value of giving.” The youth plan activities and carry them out. Activities have included visiting people in the hospital, helping younger children with homework, etc.

3. Sports: This is the HaPoel Tel Aviv component supported by TIPS. The youth hear lectures about qualities that make a good team player and practice them as they play together. They learn good behavior on court, problems some of the pros have had with drugs and alcohol and how that hurt their careers. They go to Tel Aviv to the Wolfson Center (where the HaPoel Tel Aviv professional soccer team plays) twice a year to see games (around Hanukkah and at the end of the year).

Elad said that the HaPoel Tel Aviv program pull the youth into the entire program in the first place. Without this incentive, many would not have come. The entire program is very structured, and Elad works with the Poel Tel Aviv coordinator to make a master plan for the year. He also meets with Moriah (and sometimes Dvora) to advise her of what is happening in his program and also to coordinate with other “clubs” in town.

I asked Elad how the 35 youth were chosen. He said that this program is, in part, a continuation of the Tzeva program (Tzi-irim Bonim Atid—youth build a future), which is also connected to Better Together is the poorer neighborhoods in town listed above.

He said that at the beginning of the year, he meets with Meirav, the coordinator fo the Tzeva program and picks out a number of kids in that program who would benefit from continuing in the Moadon Shahar. He also works with the counselors at the schools to see who are the most needy and are not already in another support program.

The program has a very strong structure with a clear list of behavior rules. The rules are reinforced with special HaPoel Tel Aviv sports cards that are colored green, yellow and red. The youth get green cards for good behavior, yellow for warnings, and red for penalties. The youth have to have a minimum of yellow cards and an accumulation of green cards in order to go on field trips, including visiting a hospital, etc.

Elad told me of one boy that started the year in an aggressive manner, hitting other kids. He got yellow cards and then red ones. At that point, he was sent out and the team met with his parents and with him at home. The boy was borderline ADD. The staff also realized that something at home must be the cause of part of his behavior, so they worked with the family and the boy. It took lots of intensive work, with small rewards for good behavior, but after two weeks, there was a big change in his behavior.

Last July, about 8 to 10 of the 35 participants were not passing some of their classes, and without improvement would not have moved up to the next grade. The club ran an intense academic “marathon” for that small group, focusing on math, English, and Hebrew, and by the end when they were retested, all passed and moved up to the next grade.

The youth that were delinquents-in-training when they entered this program have turned their behavior around. They no longer drink or smoke and commit petty crimes. They actually look for things to do in their neighborhoods, like picking up garbage and carrying or shopping for groceries for the elderly.

The participants have their own soccer team and they took part in a one-day tournament on the home court of HaPoel Tel Aviv on March 26 against other groups supported by the same program of HaPoel Tel Aviv. The boys were very proud that they took 3rd place nationally. The girls took 5th place! The article below was in the local KM weekly newspaper and includes a photo of the local boys' team that took 3rd place.

The youth this past year were very connected to a soldier named Miri in the Better Together program that volunteer at their club. She was like a big sister to many of them. When she was about to leave, they threw a surprise party for her, one that they totally planned by themselves. (While this may not seem unusual in the US, it is remarkable that young teens do such a thing in Israel.)

In the 2 years that Elad has worked with this program, he has seen a tremendous change in the behavior in the participants. Their grades have improved; they’ve learned to work well in a group setting; their way of thinking has become more positive and responsible, and they very much want to help their peers and younger kids do the same. The city has seen a reduction in vandalism too which they in part attribute to the success of this program. The youth are proactive with their peers and younger kids. If they see kids smoking and drinking, they will go up to them and say that they used to drink or smoke, but that they have changed their behavior and it has brought them many positive results.

Many of the participants move up the 9th and 10th grade group that also works with HaPoel Tel Aviv.

Submitted by Dina Tanners, July 30, 2010

A Phoenix 10-year-old gets school supplies for Kiryat Malachi in lieu of birthday gifts

2010-07-21T04:01:00.000-07:00

Most ten-year-olds enjoy having a birthday party and getting gifts from family and friends. But a special young man in Phoenix had other ideas. Evan T., his parents, and 7-year-old sister were supposed to go on a trip with his local Jewish Federation to Israel in late spring. However, the trip got postponed until next year.

Evan had been excited about going to Israel since he was in kindegarten, so of course he was disappointed when the trip got postponed, but he still thought about Israel.. If he could not go this year, something from him would definitely go.

He decided that instead of birthday gifts, he would ask friends and family to bring school and craft supplies to be used at a school in Kiryat Malachi, one of our Israeli partnership communities.

Since his birthday is in the July after school gets out, he had an early party. He asked everyone to bring school/art supplies for one of the elementary school in our partnership region. He will be entering 5th grade in the fall. He attends one of the Jewish Day Schools here in Phoenix, with his 7 1/2 year old sister Sarah. He loves to draw, write stories, and build with LEGOs.

A number of people got him the supplies he asked for: crayons, markers, colored pencils, scissors, drawing paper, coloring books, beads, yarn, etc. Some donated money, and he went shopping with his family to get more supplies.

In June, he met Dalia Burgana, the co-chair of TIPS, and Shalom Eldar, another lay leader of the TIPS steering committee, both from Kiryat Malachi. He gave them a duffle-ful of items to take.

Because of baggage limitation, they were brought to Israel by Dina Tanners, the other co-chair of TIPS, from Seattle, and delivered to the HaAchim school in early July. HaAchim was the first elementary school to open in Kiryat Malachi, and together with the city just celebrated its 60th anniversary.

sign at school: 60 years of Achim school in Kiryat Malachi

Ofra Yishaya, the principal of the school, was delighted to receive the gifts and would be in contact with Evan.

2 shelves stuffed with donations from Evan

And when Evan comes to Israel, hopefully next year in late spring, he can visit HaAchim school and meet some of the children there.

So what do you thing--Do other children in Tucson, Phoenix or Seattle in 5th or 6th grade (or other grades) like Evan's idea? What would they like to do to help and connect with our partnership communities of Hof Ashkelon and Kiryat Malachi? Children are very creative. I am sure they can come up with wonderful ideas!

Maybe Evan will be the first elementary school student with a creative idea to help strengthen the connection between kids in the US and Israel TIPS communities.

Kohav Nolad, a special program of Art City, and some publicity for Art City

2010-07-20T04:55:00.000-07:00

One project that Art City began last summer (2009) was to sponsor a local version of the Israeli TV show "Kohav Nolad" כוחב נולד (like "American Idol" in the US) in which local talented singers compete. The competition is open for 13 to 20 year olds. Last summer, when the Art City initiated this program, they did allow a 12-year-old to compete, and she won the contest. I gather she has an amazing voice. She has sung in several different events here, including Israel Independence Day and Kiryat Malachi's amazing 60th Anniversary event, which Adam Schwartz and family (from Phoenix) attended.

There have been at least 3 auditions so far, and I attended part of one yesterday, July 19, in the music room of the MATNAS (community center). Guy (the music director of the bands) and two or three other people were there to judge including Hila Kordana. She has been videoing all the entrants with the video-camera donated by Ken Brandis of Tucson.

Two of the men took turns playing a synthesizer to accompany the singers. This day, all were female, but males had also auditioned. One was really good, but may not come back because of family (religious) consideration. The first singer that I heard was great. I did not take her photo, however, because I did not want to embarrass her. Hila came in a few minutes later and started video-ing, so I knew it was OK to take pictures. Here are the others I listened to, many of whom joined Art City activities before Yom Haatzmaut and the 60th anniversary of the town, and participated in the events. Some are in the production group, and Hila had not realized that they could sing!

This young woman was very shy at first but came alive as Guy coaxed her to sing loader as he played drums to accompany her.

This young woman had a powerful and emotional voice

It was interesting to see how their worked with the singers, having them try in different keys too. One young woman had a sensual voice but had trouble staying on key. Although they were nervous, most didn't show it.

This gal is from Kiryat Malachi and is serving in National Service (in lieu of the army) elsewhere. She came back to town to audition. I could see her maturity in her singing. She is 19 and a half....and emphasized that she was not close to 20, the cutoff age!

The final audition is on July 29 at noon.

Of the 40 or so teens auditioning for Kohav Nolad, the judges need to pick ten. Then those ten practice before the big show in the 2nd half of August. I wish I were here to see it. (Hof Ashkelon is having a similar event on a smaller scale on July 27, whick I plan to go to.)

The summer edition of the local newspaper came out a few days ago, and there were more than 3 pages of articles on things for teens. The first one below is entitled: What can one do during vacation?

The picture below, of Art City street theater, is a close up of the picture above in the lower right corner .

The above article is about the bands.

As a final note, the dance group (Tzuza) is working daily to prepare for the Carmiel dance festival the last week of July.

PJ Library Comes to Israel---and Kiryat Malachi!

2010-07-18T05:07:00.000-07:00

Today I visited a friend named Leah, now in her 11th year as director of the Beit Tzipora-Keren Wiesel program in Kiryat Malachi. It was originally started in Ashkelon and Kiryat Malachi to give educational support to the Ethiopian-Israeli chidlren in the area.

Leah is an amazing woman, and it was a delight to see her. And through her, I found out that the PJ Library or Sifriyat Pijama ספריית פיג'מה in Hebrew, is now in Israel too as of the September, 2009.

http://www.pjlibrary.org/news/pj-library%C2%AE-goes-israel-gifts-books-3000-israeli-kindergarteners

Here is the website of the program, which is also in Hebrew and Russian:
http://www.pjisrael.org/page.aspx?id=34

Harold Greenspoon, the founder of the PJ Library, has a passion for the Jewish people and for Israel. Although Israeli children often know more about Jewish holidays than their American counterparts, Grinspoon discovered in conversations with Israeli educators that Israeli children are often unaware of what Judaism has to say about universal values. On his trips to Israel, he heard that most children do not have books at home, especially those outside the center of the country. He decided to start the program with 3000 kindergarteners, mostly from underpriviledged families in the north of Israel. Unlike the US program, it cannot be subscribed to individually but is subsidized locally in Israel.
If you know the program in the US, you will see that the application is identical pretty much to the one in the US:

Leah found out about the program and was allowed to bring it to her 70 first graders last year. She found a pre-school teacher who is great at story telling who also was quick to adapt to the needs of first graders. The children each got 11 (maybe 9??) books throughout the year. The teacher created programs around the books, and asked that parents attend at least one during the year to see the excitement that the children have about them. At the beginning of this year, the children will each make a bookshelf to take home to use for these books.
Below you can see some of the books that were distributed this past year and the type of book shelf out of thick cardboard scraps that they will make in the fall.

What Is My Name and Who Am I?

The Legend of the Bridge

The Roosters and the Fox

The Tractor in the Sandbox

Grandpa's Bakery on the bookshelf

Closing the volunteer apartment

2010-07-18T03:21:00.000-07:00

At the end of this month, July, 2010, TIPS will give up the apartment, the last of at least 2 apartments in Kiryat Malachi that it has rented for more than 8 years. My husband and I were the first in the previous apartment on Jabotinsky Street, and we are the last in this apartment near the end of Rashi Street, a two story, 3+ bedroom walk-up on the 3rd and 4th floors. In addition to volunteers from Tucson, Phoenix and Seattle who stayed from one to 4+ weeks, it also "hosted" young adults, mostly from our communities, in the OTZMA program, that stayed for 3 months, helping English teachers in the schools and also helping in after-school programs. This happened for at least 5 years since 2003. This year, for the first time 3 young men (from Washington State, Arizona, and New York) were in town for 8+ months through OTZMA providing much needed English support in the high schools and in after-school programs. (They were also joined by three from the regular 3 month program, including one from Arizona, came also.)

The entrance to the volunteer apartment stairwell is just to the right of the blue pole. Our green rental car is seen peeking out between 2 other cars on the right.

The people from the 3 US communities, Palm Springs, and also several of the communities of the Western Region Network, especially Orange County, greatly benefitted from their experiences in town and staying at the apartment. It gave all of us the opportunity to see Israel from a very different perspective. Once one has the opportunity to see below the surface, one can see how warm and personable the people in this town are. The Kocens from Palm Springs made lifelong friends here and are supporting a young Ethiopian-Israeli woman as she has succeeded in raising her skills and studying to be a physician. Adam Schwartz was here with his family in June for almost 2 weeks and said that his experience here gave all of them a totally different view of Israel, one he never got on previous visits, while staying in hotels. One Otzmanik from Seattle (Mindy Goldberg) came back to Israel a while after her program, studied here, and is now working for Yedid in its Jerusalem office. Ira knows of at least 3 others from OTZMA who have made aliya. My husband and I too have been changed by our opportunities to stay in the apartments and volunteer in town. It has not necessarily been an easy place to volunteer but it has always been a heartwarming experience.

In both apartments, the next door neighbors were delightful. Aliza and Haim Elimelech plied the volunteers with food and especially with home-made challot on Fridays. Tami, the current neighbor across the hall who is a widow with grown children and young grandchildren, is very friendly and helpful. For example, she showed me where the fuse box was when our power went off (I had the dryer, hot pot and air conditioner going at once, and it was too much for the circuitry) and I lent her a lighter when her matches were wet and she couldn't start her gas burner.

Most of the furniture (beds, sofa, chairs, eating table, kitchen utensils) came from a donation warehouse and individuals like Dvora who donated a TV, but others were purchased, including a double-bed and chest of drawers, a refrigerator (after 2+ years of using very used ones), a washer and dryer, and an air conditioner. Many volunteers donated items, including a toaster, hot pot, microwave, pots, books, a DVD player, a wall clock, a CD/radio/casette player, and framed pictures to decorate the walls.

We are beginning to distribute the items. The newer air conditioner will go to the office in Kiryat Malachi of the director of the Young Adult program.

The office is on the second floor of the Naamat/Yedid building where volunteer programs in the city now are coordinated. This part of the building opened in the fall after Portland donated the funds to fix the outside stairs and to help renovate the 2nd floor, together with the city and the Tucson Federation.

The refrigerator will go to an apartment in the Weitzman neighborhood where soldiers live who work in the "Better Together" program. Their fridge has just died. (Big appliances here are much more expensive relatively here than in the US.)

The youth club in the small Matnas on Sun Diego Street (where the Ethiopian Israeli WEAP group used to meet) has gotten the DVD player, the CD/radio player, and some games, the TV antenna, and will also get the clock and a very cute foot stool with red velvet on the top, donated by Ann Barnake of Portland. (She also donated the framed watercolors that adorn the walls.)

The microwave, which was donated by the Ellenhorn family of Seattle, is going to the volunteer center, and the refrigerator to the Beit HaRishonim where the Youth Council meets.

The dryer and the washer (if the latter can still be fixed without extra cost) will go immediately to a family in need as will, most likely, the stove. And on the last working day of the month, movers will take the rest of the furniture, etc. to a storage area for the social services department to distribute.

Although we will no longer have a volunteer program in town, whenever people from our US partnership region want to comefor half day to see our projects and meet some local people, our representative Ira Keren would be happy to show them around.

4th Annual Partnership Memorial Art Contest

2010-07-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

The results of our 4th annual art contest are in, and the top photos are on display at the Kiryat Malachi Library. A calendar of the top 14 pictures is being made for Israel, and note cards for the 3 US federations of 8 of the pictures, 2 from each community, are in the works.

The contest has been in the memory of two people, one in the US and one in Israel. Chuck Simpson, z"l, was the husband of Amy Wasser-Simpson, the staff person in Seattle who has been active in the partnership for many years. Netanel Peretz was the son of Yossi (and Edit) Peretz, from Kiryat Malachi. The Peretzs have opened their home to many people from the States in the spirit of partnership.

Here are some of the top pictures for you to enjoy!

The above picture took first place in Israel. It was drawn by a 6th grade student form Har-El school in Kiryat Malachi. He wrote the word "Shutfut" ("partnership" in Hebrew) and inside each letter drew pictures of people in costume from different parts of the world.

This picture was drawn by Ashlyn, a 5th grader at Pardes Jewish Day School in Phoenix.

This picture, by Joss, a 5th grader in Jess Schwartz school in Phoenix.,shows the 3 US communities and Israel together. The airplane banner says, "No matter where you are in the world, we are all partners."

This picture is by Leah, a 6th grader at the Seattle Hebrew Academy

This picture is by a Nitzan student from Hof Ashkelon

The flying birds are in the form of a magen david and the hills are filled with quotes in Hebrew.

This picture is byNatalie, a 6th grader at the Tucson Hebrew Academy.

"Love your neighbor as yourself. That is the main message of the Torah.

The picture was drawn by Shahar at Netzach Yisrael in Kiryat Malachi.

"Hand and hand together all the way on the path"

Shani from Hofim in Hof Ashkelon drew this picture.

Seattle picture connecting Seattle and Israel as partners

Drawn by Izzy, a 5th grader at the Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle

Katrin, a 6th grader from Har El (in Kiryat Malachi) drew this picture, where children and adults work together in partnership to build a garden.

Zevi, a 2nd grader from Tucson, drew this Picasso-esque picture. At the bottom, you can see he wrote "Am Yisrael Chai" in Hebrew.

This picture was drawn by Hannah, a 4th grader at the East Valley Jewish Day School

The above picture is by Hannah, a 4th grader at Temple Beth Am, Seattle

"Partnership makes the world a nicer place."

by Noi in Kohav Michael, Hof Ashkelon

"Your friends can raise you up."

By Ariel, a 6th grader in Hofim School, Hof Ashkelon

Remembering Esther--Kiryat Malachi Senior Adult Day Center

2010-07-10T23:16:00.000-07:00

I stopped by the Kiryat Malachi Adult Day Center last week to say "hello" and drop off some donated yarn to the Ethiopian seniors that meet there 3 tims a week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The group is run by a woman named Sara, who is the wife of the Jerusalem-ordained Ethiopian-born rabbi. When I arrived, she was giving the woman a lesson on the blessing for making Hallah, and teaching them how to make it. They welcomed me warmly. Here are some of the pictures I took on my brief visit:

Rabbanit Sara explaining the blessing over Challah

Some pottery the group had made--traditional from Ethiopian and models of Challah and rugelach!

A woman showing me her embroidery

I then met the new director of the center. Yehuda has been on the job for just 4 months. He is originally from the States, having made aliyah many years ago.

I mentioned to the social worker how sad it was to no longer see Ester's smiling face greetinng us. Ester had volunteered in the center for many years. She was originally from Morocco and had worked with English-speaking soldiers stationed there during World War II. Whenever she saw volunteers from the US, she greated them warmly and told them her history. She had married but never had any children, so the center was her family. This past winter she got sick. The local community helped her a lot. In late winter or early spring, she passed away.

In memory of Ester and her welcoming spirit, staff members of the center contributed money and time to make the back patio a garden in her memory. The building caretaker (av habayit) coordinated the effort. Here are pictures I took of the "Ester Garden."

On one side of the garden on an inside window is a mosaic made by one of the men in the crafts class. It says, "Bruchim Habaim," or "Welcome," something Ester always said too.

Here is what the garden looks like, standing in the center of the walkway between the 2 buildings. The area is cover by a study blue material to make it safer to walk in winter. On the wall on the left is a poem in Esther's honor.

Ester in costume in her earlier days.

As you pass to the next building, this is another part of the garden on the right. The circular sign on the wall says "Ester's Garden.:

A more recent photo, the way most of us remember Ester, Zichrona Uvracha.

Volunteering in Kiryat Malachi, July 2010--week one

2010-07-09T01:06:00.000-07:00

Hello,
My husband Howard Cockerham and I are in Israel for the month of July and much of the time we will be based in Kiryat Malachi, volunteering and making Partnership connections. (I speak street Hebrew fluently. Howard can read some, but his oral Hebrew skills are very low.) Today, Thursday, July 8th, marks a full week that we have been in Israel and both of us have fully adjusted.We’ve kept busy since we arrived in Kiryat Malachi on Sunday, after a lovely restful Shabbat with friends in Kibbutz Shuval.

We are the last to use the volunteer apartment as TIPS will no longer continue to have it after July 31st. The apartment is located a short block from the shuk (open market) and across the street from one of 4 major supermarkets in the area. We’ve been to two supermarkets and to the shuk. The shuk is open on Mondays and Thursdays, and on Thursday (today), it is mainly a food market—fruits, vegetables, and nuts. I came home today with my arms loaded with a watermelon, an Israeli melon (not as orange as a cantaloupe), a ½ kilo of fresh figs, tiny pears and small peaches, etc. and I went back later for fresh almonds in their original (green) casing , some fresh lychee, and cactus fruit (sabras). You can see a picture of the almonds below. They taste different than dried ones do, more like almond flavoring drops, though not as intense.

Howard has been busy this week and has gotten involved in 3 different places. His low Hebrew skills have not kept him from interacting.

First of all on Sunday we together when to a program called Tzeva. It is an enrichment and homework after-school program during the school year to help some lower income children. It is part of a special program in town called "Better Together." Several national service young women volunteer there during the year. (They are Orthodox teens, recent high school graduates, who do this service instead of the army.) 2 days a week third and fourth graders attend, and another 2 days 5th and 6th graders attend. This summer, they have a three-week program for about 20 children, but just 2 days a week, Sunday and Monday. The coordinator, Merav, is great. She works very well with the children. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have enough volunteers to run it more days.

On Sunday, when we first went, there were 3 young women from national service came, plus another woman named Hadar who I later found out was Dvora’s daughter-in-law. (Dvora is the KM staff rep for our partnership.) She first got involved with Tzeva through a college community service class she took at Achva college, a program that our TIPS partnership once sponsored. She liked Tzeva so much that she continues to volunteer some. The next day, however, Howard was the only volunteer.

One ten-year-old boy named Ben latched on to Howard right away. Ben’s mother is French, and Ben speaks French and some English with her too, so he was excited to talk English with Howard, and his English was good extremely good for someone his age.

The next day, a petite Ethiopian girl, also the same age, came just because she knew Howard was there. Her English was good too—mainly from watching TV programs in English.

Howard painted with Q-tips with the kids while I did word searches in Hebrew on the topic of summer with others. Later, during large group activities, we learned the game “Yahm-Yavesha.” It is like a very simple Simon Says. There is a line in the room. One side is “yahm” (ocean) and the other is “yavesha” –dry land. When the leader shouts one of the words, each participant has to jump to the correct side.

We then played a bit of non-competitive volleyball as well as other games. One boy, David, was acting out destructively so he was sent to another alcove. Howard went over to him and calmed him down with a bit of attention—they compared watches.

Howard also played hopscotch with a group outside during recess.

Tzeva has 3 basic golden rules. They are not to be abusive, be respectful, and arrive on time.

Howard also helped an 11th grade girl named Sara prepare for the top level (5 pt) repeat Bagrut exam in English (like the SAT subject exams). She is in the alternative school program (Beit Novea)—less formal than in the US. Shalom Eldar, a member of our steering committee from Kiryat Malachi, is the director of the south of Israel for programs such as these. Sara's Ethiopian and has learned a lot of English from TV too. Last year, when she started at Beit Novea, they didn’t know what Bagrut test for her to try. She took the 3 point exam and scored 100%. She’s quite sharp so I’m glad that she found her way back to a school program.

Atidim is a special program program to help disadvantaged youth prepare to become army officers. It starts with 7th graders and teaches them many good life skills. The director for the local program in town wanted to run an English class for outgoing 7th graders, and because Howard was here, she could start it. Yesterday (Wednesday) was the first day. Howard had about 7 or 8 girls and one boy. The girls in skirts were from the religious public secondary school AMIT, and the others were from AMAL, the non-religious public school. Howard really is a born teacher, and it showed here from what he told me. (Howard just finished his 10th year of teaching middle school science. He is an introvert but not when he teaches!) He got the kids to talk a bit about their interests. He found out that they liked romantic movies. So he told them about the most romantic movie he has ever seen, “Casablanca.” He told them the story, briefly, but did not tell him which of the 2 men that the main star chose. (The teacher may get the movie so that he can show it to them and use it as a teaching tool.)

Howard also found out that they wanted to do vocabulary work, so they reviewed everything they could see in the room. New words that he taught included “elbow.” Then in the afternoon, we went to the town library and took out 4 picture dictionaries that he could use with vocabulary by topic. I am so well known at the town library as I have helped them with the English books a Seattlite has sent them over the years that they let us take the books, though the usual limit is just 2 books at a time.

Howard said that some liked to talk and others liked to listen, and he was happy to let them do either. They don’t want to do “activity book” work, and neither does he! Below is a picture I took of Howard and his girls today.

Last night Howard downloaded a bunch of pictures to his new IPad to take to class today, and the girls enjoyed seeing them. Three new people showed up today but the one boy was missing. It says a lot if so many show up the second day….during summer vacation to a non-required class. He will continue next week from 10 a.m. to noon, but with 2 smaller groups, the AMIT group first and then the AMAL group. The AMIT girls want to practice writing, and came prepared today with notebooks and pencils. I’ll be happy to help him with writing starting on Sunday.

Last Monday, we went over to the new open mall just across the highway from town (about 4 blocks from us). In the side area of the parking lot, adjacent to MacDonalds and Cafe Joe, there was Israeli dancing in the parking lot.

If you look closely, you can see Ira's bck on the left side of the picture above. Ira stayed for several hours, and I also ran into Esti, the science center administrative assistant.

Esti invited us to go with her on Wednesday to participate in the walk with Gilad Shalit’s family to Jerusalem. It started at their home in the Galil (Galilee) and by Wed. would be at Latrun. I knew I had to work with Ira on the TIPS calendar, and also was concerned about being outside in the heat of the day. Today, she told me it was a fantastic experience. They waited for 2 hours in the open sun, but then walked with the family for an hour. If you haven’t heard of the walk, it is major news here, taking over a week total. The idea is to get enough attention to at least improve the conditions for Shalit and for some communication to exist and health visits. The walkers arrived in Jerusalem tonight and 25,000 were there to greet them. Over the course of the 12-day walk, over 110,000 joined the Shalit family as they walked to Jerusalem.

Life for Israelis goes on at a super-busy pace. We have seen some friends from the past and are working to see others. Tonight we are going to a house warming of an English teacher from Etzion School in Kiryat Malachi. She and her family have just moved to a rental in Moshav Shafir.

I ran into Klara at the shuk. She is the Bukharan from the Ethnic flavors group that came to the 3 US communities last fall. Her mother has a booth in the shuk. Klara looks great and is now working in her profession, doing pedicures.

BTW, It is a slow news week in Israel as it is vacation time. What there has been this week has focused on:
1) World Cup Soccer
2) The march in support of Gilad Shalit
3) The visit of Netanyahu to the US
4) A bill in the Knesset to raise the minimum wage
5) Hit and run traffic accidents, of which there have been more than 250 this year that caused deaths or serious injury. Two caused deaths this week. In one, the driver was caught. He was 19 years old and high on drugs (something that has not been so common in the past). He and a girl friend were returning from a night of fun at 6 a.m. when they hit a 60+-year-old man who was heading to work. the driver was caught on photographed on TV. in chains

All the best,
Dina Tanners, Co-chair, TIPS partnership

Jacob Schwartz's Bar Mitzvah at Kibbutz Yad Mordechai

2010-06-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

Jacob Schwartz, the son of the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Phoenix, celebrated his bar mitzvah in Israel at Kibbutz Yad Mordechai on June 7th. Jacob has had a lot of person connections to people from the TIPS region as many have come to visit Phoenix. So his family decided to have his bar mitzvah in the region and not at the Kotel, as many others have done.

Adam stated in his blog, "One of Jacob’s many connections with Israel came as a result of meeting several of these women (of Ethnic Flavors/Taamei Ami) during their visit to Phoenix last October. This became one of many elements to help link our son, his becoming a bar mitzvah and Israel."

At the end of the Bar Mitzvah day, Adam writess: "... when I asked Jacob what the highlight was for him, he commented 'All of it' adding 'How many people get to celebrate their becoming a bar mitzvah, watch how honey is made, see cows milked, a battlefield and climb on tanks all in the same day?' Seems like the desired connections have been made."

To read about the fantastic experience, please go to Adam's blog at : http://www.jewishphoenix.org/blog_post.aspx?id=2031

If any reader would like to try to arrange a bar or bat mitzvah in our region, let your local TIPS federation representative know.

Tzuza Art City Dancers of Kiryat Malachi visit Phoenix, April, 2010

2010-05-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Sixteen top dancers from the group Tzuza of the Art City dance group in Kiryat Malachi traveled to the US TIPS Partnership communities the end of April and early May to perform in Tucson, Phoenix and Seattle and to interact with members of the local Jewish community.

In Phoenix, the group did a presentation at the JFCS Senior Center.

They also talked and did a workshop at the BJE Hebrew High School.

The students at the Jess Schwartz Jewish Day School enjoyed the workshop and the presentation by the group.

They also danced at the Pardes Jewish Day School.

For part of a day they traveled to Sedona with Jess Schwartz 10th graders.

On April 25th, they were a main attraction at the community Yom Ha'atzmaut Celebration.

Because some of the greater Phoenix Jewish schools, the JCC and the Federation are all on one campus, the dancers had a chance to interact with the high school students almost daily. As a result, they got to know each other well, and on the 11th grade trip to May in a few weeks, it was decided that they would meet again in Israel where they would be hosted by the dancers in the Kiryat Malachi area. After Phoenix, the dancers went to Tucson, where they also performed on the 25th at a huge community-wide Yom Haatzmaut celebration with over 500 in attendance. Some of the Phoenix Jewish youth missed the Israelis so much that they drove up one afternoon to visit. We could really see the people to people connection these youth had made!

See the article: http://www.jewishinseattle.org/news-events/news/tzuza-dancers-take-steps-build-israel-seattle-connection

Yom Hazikaron in Seattle, 2010

2010-04-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

To commemorate Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day, which occurs the day before Israel's Independence Day (Yom Haatzmaut), the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle created six eight-foot panels in memory of Israelis that had died, either in military service to Israel or as a result of terrorist attacks.

Because of Seattle's connection to the town of Kiryat Malachi and the rural region of Hof Ashkelon, just north of the Gaza Strip, one panel was in memory of those from those two areas who gave their lives.

Here are pictures and stories of two young men from the area:Or Shachar of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai and Gad Rahamim of Kiryat Malachi

List of names of those from the two areas that have died and are remembers at Yam HaZikaron:

And photos of many of them:

Here are more photos including 23 who died on Bus #37:

memorial to Ehud (Udi) Goldwasser:

Michael Levin, a USY grad, made aliyah after finishing high school, and joined the IDF the following year.

The final panel highlighted the "local" connection, that people in the Seattle area have with those in Israel that died in terrorist attacks.

In 2006, Pam Waechter was murdered in an attack on the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.

Many people in Seattle had a connection to the Holtzbergs, the young couple in India that died in a terrorist attack in November, 2008.

Dina Tanners, the current co-chair of TIPS, lived on Kibbutz Merom Golan in November 1972 and was pregnant with her first child. Micha Fichman was a member of that kibbutz and came to warn her and others working with her in the laundry area of an imminent terrorist attack. She got to a shelter safely, but he was mortally wounded by shrapnel a short time later. The place where Dina had been standing was hit, so Micha saved her life.

Other local connections:

Photos from Feb, 2010 Steering Committee Meeting in Israel

2010-03-09T12:07:00.001-08:00

Members of the TIPS steering committee from Tucson, Kiryat Malachi, Hof Ashkelon, Phoenix and Seattle held their annual winter meeting in Israel. In addition to the regular meeting, we held a retreat from Monday evening to Tuesday afternoon so that we could get to know each other better and acquire skills to work better together as a partnership. The following are some photos taken during the meetings.

Sue Shurgin from Tucson walking through the gardens at the retreat center on the way to Jerusalem. The gardens were lovely, but we had very little time to enjoy them. Sue had been involved in the partnership years ago, but left about 6 years ago when she moved to Sedona. She moved back to Tucson recently and we are delighted that she became active a year ago and is now the Tucson chair.

Our first activity was to get to know someone from across the ocean. Sue and Eddi Yosef, a new member of the committee, interviewed each other. They were to find out something unusual about each other.

Dr. Jaime (Haim) Amsel, the facilitator

Rami Assis, Itai, and Amy Wasser-Simpson, partners in interviewing

Dvora Attal from KM and Ethan B. from Phoenix

Adam T from Phoenix and Eliya Weiss from KM. Eliya first was involved at age 13 when she was sent to a camp near Seattle. She is now an officer in the army and one of the newest members of the TIPS steering committee.

Diane Weintraub receives a birthday cake. To her left is Amalia Lewin from Hof Ashkelon, and to her right is Diane's husband, Ron

Toward the end fo the retreat we did an activity with "string," with each participant pledging how s/he would work to improve trust in the partnership. Pictured are Dvora, Inbal, Sue, and Rami

Dalia Burgana from KM and Dina Tanners from Seattle, co-chairs of TIPS....both in black pant suits
Itai at the entry to the second floor of the Naamat Building

Inbal Attal-Cohen, Young Adult Program Director, busy at work, in the newly renovated 2nd floor of the Naamat building.

Representatives from the KM Youth Council together with Morian Ben David
Meeting with the Mayor of Hof Ashkelon Yair F. and the head of the Social Services and Matnas Maoz
Hof Ashkelon Youth Council President Smadar together with the VP and Hila Levy Hamami, the youth director of Hof Ashkelon

Moshe, Rami, Adi, Amalia, Dina, and Dalia

Moshe Babelpour with two representatives from KM of the Young Adult group, Eliya and Adi

The logo recently created by the Young Adult group in KM which includes the logo of Kiryat Malachi on the left

Hila Kordana explaining pictures of the YA group and the new logo.

A representative from HaPoel Tel Aviv on the left at a KM sports leadership activity

A Sports for All activity in KM, with the leadership group running a sports afternoon for younger kids. Here is a relay race. The teens in the red shirts are the leaders.

Itzhik, head of sports in HA, and a teen assistant, talking about the programs, especially the Kat Regel (mini-soccer) league

The youth advisor from Kibbutz Gvaram and two teens talking about the renovation project at the kibbutz they are working on to create a functional teen center

Meir Shitrit's group played for us at the final dinner when we were treated to another meal by the Ethnic Flavors Taamei Ami group

Ken B presenting a video camera to the Youth of Kiryat M alachi

Sue Shurgin getting some of the tasty food

Ethiopian bread with wonderful seasoning

Figs stuffed with ground meat

Six of the women plus Smadar

An array of great food, Hila K, Yaffa Cohen, Eliya, etc. Members of the YA groups were invited to attend too.

We also saw part of the dance practice of the top dance group of Art City, Tzuza. This group will be in Tucson, and Phoenix for their Yom Haatzmaut celebration and then in Seattle for Lag B'Omer.

Art City dancers stretching during warm ups

Shlomi instructing the group

Dancers warming up to live music from an Art City Band

Eddi at the retreat, talking about working in Partnership

Photography Lessons bring out creativity in KM teens at risk

2010-03-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

Bayit Ham is a special place in Kiryat Malachi for teenage girls at risk. It is a safe place for them to go during the day--after school in winters and most of the day and evening in summers. A house mom and social workers help organize activities and help teach the girls to make this place their second home. It has pulled many girls off the streets and help provide better opportunities for them. Over and Above funding has helped this program in the past.

In February as our TIPS steering committee meeting was about to begin, a ceremony was held to open a photo exibit of picture that the girls took during photo classes that they had in their "second home." The exhibit is in the second floor of the Naamat/Yedid building, which is now the Kiryat Malalachi Volunteer Center. You can see some of the pictures and some of the girls and their families in the pictures below.

Photography students and attendees

Speaking for the students

The teacher speaking--she is origially from KM

More Participants and attendees

Kiryat Malachi Cooks visit Tucson

2010-01-26T13:08:00.001-08:00

Seven women, from Kiryat Malachi visited TIPS communities in November.

Sima Kaduri, Yehudit Shitrit, Rina Golan, Aliza Surit, Clara Davidov, Chilot Gethon, and Mazal Caravani, participated in a series of public events in which each of them cooked and shared with the audience some of their authentic ethnic foods, as well as insights into their lives and histories.

See the articles about their visit to Seattle HERE and to Phoenix HERE

Photos from the visit of the cooking ladies from Kiryat Malachi, below.

2010-01-08T13:34:00.001-08:00

2 more rockets this evening....

Kassam rocket hits Hof Ashkelon

2010-01-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

A Qassam rocket fired from Gaza exploded in Hof Ashkelon early this evening, near one of the moshavim. Miraculously there were no casualties or damage but the "Color Red" siren sent Hof Ashkelon residents running for their shelters, until they heard the rocket hit the ground.

Mortar fire and rockets have been aimed at us intermittently over the last few months, but mostly in the Sderot area. A stark reminder that the danger is not over. The Kassam rocket followed a barrage of mortar shells fired from Gaza earlier in the day, as well as an anti-tank missile fired at Israeli troops patrolling the border with Gaza. Nobody was hurt.

Van Gogh Exhibition at Hof Ashkelon Regional Library

2009-12-31T11:51:00.000-08:00

Through a donation of the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Israel and a group of individuals, an exhibition of carefully selected reproductions of Van Gogh paintings are being shown in Israel. These 30 painting have been at the Hof Ashkelon Regional Library since October 22 and will be on display until January 31, 2010. The exhibit was first in Beersheva before coming to Hof Ashkelon. Since there are only 3 Van Goghs on public display in museums in Israel, this is an amazing opportunity for people in the Hof Ashkelon region.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, the exhibit is open from 9 a.m. to 12:30, and Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, it is open from 4 to 6 p.m.

To see the more about the exhibit, please go to:

http://www.artis-society-israel.org/2e03.01.Van%20Gogh.htm (for English)

http://www.artis-society-israel.org/2h03.01.Van%20Gogh.htm (for Hebrew)

Teaching English, learning Israel

2009-12-31T09:04:00.000-08:00

Teaching English, learning Israel
Local volunteer sees federation funds in action
by DAVID WEINER,

published in JEWISH NEWS OF GREATER PHOENIX, ONLINE

Israeli children view a robot demonstration at a Police Academy presentation in Kiryat Malachi.
Photo courtesy of David Weiner

Imagine a city of 20,000 people that has seven political parties, a 25 percent unemployment rate, a population half of which is disadvantaged and a school system with students that are primarily first-generation Israelis?

I am describing the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix's Partnership 2000 sister city, Kiryat Malachi, which I visited in mid-December. I was touched by the warm hospitality of the community and saw firsthand how the federation's support of the Hof Ashkelon region, which borders Gaza, is appreciated. I visited after-school projects, youth leadership programs, child mental health clinics and community centers that are recipients of the Valley Jewish community's donations.

The federation works closely with our volunteer counterparts in the Hof Ashkelon region by determining which projects will be funded by the TIPS program (made up of the Jewish communities in Tucson, Israel, Phoenix and Seattle). Phoenix area residents who volunteer more than five days can stay for a minimal fee in an apartment and experience the culture of Kiryat Malachi.

During my visit, I spent time volunteering in an elementary school, helping third- through sixth-graders with their English. The children were smart and engaging and very excited to use their English. Nearly every student has a home computer that gives him or her a connection to the world and a cell phone, to offer reassurance to anxious parents who may need to locate their children after a terrorist attack.

Not having experience with children nor being able to speak Hebrew, I was a bit skeptical as to how I could keep their attention and not go crazy in the process. I soon learned how to gain control, keep their interest and even teach them a bit of English.

The teacher started the class by giving students an opportunity to ask questions and then asked for volunteers to break into small groups for further discussion. Nearly everyone wanted to join. That was great for the ego! When it came time for a class break and a visit to the teacher's lounge, I was faced with a room full of sad faces, so I skipped the break and stayed with the children.

The girls asked me about Hannah Montana and the boys inquired about cars, while everyone wanted me to join their Facebook page. In practicing their numbers, I was having children count and tell me how many brothers and sisters they have. One Ethiopian boy had 10 siblings. As I walked home after school, it was rewarding to hear my name shouted in English as the children waved goodbye.

I attended a competition sponsored by the Police Academy for fifth- and sixth-graders where they were asked to come up with a logo and motto describing their school. Highlights included canine, robot and helicopter demonstrations, as well as exhibitions about sharpshooting and deep-water rescue.

It was a real contrast to see these young innocent faces flushed with enthusiasm as they learned about the strength of their local police. To see bomb-sniffing dogs sorting through children's coats looking for the marked coat was reassuring but sad. The Hannah Montana backpacks nestled up against the robots was a stark reminder of what Israeli life is all about.

When I wasn't at the school, the Jewish Agency showed me the projects that have been funded by Phoenix. Our sister city is in the area where kibbutzim and moshavim border Gaza and are just a rocket away. I stood on a bluff and heard the Muezzin call Gazans to their noon prayers.

I toured a mental health clinic where children are treated for the psychological scars of living in this area and the effects of the constant threat of terrorism. The director of the clinic told me they were preparing for a layoff of their professional staff due to a funding shortage. I worry about how the funds will be found once the rockets start to fall again.

One evening, I visited with teenagers in their last year of high school who were trying to decide if they wanted to spend a national year of service prior to joining the Army. As Israel prospers and children see the opportunities to finish the army and begin their adult life, it was refreshing to see the Zionist spirit. A war hero with only one limb addressed the students, and a silence overcame the room when he described his volunteer experience.

I encourage anyone who can commit five days to visit this region and help make a difference. Lodging is nearly free. Retirees, students or someone looking for a bit of rejuvenation would find the visit rewarding while being welcomed with warmth and generosity. All that is required is a willingness to help and an understanding of family.

David Weiner is chairman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix's Israel Overseas Committee.

For more information about volunteering in Kiryat Malachi, call Adam Tennen, 480-634-4900, ext. 1102.

Phoenix--donating funds for books for Libraries in KM and HA

2009-12-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

From the Jewish News of Greater Phoenix, November 27, 2009--under "Giving from the Heart"
Jewish Federation of Greater jewishphoenix.org

Help an Israeli community this Hanukkah through the federation's Sefer for Success fundraiser, a part of its TIPS (Tucson, Israel, Phoenix, Seattle) program. For a $15 contribution, participants will provide a new sefer (Hebrew educational book) for the libraries in TIPS partnership communities Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon. All of the proceeds benefit the project, and sometime before Hanukkah, participants will receive a special thank-you card including a photo of some of the children who will benefit from the donation.Givers can also donate money to the federation in someone's name; an online form at jewishphoenix.org includes a space to write a personal message to the honoree, which will appear in a tribute card.

Seven Angels from Kiryat Malachi in Seattle

2009-11-16T14:24:00.000-08:00

Seven Angels: Israeli immigrants from across Africa and the Middle East cook their native dishes for Seattleites.
Article in the JT News, November 13, 2009, written by Erez Ari, JT News correspondent. Photos by Dina Tanners (only 4 were in the article)

Kiryat Malachi, located in the south of Israel, might not be considered an attractive place to many Israelis, but seven women visiting from the region showed off a different side of this little town. Hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, the "Taste of Israel" series of events held during the first week of November gave more than 600 area Jews a glimpse into some of the unique cultures of Israel.

Airport arrival

Seattle fall scenery

During the week, the seven women, Sima Kaduri, Yehudit Shitrit, Rina Golan, Aliza Surit, Clara Davidov, Chilot Gethon, and Mazal Caravani, all originally hailing from different parts of the world, participated in a series of public events in which each of them cooked and shared with the audience some of their authentic ethnic foods, as well as insights into their lives and histories. Some of the women suffered incredible hardships until until they finally settled in Israel, and they shared those tales with their audiences.

The person who brought these women together, Smadar Kaplinski, specializes in feminine empowerment. She gathers women from across Israel, and helps them find their inner strengths, then works with them to nurture and grow their gifts and talents. In the case of the Kiryat Malachi group, these talents are cooking, and the ultimate goal of the project is to establish a commercial entity to harness these talents and better the lives of these women.

Kiryat Malachi is a small development town, about 30 miles south of Tel Aviv. Originally named Malachi, or angels in Hebrew, to honor the Jewish community of Los Angeles, which had contributed significantly to its founding, the town was settled by immigrant Jews from Arab nations. Later on, thousands of immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union settled there, making it a diverse and unique community.

Rina Golan, whose parents came from Iraq, serving dessert

Sima Kaduri, 55, was born in Casablanca, Morocco to a well-to-do family. She left her home country while still a baby.

Sima mixing ground beef for kubeh and also meatballs

"My father, who is no longer with us, met my mother when she was merely 12 years (old), and it took two more years for their parents to agree for them to get married," she told one audience. "My parents were well-off financially, as my father was a tailor and served the upper classes and royalty of Morocco."

Upon arriving in Israel, through France, her family was placed in Kiryat Malachi, "in a neighborhood with many ethnic groups that coexisted warmly, and we were all very proud of our new country of Israel," Kaduri said. "I grew to become a kindergarten teacher, and did that for 35 wonderful years, which also involved teaching preschool teachers how to work with special needs children."

Kaduri retired a year ago and joined the Ethnic Flavors group to be able to share her native Moroccan cooking with people both in Israel and abroad, she said.

The women told stories, danced, and sang in their native dress, and, of course, with the help of many local volunteers, cooked and shared the delicacies of their native countries.

Mazal C. leading singing at Congregation Beth Shalom

The Jewish Federations of Tucson, Phoenix, and Seattle, all of which have a long-standing relationship with Kiryat Mlachi and the Hof Ashkelon region, have formed a partnership, named TIPS, that works toward several goals in improving the livelihoods of the people who live there. This visit is one result of their work.

Clara D (From Bukhara) and Aliza S (whose parents came from Iraq) explaining the special spice mix (house blend)
"
One such goal," Federation volunteer Dina Tanners told JTNews, "is the strengthening of Kiryat Malachi, an often-neglected area of Israel, and the second is supporting and strengthing the relationship between the people of American (Jewish) communities with the people of Kiryat Malachi." Tanners said that this cooperation has also helped to facilitate exchange of social workers, teachers, students, camp counselors, as well as many volunteer projects.

Many of the recipes (of the food) the women cooked have been collected in a special booklet published by the TIPS partnership. (Extra copies are available at the Seattle Jewish Federation.)

Mazal and Rabbi Borodin
Chilot serving her special bread, dabu
cooking sfing

stuffed peppers

grilling eggplant over an open fire

Yehudit serving Moroccan dishes
Clara and Mazal

table filled with foods from Morocco

Clara, Aliza, and Sima show off piles of their mufleta

Israel "Tam" Right in Scottsdale

2009-10-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Original article from: Jewish News of Greater Phoenix Online
Israel Tam Right in Scottsdale
http://www.jewishaz.com/issues/story.mv?091030+ethnic
by Vicki Cabot
=============================================
Mazal Caravani, one of eight women visiting from Kiryat Malachi, Israel, prepares Yemenite bread during the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix's 'Ethnic Flavors of Israel' program, which showcases the flavors and traditions of Morocco, Yemen, Ethiopia, Iraq and Uzbekistan.

Photo by Stacy Babani

Yummmm!

That's the only word to describe this week's "Ethnic Flavors of Israel."

Promoted as "an interactive culinary experience," the weeklong program brought not only the tastes and smells of Israeli cooking to a variety of venues throughout the Valley, but also the chance for Israeli and American women to meet and mingle, where else, but in the kitchen.

"Women can experience power in many ways," says Anita Gutkin, a participant at the kickoff event at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, "but cooking expresses the love and passion we have for making people love and enjoy it."

And that's pretty powerful, particularly when the cooks are seven women from Kiryat Malachi, one of two Israeli cities (Hof Ashkelon is the other) in the TIPS partnership with Phoenix, Tucson and Seattle, and represent the veritable melting pot of Israel's exotic ethnic mix.

Dressed in colorful native garb from Iraq, Morocco, Yemen, Ethiopia and Uzbekistan, each of the women shared the remarkable story of her family's journey to Israel, speaking with the help of Sharron Topper-Amitai, community shlicha, and Smadar Kaplinsky, the "Ethnic Flavors" director, who translated for them.

"The stories were powerful," says Gutkin, who serves as the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix's Women's Philanthropy campaign chair, adding extra spice to the mouth-watering array of dishes they provided at the buffet lunch. There was Ethiopian injera, a spongy pancakelike bread filled with a delectable mix of green beans and lentils, Moroccan cooked tomato and red pepper salad, and Iraqi kubbeh, oval meat-filled grain patties, and much, much more.

Food was prepared in the kitchen of Levi Catering Cafe & Bakery, the campus' resident eatery, with a backup "kitchen" upstairs in the offices of the federation. There, counters and conference table became work space for the Israeli cooks and their cadre of "sous-chefs," volunteers from a number of other Jewish women's organizations who signed on to help.

After lunch, and a cooking demonstration by the Israeli visitors, Gayle Weiss donned plastic gloves to peel beets, her smile as bright as the red vegetables, while her Israeli friends scurried to help prepare dishes for the group's next stop at the Barness Family Jewish Community Center in Chandler. Earlier that morning, Virginie Polster was one of a half-dozen or so others who did prep duty for the crowd of some 70 women, representing five sponsoring organizations, who came for lunch.

"We cut and chopped," says Polster, smiling but tired after her three-hour stint, "and cut and chopped." Many of the dishes are vegetarian, and the week's event, with other stops beyond Scottsdale and Chandler in Sun City and Phoenix, requires mountains of beets, tomatoes, cauliflower and other vegetables.

"Ethnic Flavors" was conceived by the TIPS (Tucson, Israel, Phoenix, Seattle) partnership to provide people-to-people connections, educate communities about TIPS and its work, and heighten the self-esteem and confidence of the women in the program, explains Cindy Saperstein of the TIPS committee. The group of cooks was selected on the basis of cooking, leadership and communication skills.

Ultimately, says Kaplinsky, the group hopes to form a food-service cooperative in Israel.

The experience in working on the "Ethnic Flavors" program has helped them learn to work together and hone their skills

"They are clever and smart," she says of her cooks, many of whom come from impoverished backgrounds. "And if they can do something for themselves, they can change life for their children and grandchildren."

To view photos from some of the Phoenix events, please go to: http://www.jewishphoenix.org/page.aspx?id=209593

For brief biographies of the women from Kiryat Malachi, visit the Valley View blog at http://blog.jewishaz.com/lwoldoff.php

Art City at Karmiel Dance Festival

2009-08-11T20:03:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday night, August 5th, the Art City dance group performed in front of more than 10,000 in the Karmiel amphitheatre. It was one of 9 groups chosen to be in the performance/competition. Ira was there and told me that the competition was intense. None of the groups were announced by name or place of origin. They just performed--one dance for about 4 or 5 minutes. The dance needed to have some sort of traditional Jewish theme. Art City's was music from the end of the Seder, and plain white rectangles which represented tallitot were a part of the dance. Ira said that the dance was quite complex and dramatic--with different blocks of the 20+ dancers doing different, complex things at the same time.

The competition was quite stiff, with groups of teen dancers representing the major cities in Israel. One did an amazing performance, with dancers representating different animals in Noah's Ark. Ira thinks that they took the top prize.

While the Art City group did not win any of the top three performances, they were "ooo-ed" and "awwwwwed" by the audience. They did an amazing job, holding their own among the stiff extremely talented national competition. I was so excited to hear Ira describe what they did and how the audience reacted, and I can imagine how excited all the teens were to be able to perform on that stage and in front of so many people.

It is hard to believe that this dance group began less than two years ago. Kol hakavod to them and to TIPS for supporting this amazing endeavor.

The Kiryat Malachi Art City Dance Group Tzuza won second place amongst 60 groups competing for the best in jazz on Thursday evening. There competed against 60 other groups, so the 2nd place award was VERY impressive.

Counselors from Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon--US Shabbat experiences

2009-08-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, August 8th, counselors from Hof Ashkelon and Kiryat Malachi working at the Stroum JCC on Mercer Island, were invited as guests to the Herzl Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation Shabbat services. Nancy Height Morse, one of the host parents for the counselors, read Torah, and the counselors were briefly introduced and told a bit about themselves and their experineces. The counselors are in the US for six weeks to add Jewish and Israeli content to the JCC camp.

Adapted from the OC Register in Orange County:
On Saturday, Aug. 1, two special guests spoke following an instrumental Shabbat Service at Temple Beth Emet in Anaheim.
The guests are Youth Ambassadors in the United States as part of an America-Israel Friendship League program. The mission of the AIFL is to strengthen the ties between the people of the United States and Israel; bridging distances to reveal the beauty, the humanity and the modern democratic values that define both nations.
Safir Shalev lives on Moshav Geha in the Ashketon Coast Region near Kiryat Malachi, and is in the 11th grade at the Shikma School in Yad Mordechai. She has been active as a counselor in the Bnai Moshavim Youth Movement.
Noy Sujaz is from Kiryat Malachi and is in the 11th grade at the Amal High School. Noy is active in the Kiryat Malachi Youth Council. She volunteers in the Tzeva after-school tutoring program with elementary school children.
The Instrumental Shabbat, which begins at 10 a.m., is a special recurring feature of worship at Beth Emet. It is part of the Temple's commitment to explore and expand the spiritual nature of traditional Jewish worship. The congregation invites everyone to the Kiddush and to visit with our speakers following services.

Otzmaniks from Phoenix area finish program

2009-07-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

An earlier blog article reported on the group of 6 Otzmaniks that were in Kiryat Malachi. Here is a story that was in the Phoenix Jewish news in July about the 3 from Phoenix.

Three Phoenix area young adults left for Israel in September 2008 to participate in OTZMA, a program supported by the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix that allows young Jews to perform integral roles in Israeli society. As part of the 10-month program, which works in conjunction with the Jewish Agency for Israel's Department of Jewish Zionist Education, they also volunteer in the federation's TIPS (Tucson, Israel, Phoenix, Seattle) Partnership city of Kiryat Malachi. The program ended last month; here the students write about their experiences.

Adam Resnik
My most memorable experience in Israel, unfortunately, was not a happy one. In December, when the war in Gaza broke out, I was on a break from OTZMA for winter vacation. By the time our break ended, the war was still going on, and since the city I was supposed to volunteer in was within rocket range, I wasn't allowed to go there. Instead, my program sent me, along with 24 of my friends from the program, to an army base up north to help out in the wartime effort.I enjoyed myself at the base and I was happy to help out; however, being displaced by a war was a grim reality check for me. I was able to see the turmoil here firsthand, and I saw how difficult it can be to live in a country where war and terror are imminent threats.

Fortunately, the worse part of the war for me was that I was displaced for a couple weeks. People actually living in the city where I was supposed to volunteer (and later did) didn't have the luxury of the Jewish Agency moving them to another part of the country. I will always remember that experience because of how it affected me personally, and because it brought to light for me a disturbing conflict with no clear solutions.

My plans following OTZMA are to live and work on a kibbutz for the summer. I plan to work at a kibbutz down south near Eilat, called Ketura. It's in the hottest part of the country, but I'm not sweating it (pun intended) because I figure it can't be any worse than the blistering Phoenix summers that I've put up with my whole life. I don't know what kind of work I'll be doing at the kibbutz, but hopefully it's something indoors and in air conditioning. After that, I plan to go back to Phoenix and get a job (Oy!).

Adam Resnik is a recent graduate of the University of Arizona. He received his degree in psychology with a minor in business administration.

Justine Slovin
As I watch American college students buy "SuperJew" and Hebrew "Coca-Cola" shirts from the shuk, it's hard to believe that I once experienced Israel in the same way. After 10 months of volunteering in development towns and South Tel Aviv, I find myself connected, inspired and more confused about my beliefs than ever.

This year I lived in an immigrant absorption center in Nazareth Ilit, where I taught English to recent immigrants from Ethiopia and Russia. In Sderot, I held in my arms both small children from the day-care center and remnants of rockets that had exploded just one day before my visit. I attended a rally in honor of Gilad Shalit, and joined the masses in the Hebrew version of "Yes, We Can" to bring him back.This year I experienced my first tzeva adom, red alert, a siren warning of a Kassam attack and was displaced by war.

As I lugged suitcases across the country, I thought of my fellow Jews, both armed and unarmed targets, fighting for their lives on the Gaza periphery.I finally had the opportunity to move to Kiryat Malachi, where I encountered Israeli schoolchildren without verbal filters, taught English and embraced the character and warmth of Phoenix's Partnership 2000 city. I met moms and dads who all happened to have "the perfect son."

This year I finally spent Pesach in Jerusalem. I volunteered for two months in a school that educates African refugees, children of guest workers, new immigrants and native-born Israelis.

I was touched by the dedication of the directors and teachers, as well as the resilience of the students. This year in Israel I let go of expectations and learned the meaning of flexibility. I discovered that I can live without a microwave, television and privacy.

This year I realized that one year simply isn't enough for me, and I accepted a teaching job at the school where I currently volunteer.

Justine Slovin is a recent graduate of the University of Arizona, where she received her master's degree in education with a secondary teaching certificate. She is in Phoenix until mid-August, and is accepting donations for books, games, CDs, art supplies or anything in English for the Israeli school where she will be working in the upcoming school year.Contact her at jslov218@gmail.com.

Sarah Beckerman
Most of my time during the day was spent teaching English. I went every morning to either the elementary school or the high school and met with students between grades 3-12 and helped them in ways ranging from spelling "C-A-T" to writing essays. Believe it or not, some of the kids who needed help with "C-A-T" are in the 12th grade (and they start learning English as early as the third grade).

The school system in Israel is unmanageable, underfunded, in desperate need of a discipline system and overall horrendous.However, a major reason why things were even more out of control than usual this year was the war in Gaza. During the war, the Israeli government closed all schools in the south for security reasons, so these kids were basically on a five-week "vacation" in the middle of the year. By the time they got back to school, they were off track and not in a learning mindset.

The young children definitely took the events during the Gaza war a lot harder.The first few times I went to the elementary school, I met tons of different kids every day, and one day this group of a few kids came up to me and asked, "yesh Kasamim in America?" - "Are there Kassam rockets in America?" I just looked at them for a second, shook my head and said, "No, no we don't have Kassam rockets in America." The kids then stopped for a second, thought, and said, "OK, I go to America, no alarms there. No Kassam rockets there."

But despite it all - the craziness, the jumping out of windows, the yelling, the war, the alarms - at the end of the day, even though they are still crazy and out of control, they are actually really great kids, real characters who truly have something to offer. They have great hearts and minds, they just need to be guided in the right direction.I truly believe that even though I was only in their lives for a few months, I was able to help and guide them down the right path.

Stacy Beckerman received her bachelor's degree in history and political science from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

About OTZMA: OTZMA is a 10-month service-based leadership program offering young adults ages 20-26 the opportunity to acquire an in-depth understanding of Israel and the Jewish people. The program combines social action and community building while offering participants the chance to learn Hebrew, intern, volunteer

The Morses from Seattle Volunteer in Kiryat Malachi

2009-06-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Nancy Highiet Morse and her husband Wayne Morse last summer helped host the counselors from Israel who volunteered at the Seattle area JCC Day camp. They also hosted a Jewish student from Hungary. Wayne has his own business and his very handy with both computer and machine repair. Nancy is an independent school librarian who has a spring quarter sabbatical, so the two of them decided to come to Israel just before Yom Haatzmaut, Israel Independence Day, and volunteer in Kiryat Malachi. Before leaving, they went to the "garage" of Norm Chapman, the book man, who has collected over 35,000 books from many sources for the schools and libraries in the Kiryat Malachi/Hof Ashkelon region. Nancy gathered some and took them to the gifted center in Kiryat Malachi as well as others for a teacher who lives nearby and teaches outside the region, saving Norm the postage. When he began, books were sent by ship, but now due to security, all is sent by airmail.

Norm and Nancy packing books

Nancy and Wayne arrived in Israel a few days before Yom Haatzmaut, rented a car, drove to Kiryat Malachi late in the evening, and only got a bit lost on the way.

Here is Nancy's report:

After a short sleep, we turned on the hot water, took showers, squeegeed the shower floor, turned off the hot water and headed out to meet the locals, for whom we would be volunteering. Ira, the representative for the TIPS partnership was with us, and he knows everyone!

We left early but arrived late to each appointment because we kept running into people who chatted with Ira. We began in the Municipal Building, to schedule Wayne who would be “working with computers.” Then we hit the KM Library and the religious and secular middle/ high schools, where we would both volunteer. We set our schedule for the next two weeks and ran into Jordan (Yarden) at AMAL , the secular secondary school.

Jordan and Nancy

Our son Zack stayed with Jordan’s family while in Israel on his 8th grade JDS trip. Jordan’s family would be our “host family” while in KM. Unbeknownst to us, Jordan knew all about Zack’s recent house building trip to Mexico, as they’re in contact thru facebook! Amazing!
We said goodbye to Ira, ate a quick schwarma lunch at the corner of Sun Diego/Rashi, took a trip to the shuk to buy fresh fruits and veggies, and enjoyed a much needed nap before the evening KM Yom Hazikaron ceremony, Day of Remembrance for the soldiers who died while serving Israel.

We just followed the crowd to the service. Even though we couldn’t understand the Hebrew, we got the gist of it. We recognized two prayers and Hatikvah. The Yom Hazikaron Program was very moving, with a very sophisticated slide show, wreaths placed for each fallen soldier from KM, standing room only audience, and songs sung by the choir from the Amit school, one of the schools where we’d be volunteering. I lost it when these Ethiopian girls sang Hatikvah, with their beautiful voices!

SUBSEQUENT DAYS
The next morning at exactly 11 am, the two minute siren sounded everyone stopped in their tracks, cars pull off the road, drivers got out and stood next to their cars, and it was SILENT for the entire time.

Later that afternoon, we fired up the GPS and headed north of Tel Aviv to our friends Norma and Doobie’s for Yom Haatzmaoot, Israel Independence Day. We took a late night walk to the Raanana Park for the celebration. It was PACKED!

YOM HAAZMAUT
We arrived close to midnight for a 12:30am Idan Reichel concert. (His lead singer is from Kiryat Malachi and a few days later we met her younger sister in KM. He’s also coming to the Triple Door in Seattle in August! Not to be missed.) We found our spots on the grass and watched hoards of middle and high school age kids wandering around, as they would until 6am! The bands lasted until 4am. We, who are usually in bed by 10pm, returned home at 2:30am, after an early morning frozen yogurt snack!

After Yom Haatzmaut, we returned to KM and settled into somewhat of a volunteer routine. Each day we would walk to school together, with Wayne helping to carry the books that we had brought from Seattle!

At AMIT, the religious public High School, I helped seniors practice English for their upcoming Bagrut exam. Bagrut exams are nationwide exams based on the national curriculum in given subjects, math, history, English, etc. The exams are very important for the university bound and/or student interested in work requiring an academic background. There are levels of difficulty for each exam.
I loved those students! They answered my set questions, telling me about themselves, their families, their hobbies, (which unfortunately rarely included READING), and about their recently completed research project. I know I shouldn’t pick favorites but
Tzvia was truly inspiring, with her pink cell phone and attached pacifier. She researched and quoted Ophrah, “If you want something, you need to fight until you achieve your goal!” You go girl!

Tzvia
Other days I helped at Amal, the secular school in many different classes. I assisted in a 7th grade English class, where the students were typical 7th graders, interested in me, where I’m from, and WHY I would come to KM. They even asked me if I was Jewish! Anything to not do the work in front of them! I was quite the distraction! Those 7th graders were fun!

Mostly I helped small groups of students who needed extra time to take a test, or a test read out loud, etc. etc. I worked with 8th, 9th and 11th graders at Amal. One day Wayne and I were both working with 9th graders in side by side conference rooms off the Faculty Room. We each had a small group of students, who were to read an English passage, answer questions in writing and then write a short, 35 – 50 word essay on “When I grow up….”
I wish we had a video of this session. As we tried to explain the directions, with our limited Hebrew, we passed the LONELY PLANET PHRASEBOOK, back and forth with its 3500 word two-way dictionary. Eventually the students understood what they were to do, but it was hilarious!

After that morning session, Wayne went off to work on computers, his main job in KM. He worked at the elementary school Eli Cohen, where he deleted games and set administrative passwords to prevent students downloading files. He also spent a lot of time shooing a young man out of the Computer Lab, also known as the bomb shelter.

child from Eli Cohen
Wayne also worked with Avi, the Vice Principal of the Amit School, repairing his computer and compiling a slide show for the end of the year celebration, especially for the 12th grade graduation. When Wayne had nothing else scheduled, he returned to Amit. Avi was delighted with all he had done, and is looking forward to Wayne's return! The Amit students were the ones who sang so beautifully the first night at the Yom Hazikaron ceremony. Avi wants us to come back for a month next time!

Avi and Wayne
We spent our afternoons visiting with the Israeli students whom we met last summer when they worked at the Stroum JCC. At the apartment, we also hosted the students who will be coming to work at JCC’s in the US this summer.

It was great fun meeting this wonderful group of very dynamic students. We’re not sure yet who is going where, but they shared their very interesting life stories. One girl lives on the Moshav closest to Gaza, and her house was hit twice by mortars. Luckily all were fine.

They shared that during the Gaza War, they really enjoyed their three weeks up North without school! After a very long meeting discussing “being a good guest” and different cultural competencies, (see list from –Arizona) at 9pm we went to Jordan’s (Zack’s 8th grade friend) for dinner.

His mom kept bringing out very yummy food. She has a very interesting story. She retired at 45 after 25 years in the police dept. investigating corruption, and putting many people in jail. Now she’s in charge of a program for At-Risk students in KM and she’s PTA President of the Amal School. We saw her the next morning in front of the school looking for students from her program. Jordan commented at dinner that he doesn’t study, that’s what girls do! Right.

We had several other amazing, only in Israel experiences. One afternoon, Wayne and I went to the hardware and plumbing stores in KM to buy supplies for the apartment. Now that was a trip! Before Home Depot, remember the old, tiny hardware stores with stuff everywhere?

Lot’s of sign language, pointing and searching through the phrase book to collect the stuff we needed. Wayne was totally in his element! At the plumbing store I asked for a toilet seat, by pointing at the toilet bowl, squatting and pointing to my tush! The shop keeper understood, and brought out the 35, 50 and 75 shekel versions!

Wayne in the KM hardware store

Wayne spent the afternoon making repairs around the apartment, while I wondered where the nearest hospital was located in case the wiring he was fiddling with should spark!

Ira came by later and we went for coffee. At a nearby table, two young women were peering over an atlas, planning an upcoming trip. (Israelis are BIG travelers.) We borrowed their atlas and discovered that one of them will be working at Camp Kalsman, outside Seattle this summer! Such a small world only is Israel story!

We spent our last day buying souvenirs, touring the Alexander Muss campus and meeting up with Ben, one of the Hungarian students we met last summer when he worked at the JCC in Seattle.

Nancy and Ben

It was a great trip, filled with memories of the students and adults we met in Kiryat Malachi. Every day was a new adventure! We were challenged in so many ways. We had to modify our style of dress, shop and eat different foods, speak Hebrew, and learn to rely solely on each other. We faced poverty everyday. One teacher explained to Wayne that one of his students was failing because he had ten brothers and sisters, no place to sleep, and was hungry.

As we packed our bags to come home, the Pope’s upcoming arrival in Israel was making headlines.

Early May is the perfect time to be in Israel. The weather was sunny and not too warm. If you’re interested in making a very different trip to Israel and want to contribute at the grassroots level, contact Adam Tennen in Phoenix atatennen@jewishphoenix.org or Dina Tanners @ tanners47@yahoo.com

Israeli Scouts in Seattle and Arizona

2009-06-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

Just after midnight, June 3, after driving for 16 hours, the ten members and two advisors of the 2009 Tzofim (Israeli Scouts) Friendship Caravan arrived in Seattle, in the middle of their second week of travel and performances in the US. Five groups of ten members each are traveling through the US. Seattle, and the Phoenix and Tucson areas have the Tamar Caravan visit.

On Wednesday, June 3, after sleeping a short time, the ten teens divided into 5 groups and visited 24 classes in 6 schools in 4 cities throughout the area, talking to at least 750 high school students about Israel and their lives there. In several schools, they also taught Israeli dances

After dinner, they performed for over an hour to an enthusiastic audience in the sanctuary of Herzl Ner Tamid synagogue.

Their songs included "Lu Yehi" ("Let It Be"), "Yom Sababa," "Yerushalayim Haacheret," a Hora Medley, and "You've Got a Friend in Me."

They also sang a song dedicated to Gilad Shalit, the soldier held by Hamas since 2007, and another for the young soldiers who fought in the Gaza action this past winter. Of course they also sang "Hatikvah."

After Seattle, this Tzofim group traveled to Vancouver, Canada, and also to Tacoma, Washington. This is the first time that the Scouts have come to Seattle, and hopefully it will not be the last. They were sponsored by the northwest chapter of Stand With Us, an Israel Advocacy group. The chair of the group grew up in Israel where Tzofim played a huge part in her childhood.

Volunteer from Tucson in Kiryat Malachi

2009-06-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

Excerpted from the Ethiopian National Project Blog

Terrie Sherman hails from Tucson Arizona. She is participating for the third year in the Partnership 2000 TIPS volunteer program. After meeting Grace and Nigist in Tucson, Terrie decided to volunteer with ENP in Kiryat Malachi. A teacher of English and special education for 30 years, Terrie is sharing her vast experience with ENP's students.

Where does time go? It seems to just fly away! I have been very busy and am doing some new things. I am with 7th and 8th graders at Amal 1 High School in an English class. They act the same as American 7th and 8th graders. They become very shy when I bring out my camera and do not want me to take pictures of them. We are working on past, present and future irregular verbs with 8th graders and physical attributes with the 7th graders. The kids understand and can speak much better than they write.

I am spending time each week helping Daniel, the volunteer coordinator of the Ethiopian National Project (ENP) improve his speaking in English. Daniel is working on an advanced degree and will be traveling to present the Project and needs to be more confident. We talked about his family (which is very small he says...8 children!), his education and upcoming wedding! I am very excited to be attending his wedding on June 18th. Tomorrow, I will go with Daniel to Beit Shemesh to an Ethiopian community and help paint. It should be a lot of fun!

I have begun volunteering on Wednesday afternoons as part of the ENP with enrichment. The program is from 2-5; with the boys from 2-3:30 and the girls from 3:30 - 5:00. Last week, they wanted to learn cursive. Sivan, the teacher, was very glad to have me there as I have mastered English cursive and she is challenged by it. The kids loved seeing words they knew in cursive, especially their names! We played hangman and they were very good at it. They chose categories and had to think of words that fit into the category given and spell it correctly. Quite a challenge!!

There was no work on Thursday as that evening was a holiday of the giving of the Torah. Everyone eats dairy and you know I love this holiday because I can eat everything! Aliza is wonderful chef as is her husband Chayim. We had pasta, lasagna, ravioli, tuna, lots of salads, many different kinds of cheese and when I thoughts we were finished, she brought out pizza, burakas stuffed with vegetables and stuffed mushrooms. I put a little of each food on my plate and she piles more on. You have to love her!

I have also spent time with Revaya, the 14 year old daughter of Sarah who runs the Ethiopian women's program I so dearly love. Revaya is a very bright young lady with much potential. She loves to talk in English so we do! Revaya wrote an excellent report on different cities to visit in the US and got pictures from a travel agency. She included the Grand Canyon because I live in Arizona. It is such a pleasure to talk with her. She is beyond her years.

For the complete article and a picture of Terrie, go to http://enpblog.blogspot.com/

Tucson Hebrew Academy Visits Kibbutz Zikkim in HA

2009-06-03T00:46:00.000-07:00

From Ira Kerem:

On Sunday night, May 31, 10 eighth graders of Tucson Hebrew Academy (THA) were hosted by teens from Kibbutz Zikim in Hof Ashkelon, who study at the Shikma School in Yad Mordechai.

The Americans were met by the Israeli teens who took them on a guided tour of the Kibbutz which included visits to the cowshed, to a hill that overlooks Gaza, and to the petting zoo. They played basketball together and baked pita bread on the "tabun" oven on the campfire.

After a dinner prepared by the mothers of the Israeli students, they went to their host families and returned to sing and just hang out together. In the morning, after tear filled goodbyes, the THA kids departed.

Rabbi Billy repeated his thanks to everyone and was as excited and delighted from the visit as any of the students.

If money is an issue for any group of students who want to visit, you should think about staying even more than one night as guests of the Israelis. Our region is close enough to many sites - Beit Guvrin, beautiful Mediterannean beaches, and only an hour from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv that it can be used as a base to explore a good deal of Israel and also allow for the building of relationships between the Israeli and American kids. Not only that but it can save the Americans money since hotels and food are the major land costs for any visit.

Thanks to Hila and Revital for the pictures.

Ira

Visit of Soldiers to Western U.S.

2009-04-25T19:15:00.001-07:00

A contingent of five soldiers from Ashkelon Coast-Kiryat Malachi represented the Partnership in Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut ceremonies in six communities: Tucson, Phoenix, Seattle, Long Beach, Sacramento and Silicon Valley.

Two, Lital Shalev from Moshav Gea and Yisrael Eini from Kiryat Malachi, visited Tucson, Phoenix, and Seattle. Yisrael had previously been to Palm Springs as a counselor through our partnership, and Lital was in Tucson as a counselor several years ago.

In Tucson, after arriving mid-day Friday, April 24,, they visited the Tucson Hebrew Academy and gave a pre-Shabbat talk to the about 60 or 70 students plus their teachers and then answered questions. Lital, together with Ken Miller and his wife, attended Friday night Shabbat services at Temple Emanuel (Reform) where Lital gave a short talk to about 70 in attendance about who she is and where she lives and then chatted with people at the Kiddush after the service. Yisrael spent Shabbat with a Chabad Family and enjoyed talking with them about Israel. The Hillel shaliach at the University of Arizona and some Hillel students spent time with Lital during the day. and then partipated in the Jewish community Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) service.

It was Lital's birthday, so the Millers took Lital out for dinner, and the waiter sang "Happy Birthday" to her and brought her a small cake.

After dinner Lital and Israel went to the University to a party.

Sunday, after working on their speeches, they two gave a 7-minute speech at the Yom HaZikaron ceremony where over 300 people were in attendance.

You can see the singing of the song from the ceremony, Tishmor Al Ha'Olam, Yeled, by a trio and the two soldiers at attention to the left by visiting this YouTube site: Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4mwLnEBtkk&feature=channel_page

The two were in Seattle from April 27 to 30. Yisrael visited NW Yeshiva High School, talked to two classes and participated in the Yom Hazikaron service at the school, leading Hatikva as he stood at attention.

NW Yishiva high school students lighting memorial candles

Yisrael also spoke to middle school students at the Seattle Hebrew Academy.

8th graders at Seattle Hebrew Academy
At both places, Yisrael explained that it is easy to be religious (Orthodox) in the army. All the food is kosher and Shabbat is observed. If there is an urgent need to do something on Shabbat, it is done and is halachlically approved.

The two also participated in a program at the Jewish Day School of Greater Seattle and spoke to 3--7th grade youth at the Herzl-Ner Tamid supplemental religious school.

Lital at Herzl in uniform

Lital and Yisrael with Herzl-Ner Tamid group

The principal of the school said that the youth were very impressed by the soldiers and went home and told their parents about their visit. One thing that impressed them was that Israeli officers could be so young. One child asked if the two would have entered the army if it were not compulsory. They responded strongly that they would because it is their responsibility to their country.

In addition, hey talked to several Jewish Youth clubs at public schools, two classes at Roosevelt High School,

Explaining army uniforms to Roosevelt class

Sara Lahyani from the Federation, Lital, Yisrael, and Roosevelt HS teacher

spoke to the Federation Young Adult leadership group, chatted with University of Washington service on the 29th at the Israelpalooza event, and spoke before the showing of two Israeli films at the Seattle Jewish Film Festival.

With host mom, Julie Margulies, who will be volunteering in Kiryat Malachi this summer

They were able to see snow on Mount Rainier and other mountains in the area on arrival and departure, but only had rain and cloudy days in between, but the people they met were quite warm and friendly.

In Phoenix, from Thursday afternoon, April 30th through Sunday, May 2, the two spoke at 9 different places including 30 high school students at Hebrew High, the Federation staff, 50 youth in 9th and 10th grade at Jess Schwartz College Prep, 60 middle schoolers and staff at Pardes Jewish Day School, and 30 6th--8th graders at the Phoenix Hebrew Academy.

One spoke at Temple Chai Shabbat services and the other at Young Israel's Young Israel seudat shlishit. They also spoke to middle schoolers at Har Zion religious school and were involved at the community Independence Day Celebration, which over 1000 people attended.

TIPS table at Phoenix's Yom Haatzmaut

Yisrael, Lital, Sharron (Shalicha) and volunteers at TIPS table

Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut in TIPS US Cities

2009-04-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

MOMENT OF SILENCE IN SEATTLE

As Israel does every year on Yom Hazikaron, in Seattle on April 28 at 11am, the entire Jewish community will be observing a Moment of Silence for Yom Hazikaron or Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of terror. We hope you will join the two minutes of silence from wherever you are. We are publicizing the event on public buses and throughout town.

Volunteering in Kiryat Malachi, winter 2009

2009-04-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

Adam tutoring English

Note from Adam Resnick, an Otzma volunteer from Phoenix, part of a group of 6 in Kiryat Malachi, , on the completion of his volunteering in Kiryat Malachi at the end of March, 2009:
Adam and other Otzma volunteers

I am writing you to express my utmost gratitude for giving me the opportunity to live and volunteer in the Phoenix partnership city of Kiryat Malachi for the months of February and March. My time there made an enormous impression on my life, and it is not something I will soon forget. I would also like to briefly share my experiences in Kiryat Malachi with you, along with the ways in which I see how the Federation is making a profound impact in providing for this struggling town.

As a volunteer and resident in Kiryat Malachi, most of my time was spent tutoring students in English. Because I am a native English speaker, and because English is such an important language for the students to learn in order to have a chance to attend and succeed in university, I was more than happy to help them in English as much as I was capable. I worked as a tutor in three different schools: Amit high school, Amal high school, and Netzhak elementary school. Adam with a girl from Netzach Yisrael Elementary School in Kiryat Malachi

At Amit, the religious high school, I worked with four different English classes three times a week. Usually, a teacher would give me two to three students to take out of class to either converse with them in English, or to help them with an English project they were assigned. I especially liked conversing with the students. Not only was it the most effective way for me to help them with their English, but it also gave me the chance to connect with them on a more personal level and learn about what it's like for them to live in Kiryat Malachi. The students, while sometimes shy at first, would often open up to me about all sorts of things pertaining to their lives. It was interesting to hear about their families and how they felt about such issues as the Arab-Israeli conflict and the operation in Gaza. Likewise, the kids were very interested in my life and what it's like to live in America. They seemed to think that everyone in America is rich, and when I told them I was far from rich, they didn't believe me. Most of them were also under the assumption that I personally knew all of their favorite American singers and they were disappointed to find out that that was also not the case. Also, because they were all religious, they were interested in knowing my eating habits. When I told them that I didn't keep kosher, they were shocked and told me that I shouldn't eat meat and cheese together because "it makes your brain smaller" (Luckily, they were lacking scientific evidence).

At Amal, the secular high school, I only worked with one class twice a week. I would often take three or four students out of class and help them with English vocabulary or review for an upcoming test. I became good buddies with one of the boys whose English was good, and after class, he would take me to a nearby park to play basketball. There, we would play HORSE while he practiced speaking English and I worked on my Hebrew. Fortunately, my basketball skills are better than my Hebrew skills and I never lost a game to him, but his English did improve a great deal in the couple months I spent with him.
A student at Netzach outside on a cold but sunny day

I went to Netzhak elementary school twice a week. I went once a week during the school day and once for an after school program.

The kids there were a lot of fun, and going to see them was the best part of my volunteering. And even though their English was almost non existent and my Hebrew wasn't all that good, we managed to get by and form bonds with each other. During the school day, I would help the kids learn the English alphabet and with very simple reading. Zara Friedman, an Otzma volunteer from Seattle, with Netzach children

A lot of the kids were really bright and had a lot of enthusiasm to learn English with me. In the after school program, I would help the kids with their English project and play soccer
Adam and boys from Netzach
In the evenings, I went to Migdal Or, a teen center for troubled youth. Migdal Or is a great place for the kids to enjoy themselves and stay busy and off the streets at the same time. There, I just hung out and acted as a friend to the kids, which often consisted of me getting my butt whooped and my ego shrunken in intense games of Ping-Pong.

When I wasn't working, I spent my time getting to know Kiryat Malachi. The city, while not exactly pleasing to the eye or the nose, was an enjoyable place for me to be. People were nice and I got a real sense of community there. Also, as the only light haired blue-eyed resident of the city, I got my fair share of attention whenever I was walking around town.

While Kiryat Malachi is filled with nice people and a supportive community, it is still a city in desperate need of more help. I know that my two months there, while helpful, was not enough to truly make a difference. Poverty is very high there, and the standard of living is much lower than that of the rest of Israel. In fact, sometimes you get the sense that it's being neglected by Israel altogether. For this reason, I really appreciate the work the federation has put into helping improve Kiryat Malachi, and I urge the federation to continue to support the city with the same amount of dedication that you have in the past. As someone who lived there for two months, I can say that the hard work is evident throughout the city and it's hard to imagine where Kiryat Malachi would be without the help of the federation.

Much Thanks,
Adam

Adam and other 5 Otzma volunteer in Kiryat Malachi, plus Ira Kerem, TIPS staff person

Purim, volunteering exeriences in Kiryat Malachi, etc--dated March 21

2009-04-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

More from Tamara

The holiday of Purim was recently celebrated in Israel. All schools got three days off from classes for it. The day before Purim, the schools had parties and everyone wore their costumes to school, like in the US for Halloween.

For weeks before, everyone kept asking us what we were dressing up as. In all the shopping centers, photography booths popped up so that people could get pictures of their kids dressed as lions, princesses, or Darth Vader.

Also much like the US, teenagers love to play tricks for Purim. Firecrackers, though illegal, were plentiful in Kiryat Malachi. Teenagers loved throwing them in the school halls during class, or during the breaks or at the nearest American volunteer (aka us). We were all very happy to see the firecrackers go as the holiday ended.

It took us awhile to figure out what to do for Purim. There is a big street party in Tel Aviv. In a neighborhood called Florentine, all the roads are blocked off and everyone comes out in costume. We ended up going to the party thrown by Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva. Two engineering students who were with us were set on winning the costume contest. They decided to go as Asterix and Obelix, characters in a French cartoon. We were able to witness the last minute frenzy of sewing the costumes together, stuffing the fake belly with foam padding, and making sure all the lights on the costumes turned on (they were electrical engineering students). At the end of the night though, they won a flat screen TV. At a later party, they won a trip to Turkey for their costumes.

After Purim, we only had two weeks left in Kiryat Malachi before the Passover break. We are all starting to wrap up our volunteering. My favorite thing I've done here was working at the senior center. I work in the art room there doing little projects and talking to the seniors. One who I've gotten to know well, came from Spain in 1950 when he was fifteen. He came on his own and lived in Jerusalem for 6 years before the rest of his family came to Kiryat Malachi and he moved to the city too. Another man that I've met was born in Kiryat Malachi when it was still a tent city. Almost everyone who frequents the senior center was born in a different country and immigrated. It's really interesting to talk to them and hear their stories about how they came, their lives here, and where their families are now. They are all also very patient in helping me with my Hebrew, since they all had to learn it as a second language too, they understand when I make mistakes or don't know certain words and love to teach me.

I also really love working with the high school seniors. I work with the highest level, so they all speak really good English. I spent my first few weeks with them preparing them for their oral exams in English, so I interviewed them all about their lives. Once I went over to my students' houses when I was in Kiryat Malachi for a weekend.

After we finish here, we have a two week break for Passover. I'm going to be going to Turkey for part of it with a few friends. After our break, we begin the internship portion of OTZMA- the last track. I'm going to be living in Jerusalem working for the Ethiopian National Project. ENP works to bring programming to Ethiopian teenagers to help them succeed. Many of the teen centers that OTZMAnikim have been working at are funded by the Ethiopian National Project. I'm looking forward to working for them, but I can't believe it's the almost the third track already. This year has gone so fast for all of us. A little more than 2.5 months until OTZMA is over.

Feb 22: A few comments on Israeli Culture

2009-04-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

Another excerpt from Tamara's blog ( BTW, before coming to Kiryat Malachi, the Otzma group had been in Israel for at least 5 months already)

One thing is very important to understand about Israel- everyone is family. It is completely acceptable for cab drivers to ask you if you are here to look for your husband, and then offer their son to you as an option and invite you over for Shabbat dinner to meet him. This has also happened on a regular basis with people who sell vegetables at the shuk. People will invite you to come stay with them after conversations even as short as ten minutes. (Dditorial comment: this is quite common in Kiryat Malachi, and the inviter is very sincere.)

Israelis are also very proud of their cell phones- especially teenagers. It is their most prized possession. All teenagers use their cell phones as ipods but you can hear them without headphones too. Often during classes someone will whip out a cel lphone and put music on for everyone to enjoy- because listening to music in English is much more interesting than actually trying to learn something from me.

There is also a major difference in Israeli dress- especially in the periphery. Since living here, I have seen more zippers than I have ever seen before. Extra zippers apparently add some spunk and decoration to a boring pair of jeans. Many tops look like they've been bedazzled near to death. It entertains us to no end.

Music from the 90's is huge here. Every bar we go into plays hits from the 90's and every teenage boy can play "Time of Your Life" by Greenday on guitar.This is a taste of what daily life in Israel is like for us.

All these cultural differences we find all the time make great conversation topics between ourselves and make us appreciate the differences between here and the US. It adds flavor to everyday life. Every bite of humus we eat is just a little bit better because of all this.

From an Otzmanik in Kiryat Malachi from Feb. to Pesach

2009-04-12T12:32:00.001-07:00

Tamara Maltiel, one of the 5 Otzmaniks who were in Kiryat Malachi from early February until Pesach, has given me permission to post her blog on our website. I'm putting pertinent parts on here. They really give you an inight into the town and people Here is the first entry from February 14.

Kiryat Malachi translates to the City of Angels in English. People make a lot of jokes of how it is just like Los Angeles and often ask us (as Americans we are the official experts on Los Angeles) if it is true. It's not.

Kiryat Malachi is a very small city in Israel. We walk across it in about fifteen minutes. Our apartment has a great location in the city. We are right across the street from MegaBol- the grocery store, the open-air market, the gym, and a few blocks from Kastina-a major bus stop in Israel.

The gym is great. You step into it and it feels like you're stepping into America. It's huge, clean and everything works. In the gym, there's a smoothie bar, a spa with lounge chairs right by it, and a steam room. There's really nice shower rooms which we have definitely made use of during the week our shower stopped getting hot water. The gym also offers classes for us. We have already experimented classes from pilates to spinning to belly dancing. Zara and I are in love with our new belly dancing classes- we both now have belly dancing skirts with bells to wear to the classes.

Slowly and surely, we have picked up volunteering in this city. I work in both an elementary school and a high school, tutoring English during the mornings. I've learned that I love working with all ages except 7-9th grade. Last Wednesday, after Zara, Sarah and I finished with our 7th grade classes, we were all so worn out from dealing with them. Luckily right after seventh grade is 12th which is the funnest group. Right now, the 12th graders are preparing for a big oral English exam that all high school seniors have to take. We prepare them for their interviews so we spend a few hours talking to them all, finding out about them and what they do in their free time (a little bit of research so that we can know what to do in our free time). I met one boy that is going to be a hacker in the army next year and is a photographer in his free time.

One girl is named Ruth Danna. Her mother always wanted to name her daughter Danna, but before she had her daughter, her mother-in-law came to her in a dream, told her she was pregnant with a girl, and that she should name it after her, Ruth. That's how she got the two names Ruth Danna.

It appears that every teenage girl in Kiryat Malachi has fallen in love with Adam, the only boy in our group there. All of us have experienced trying to teach a girl English who is not paying attention until Adam comes in. Then they suddenly develop a keen interest in the language. Once I was trying to get a group to create a poster for Tu B'Shvat. One girl was far more interested in chatting with her friends until Adam came in. She immediately asked me how to say "You have beautiful eyes" in English.

All of us girls have experienced the opposite. I had the unique experience of trying to help a group of 11th grade boys write an essay about eating healthily (in English). They were far more interested in using the English they knew to find out if I had a boyfriend, where I lived, what my plans were for that night, and if I wanted to come over for dinner.

The city itself is an interesting place. There are more shwarma stands than are really necessary for a city of that size. It is a much busier place than either Arad or Natzrat Ilit, where we had been before, so it is nice to feel something different.

There are also a lot more young people in Kiryat Malachi. For some reason the high school seniors all look like they're 23 so it's hard to tell if the people we see are our age or younger. We made friends with a group of soldiers who are volunteering in the city. They are in a unit called nachal which is more community-oriented. They volunteer at all the same places we do. We sometimes hear firecrackers go off (it’s before Purim). Even in the hallways at school, the kids are lighting firecrackers. At first it scared us every time they went off, but we're getting used to it. But it really scares some kids. I was working in an afterschool program with 4th graders and firecrackers were going off when they were on a break. It really scared all of the kids, especially since they heard kassam rockets fall in Janary.

Seeing Americans is definitely a rare experience in Kiryat Malachi. We get stared at a lot when we walk around because we obviously stand out. Everyone asks us what we're doing here, especially once they hear us speak. One little girl first thought I was from Africa. When I told her I was from the United States, her first question was if there are kassams in the United States. The kids in the schools love having us here. We get to play with them and teach them English in fun ways through games and music.

Next week I begin working in a teen center, which has been my favorite thing so far in the other cities. It's always more fun hanging out and getting to know them in a less formal setting. Once I start that, I'll have my schedule all set up and full and officially feel settled in Kiryat Malachi.

Happy Passover

2009-04-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

Scholarships to College Students in Kiryat Malachi

2009-03-31T22:57:00.000-07:00

For over a dozen years, the Seattle Jewish community through the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle has had a special relationship with the Israeli development town of Kiryat Malachi. Currently, over 25% of the town's population is Ethiopian-Israeli.

Since 2006, thanks to a a generous $250,000 donation from the Meta Rosenbaum Endowment Fund, the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle has awarded annual scholarship of $2,500 to some of the brightest college students who live in Kiryat Malachi. All these "Dream Team" students are from immigrant Ethiopian-Israeli families and have worked extremely hard to be able to study in universities. Often they have been the first in their families to go to college. Many also work to support their siblings while some are also married. Many have parents who do not read or speak Hebrew. Without this financial help, most would not have been able to continue their university studies.

The $2500 annual award is for four years, including one year of preparatory studies and the subsequent three to four years of study for a BA or BS degree. Another component of the scholarship is a $250 gift, awarded to each recipient for personal expenses.

On February 5th, an annual award ceremony was held in Kiryat Malachi with the current recipients in attendance, many of whom are finishing their last year of university. In addition to the students, guests included a representative from the "Dream Team" Jewish Agency program, Moti Malka (the mayor of Kiryat Malachi), and Itai Zilberberg (the regional Jewish Agency representative). Amy Wasser Simpson, Executive Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, handed out the awards to the recipients. Dina Tanners, co-chair of the Seattle Israel Connection committee, spoke to the recipients in Hebrew on behalf of Seattle.
Mayor Malka congratulating scholarship recipient

Amy Wasser-Simpson handing out award

Dina tanners speaking on behalf of Seattle

Some of the recipients

A number of students are studying social work and hope to work within their communities when they graduate.

Eldad Taraka is one of the scholarship recipients. Last year he spoke in Hebrew, representing the group. He was the first male student of Ethiopian origin to study fashion design in te Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Israel's top design school. He is very proud of his achievement and is a real trailblazer.

Eldad

Avi spoke for the group this year. He is finishing law school and will start an internship at a law firm in the Tel Aviv area. He has also worked as a security guard while studying. He is not sure if he will combine his interests in law and security or go into government or the diplomatic corps. In any event, he has a bright future. He spoke eloquently in English. He and the others especially wanted to communicate to the Seattle Jewish community their gratitude for the scholarships and the opportunities that they afforded them. Because of the scholarships, their lives and those of their families have profoundly been changed.

Avi

Recipients and others in attendance

Volunteering in Kiryat Malachi, May 2008

2009-03-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

In May of 2008, Barbara Goldberg spent 3 weeks volunteering in Kiryat Malachi. Her daughter, Mindy, had volunteered two years in town earlier as part of the Otzma program. Here are excerpts from an article Mindy wrote wrote for the Seattle Jewish newspaper:
Mindy Goldberg, host "Mom" from Moshav Hodya in Hof Ashkelon, and Barbara Goldberg

Kiryat Malachi - the City of Angels - is a 45 minute drive southwest of Jerusalem, though it seems as if it may be a different part of the world. There are no movie theaters, bowling alleys, internet cafes or night clubs. There are many synagogues for each of the ethnic and cultural groups who have immigrated to Kiryat Malachi. There are after school teen programs and a community swimming pool.

Many Seattle community members (including my daughter, Mindy, who spent 3 months living and volunteering in Kiryat Malachi) have written articles about their experiences in Kiryat Malachi. These articles have educated us on the difficult socio-economic issues that are relevant to a poor immigrant community. One of these issues is the lack of self worth. Many of the students asked "Why are you HERE?" as if why would anyone care about the youth of Kiryat Malachi.

For three weeks in May I had the opportunity to live in the volunteer apartment in Kiryat Malachi partially funded by the Jewish Federation of Seattle. During that time, I tutored English in 4th and 5th grades and helped high school seniors prepare for their oral English graduation exams.

Some of the youth at AMAL High School in Kiryat Malachi that Barbara worked with to improve their English skills.

In addition, I spent one day a week doing arts and crafts, exercise classes and Israeli dancing in the Adult Senior Day Center. (Herzl-Ner Tamid synagogue near Seattle has recently donated funds to improve the beauty salon in the senior center, an important service for the seniors.)
Senior and staff at Senior Center Women from Ethiopia working on Israeli Independence Day project at the senior center in Kiryat Malachi.Traditional crafts done by Ethiopian-Israeli seniors

I do not speak Hebrew and since Kiryat Malachi is not a typical stopping point for tourists, as well as it being an immigrant city, many people there do not speak English. Despite this communication barrier, I was able to satisfy all of my needs. The most challenging and humorous experience was grocery shopping in the small grocery stores in Kiryat Malachi. Since I also don't read Hebrew, I purchased products by picture only. Luckily, everything I bought was delicious!

One of the senior high school students shared her own personal poems written in English in hopes of having them published in an American newspaper. Here is one by Sharron on the blog:

Count.

You told me to count,

And I count pointlessly without will.

Tell me to count,

And then if I ran out of numbers

I can start again with some sheep,
Told me to count,

I count pointlessly -

Hopefully. I'll count some more,
I'll count the times

I've knocked at your door

Count the times

I had to endure

Splitting into two,

Just count, told me to count, the breaks, the poles the rods…

The words that are repeatedly coming, with one and same cause
Count.

I look forward to being fortunate enough to return to the warm and appreciative citizens of this wonderful Jewish community on an annual basis to spend a few weeks volunteering while I visit Mindy in Israel. Kiryat Malachi is growing - a new shopping center is being built and a new adult work-out gym opened earlier this year. I anticipate an increased pride and hopefulness in the citizens that will accompany this growth. .

Kassam Missile on Hof Ashkelon

2009-03-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

Tuesday:This afternoon, a kassam missile fired from Gaza landed in the Hof Ashkelon regional council area, close to one of the moshavim. The Red Alert siren sounded and almost before it finished, the boom of the missile striking the ground was heard.
No injuries or damage reported - yet another miracle.
We have had a period of quiet but we are always aware that it's quiet until there is another missile fired.....

Gilad Shalit - 1000 days in Captivity

2009-03-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

photo by Gil Yohanan (ynet) of the Shalit family in the protest tent in Jerusalem this week

Saturday, March 21, 2009
Today marks 1,000 days of captivity of the soldier Gilad Shalit, held in Gaza by the Hamas movement since June 25, 2006. Shalit was kidnapped by Hamas, Army of Islam and Popular Resistance Committees terrorists in an attack on an IDF outpost at a Gaza crossing, where two other soldiers were killed and a fourth was seriouslywounded.

The date will be commemorated with a mass rally in Jerusalem this evening.

The Hamas has never allowed the International Red Cross to visit Gilad Shalit. which is in direct violation of the Geneva Convention. The Shalit family have no proof of whether he is alive, after Operation Cast Lead or of his physical and psychological condition.

During its final days in office, the Olmert government attempted a last-ditch bid to secure Gilad Shalit's release, through intensive indirect negotations, mediated by Egypt, with Hamas. The negotiations collapsed this week over the Hamas' insistence that Israel free hardcore militants imprisoned in Israeli jails These dangerous terrorists were involved in planning some of the worst terrorist and suicide-bomb attacks that killed many Israeli civilians and have publicly declared that when released they hope to kill more Israelis.

1000 days in captivity.
How much longer?

TIPS Trip Boosts Morale, Programs

2009-03-01T07:13:00.000-08:00

TIPS Trip Boosts Morale, Programs
Report from the Field
by Ken Miller

When the conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip escalated and hundreds of missiles and mortars began landing in southern Israel it became very tentative whether we would be able to hold our annual meeting for the TIPS (Tucson, Israel, Phoenix and Seattle) Partnership 2000 in Israel. A number of the members, including me and fellow Tucsonian Ken Brandis, felt it important to travel to our partnership region of Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon in Israel to show our solidarity. with Israel and with our friends and co-workers. In the week before our January 29 departure, the military situation de-escalated enough for our Israeli associates to agree that we could.

Our first night in Israel, the eight USA TIPS representatives joined some 30 of our Israeli counterparts for an informal dinner. One Israeli member, who resides in a community bordering Gaza that has been shelled for years, stated how moved she was that Americans had come to the region at this time. Knowing the impact our trip had on Israeli morale was enough to make the annual meeting a success - even if we did nothing more during our visit.

We stayed in a hotel in Ashkelon, Israel’s largest city in the south and an area often targeted by Hamas. I was just about to get into the shower when the missile attack siren sounded. A missile landed not too far from the hotel. Luckily no one was injured from this attack but the attack brought home the reality of what our friends and Israel were experiencing. I am a US Air Force veteran and was in Israel during the wars in 1973 and in 2006 but others were seeing for the first time what war was like.

Our meetings focused on TIPS efforts empowering youth, developing young adult programs, establishing educational opportunities at all levels, addressing the needs of the poorer communities and helping to address psychological counseling for children growing up in a war zone. During the current crisis, emergency funding helped transport children and teens out of the war zone into areas where they could experience less stress. In quite a few of the communities in the Hof Ashkelon region, bomb shelters were the only place where the children could safely gather. Tucson raised money for the emergency purchase of heaters to equip the shelters for extended periods.

Seeing the immediate changes in the lives of the children, youth and older citizens in the region evokes much more than a satisfying feeling. Each time we visit, we see how effective the TIPS Partnership 2000 organization truly is - and how much more we can still accomplish.

=================================================================
NOTE: The above is a piece Ken Miller wrote for the Arizona Jewish Post and the blog, about the trip and meeting for the TIPS Partnership in February.

Facebook has links to all Ken Miller's photos from this annual meeting with the 2nd Art City, Festival B'shekel and last year's 2008 Annual Meeting which has the 1st Art City.

To see Ken Miller's photos: please add the "TIPS Partnership 2000" to your Facebook groups, http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55003201630#/group.php?gid=55003201630

The photo albums are listed as links you can click on, which puts you into Ken's photo album section under Ken's Facebook page. You can see the photos by adding Ken's name to your friends list. The url to Ken's page is http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=658607391&ref=name#/profile.php?id=658607391&ref=name or you can find Ken's name in the search as "Ken Miller" location of Tucson.

Report from the Field: TIPS Steering Committee meeting in Israel, Feb. 09

2009-02-13T09:48:00.001-08:00

Report from the Field--Feb. 10, 2009

by Adam Tennen
Phoenix's Assistant Campaign Director/Director of Global Partnerships

Adam & Moriah, a new member of the Steering Committee from Kiryat Malachi

Last week the TIPS (Tucson-Israel-Phoenix-Seattle) Steering Committee convened its annual meeting in Israel in our partnership region of Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon, located just north of the Gaza border. This meeting was a chance for us to visit and discuss at length the projects and programs funded by our Annual Campaigns for Jewish Needs through the TIPS Partnership. In the weeks leading up to the meeting, the committee considered postponing it in light of the recent crisis. However, in the end we decided to proceed and show our solidarity and support for our friends living under rocket fire. We were told over and over again how much they appreciated our coming.

On the first morning of our meeting, we were awakened by a tzeva adom (red alert) siren. Fortunately, no one was hurt from the rocket, which landed in the city of Ashkelon, but it certainly gave me a real sense, at least for a moment, as to what it feels like when that siren goes off. Unfortunately, our friends in Hof Ashkelon are accustomed to rockets. Even before the recent crisis, an average of 25 rockets were falling each day in this area. Homes and buildings on many of the kibbutzim and moshavim near the border are supposed to be built with protective shelters and special roofs. In fact, several years ago the Phoenix Federation funded the construction of a special roof above the pre-school at one moshav adjacent to Gaza. They are especially grateful for this contribution right now.

Security concrete Cover over pre-school at Kibbutz Zikkim

Later that morning, we made a stop at the underground command center in Hof Ashkelon where the mayor and other municipal services relocated their offices for a period of three weeks during the onslaught of the rockets. The morning's siren sparked a number of calls to the center and concerns that the “war” was starting all over again. We listened to an update by the Hof Ashkelon Security director, Gidon.

Gidon and Revital Lavi, Hof Ashkelon representative to the Steering Committee

During the crisis, schools were closed and activity was limited to what could be done in the underground shelters. The teens in the youth council in Hof Ashkelon, funded by TIPS, took it upon themselves to organize activities for the young children. Dressed as clowns, many engaged the kids in fun activities and made them smile. For at least a few hours a day they were able to take their minds off the sirens. We had a chance to meet some of the teenagers who took part in this project. There was another group of teenagers who volunteered to deliver meals to homebound seniors.

In Kiryat Malachi during the crisis, members of our TIPS funded Art City program provided entertainment for the younger children during the time they spent in the shelters. The teens involved with Art City also took the initiative to make house visits to check on seniors and make them feel better.

It was really inspiring to hear that so many youth felt the need to volunteer during this three-week crisis, and that the programming that we normally fund through TIPS empowered them to take on this responsibility. Perhaps it was a way for them to feel like they were making a contribution while their older siblings or family friends went off to fight on the front line.

Through emergency funding, we assisted our partnership region with their ability to repair bomb shelters that were not usable, provide equipment for the volunteer emergency response teams, and transport as many as 1,000 people each day out of the range of the rockets to other parts of Israel for periods of respite. Every person we met throughout the week was so grateful for what we did from afar-not just by our funding, but also by the support we provided through the cards that people wrote at our community rallies last month and the toys collected from a grassroots initiative in the East Valley.

Security is just one aspect of TIPS. Through the generosity of our 3 communities, we are funding a number of important programs that provide opportunities for youth and young adults to better their lives each and every day. We met with children who participate in the Sports for All Program, which is the only organized sports league in Hof Ashkelon, an area made up of 20 kibbutzim and moshavim. It's a unique opportunity for kids around the region to come together, play sports, let off stress, and build self-esteem. At moshav Heletz we saw the results of a six-month long project to construct a Ramada next to the community center. TIPS provided the funds for the youth in this low-income moshav to design and build something together.

We met the 17-year old leader of the project who was so excited by what his team had accomplished! (He hopes to become an architect some day.) This project really has empowered the teens on this moshav.

The week ended with an amazing show by the Art City program in Kiryat Malachi, made up of young dancers and musicians.

A sold out audience of over 500 people came to see it! This program is changing the way the kids view themselves and is becoming the point of pride for this city of 22,000 people, made up largely of immigrants, most recently from Ethiopia and the Former Soviet Union. What an incredible accomplishment in a few short years. I should also point out that it was the youth that conceived the idea for this program. TIPS empowered them to dream big, and they certainly did.

We should all feel good and hopeful about what is happening in our TIPS region through these life-changing programs for youth and young adults. We are helping them to build a brighter future as individuals and as a community. It's always inspiring to see first-hand what we do through our contributions to the Campaign. So, if you have a week or two or three, I invite you to come and stay in our volunteer apartment in Kiryat Malachi where we will set you up with a meaningful volunteer opportunity where you can make a difference and see the impact we make in the TIPS region.

Otzma Volunteers Arrive in Kiryat Malachi, Feb 1, 2009

2009-02-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, February 1, six American volunteers via the Otzma program finally arrived in Kiryat Malachi, a month later than they had planned. Project OTZMA is a 10-month program designed to offer Jewish young adults ages 20-25 an opportunity to live and volunteer in Israel in a variety of settings. This year, three are from Arizona, one from Seattle, and two from California. They had been scheduled to arrive the beginning of January but the Gaza action postponed their arrival for a month. They are delighted to be in Kiryat Malachi. They feel that the town has a lot of character. The adults are very warm and the children very open.

Justine Slovin from Phoenix

in the volunteer apt living room

In the kitchen

Sara Beckerman, volunteer from Phoenix

Zara from Seattle

Adam from Phoenix next to Salomon, a new member of the Kiryat Malachi Steering Committee

Hof Ashkelon Update, end of January, 2009

2009-01-31T11:41:00.000-08:00

From Hila Levy-Hamami, Youth Director of Hof Ashkelon:

As you know we had a very tense and difficult time in the region during the Gaza war, but as soon as the war ended, we have tried go back to normal life as fast as we can.

This week (starting January 27) we had a counselors' meeting to process our emotions, relive stress and to cherish the hard & good work everyone did. We know more work is needed to prepare for the next time...which will come.

Last night, January 29, we had a rally for "Gilad Shalit" (the Israeli held by Hamas) in Kibbutz Yad Mordechai. Many people from the region attended and called for Gilad's return to Israel.
Today, the region invited 50 teenagers (we had many more) who had volunteered during the war to a show in Tel Aviv. I have to go now because I'm meeting them there.

The following pictures were taken at Moshav Heletz this week, where teens are working on renovating a "caravan" so that they can use it as a youth club. This is one of the three projects in Hof Ashkelon that we are funding from our core monies.outside

Remember my family's story--how they arrived at Heletz from Yemen...and what my father did. This really is an opportunity for this moshav & teens to believe they can achieve their dreams

The rest are inside. It is great to see all these teens participating.

Red Alert Song

2009-01-14T20:21:00.000-08:00

When Hila Hamami-Levy, the Youth Director of Hof Ashkelon, came and spoke to many groups in Phoenix, Tucson, and Seattle in late November and into December, 2008, she talked about the Red Alert song taught younger children when they have to run to protected rooms.

Here is more information on the song.

Children at Jewish schools in the United States sing "David Melech Yisrael," with its corresponding hand movements.
Children in Hof Ashkelon and Sderot sing about rocket alerts.

The song, "Red Color," named for the tzeva adom alerts that let residents know of an incoming Qassam rocket attack from the Gaza Strip, was created to help keep children calm while they seek shelter.

When a "tzeva adom" alarm used to sound, children tended to start crying while they ran to the shelter. So a song was written about two years ago to teach young children how to react in a healthy way, including breathing and stretching exercises.

The project was piloted by Ashalim, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's children's division in Israel, as part of the United Jewish Communities' Israel Emergency Campaign.

"Hurry hurry hurry to a safe place/Hurry hurry hurry because it's dangerous," the children sing as they run to their safe place.

"My heart is beating: boom boom boom," they sing as they cross their arms and pound their chest on each "boom."

The song continues to the end, accompanied by corresponding movements, with,
"We shake our body ‹ shake, shake, shake.
We will blow in deep/We will blow out as far as possible/
We will blow in deep/We can laugh/
It's all gone/And I feel good it's over/
Yessss!" as they raise their hands in triumph.

The children, according to the psychologists, no longer shout and push each other since they focus on the song and its movements. (adapted from a UJC article).

Daily living with war

2009-01-13T08:01:00.000-08:00

From a young high school teacher in Kiryat Malachi, e-mailed January 13, 2009

Thank you very much for your kind words, thoughts and pictures...It's always nice to know we are thought of on the other side of the world.

My kibbutz is about 22 KM from Gaza and I can hear the plains fly at night over my house. I can also hear the bombarding of Gaza. I jump at every sound I hear. On the first day of the bombing I was so afraid I went to my family in Tel-Aviv for two days just to relax. We had never been bombed before. Thank God my kibbutz wasn't hit by anything, I don't think I could bear it.

It is not a simple situation to live in, but your prayers and actions helps me feel a little bit better.

We have just returned to work and we teach the 11th and 12th graders for the winter matriculation exams, for, as you know they wait for no one. The students are half crazed with stress and boredom. We drilled them running to the shelters during lessons, and as you can imagine there wasn't much learning taking place after it. I'm sure they're doing their best in this situation, and we are too. My mother is also a teacher and she says it is the same at her school. I hope that it will soon end up and we all could return to our normal everyday lives.

Seattle's Jan. 11 rally in support of Israel

2009-01-11T21:17:00.000-08:00

Over 1600 people from the greater Seattle area came together in support of Israel on Sunday afternoon, January 11.

Some early, displaying signs outside:

While waiting for the program to begin, attendees signed letters to the 2 Washington senators encouraging their countinued support for the State of Israel. Younger children colored pictures that will be sent to elementary schools in our partnerhsip and sister communities in Israel that are under missile attack, while others signed notes of support that too will be sent to the same communities in Israel.

As the crowds entered the sanctuary, Asher Hashash lead the audience in many Israeli songs including Lo Yisa Goy, which participants waved athousand of Israeli flags to the music.

Attendees filled Temple de Hirsch Sinai to capacity, with several hundred people standing around the edges of the sanctuary and others in the hallway, unable to get any closer.

Since the US Congress had just begun its session, members of Congress were not able to attend, but Washington States Senators, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray jointly wrote a letter which was read aloud, strongly supporting Israel's right to defend itself. Other Congressmen also wrote notes, and the mayor of Seattle sent a strong letter of support to the mayor of Beersheva, Seattle's sister city.
An Israeli army reservist lead the prayer for the State of Israel. Several videos were shown including AISH's "15 Seconds" and one with representatives from our partnership communities of Hof Ashkelon and Kiryat Malachi speaking of the situation there. The Israeli Deputy Consul General for Israel, Ismail Khaldi, spoke as an official representative of the government. He told how he how been the Israeli government spokesperson to the Arab media on the pull out from Gaza in 2005 and had high hopes for calm to return to the area, hopes that were dashed by the continued and increased shelling of Israeli communities around Gaza. He aos said: "Let me be clear. Israel isn't fighting the Palestinian people... Our enemy is Hamas."

Nevet Basker, the Seattle chair of Stand With Us, spoke as a member of the Seattle Jewish community.

Speakers expressed sadness for the civilians killed in Gaza and the way that Hamas homes, schools,and mosques for weapan storage, thus putting civilians more in danger.

Rabbi Simon Benzaquen, the religious leader of Seattle's Sephardic Bikur Holim, lead a group of 14 local rabbis, as all present stood and sang Hatikvah.

Thanks to Shira P (age 11) and Zach C for the photographs. Group waving photos is from the Seattle PI.

See http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/395656_protest12.html?source=rss for a good article in the Seattle PI.

Rallies in Tucson &Phoenix, in Support of Israel, Jan. 4

2009-01-08T09:51:00.001-08:00

Tucson and Phoenix were among the first cities in the United States to have large rallies in support of Israel’s right to defend its citizens when under rocket attack.
In Tucson, prayers for peace, lead by community rabbies, were the essence of “Standing with Israel,” a community gathering attended by more than 600 people at Congregation Anshei Israel on Sunday to show solidarity with Israel in its response to daily rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. Stuart Mellan, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, and Rabbi Robert Eisen of Congregation Anshei Israel coordinated the event.

About one-third of the attendees were from outside the Tucson Jewish community. Songs of peace were led by Cantor Ivor Lichterman, while audience members wrote their hopes for Israel on index cards, which will be sent to the Conservative Congregation Kehillat Netzach Israel in Ashkelon, which is holding services in bomb shelters. An Ashkelon synagogue representative wrote “We’re looking forward to receiving the prayers. The support we’re getting gives us the strength to keep going.”

Early on December 30, Tucson Federation Board Chair Jennifer Miller Grant and President/CEO Stuart Mellan issued a statement proclaiming the JFSA’s solidarity with Israel.
“We mourn the loss of human life – Israeli and Palestinian – and pray that the violence will soon end and that peace will come to this battered region,” said the statement, which continued: “While the Federation continues to support Israel in its quest to negotiate peace with the Palestinians, no country can be expected to leave its citizens unprotected from continuous and unrelenting violence.”

Despite the rain and with just four days notice, over 1300 people crowded into greater Phoenix Jewish Community campus the afternoon of January 4th in support of Israel with its battle against the terrorist group Hamas.

So many people came that they were spilling over the balconies also.

Speakers included the Israeli Consul for Culture, Media and Pubic Affairs from Los Angeles, Shahar Azani, and Congressman Trent Franks and Mayor Phil Gordon, who spoke of their strong support for Israel in its fight for peace.

Sharron Topper-Amitai, the new community shlicha (emissary) from Israel, spoke of her grandfather who 60 years ago fought in the War of Independence to establish the State of Israel praying that his children and children's children would never have to fight for religious freedom ever again.

Rabbi Arthur Lavinsky of Beth El Congregation and Rabbi David Rebibo of Beth Joseph Congregation each recited prayers for Israel and for resolution of the conflict and ultimate peace in the Middle East and the world. As the large group sang Oseh Shalom and Hatikvah, an ocean of Israeli flags were waved in support. Children also made cards to be sent to Israelis in the areas under attack, and attendees signed letters to members of Congress, asking for their continued support of Israel.

For a video of highlights of the Phoenix rally, please go to: http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=7ca684a1e54eb0fcd6e6d2&skin_id=1602&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

To see many other communities in the U.S. who have held rallies or who plan to do so, please go to: http://www.ujc.org/page.aspx?id=190976

Watch Israel news LIVE on your pc (in Hebrew)

2009-01-04T15:13:00.000-08:00

From Nicole:

Unbelievably, I'm currently away, on a previously planned and much-needed vacation to Europe, right in the middle of the current situation.... I thought about cancelling but it wasn't possible, so here I am...

It's been very strange to be away from home at such a crucial time, while worrying about the situation, and about family and friends at home and in the army. Of course I have been trying to watch news, and keep in touch whenever I can.

Anyway, if like me, you are desperate to hear first-hand news, you can watch Israeli TV news LIVE on your pc at these sites:

http://www.mako.co.il/news

http://www.nana10.co.il/

http://www.iba.org.il/media/?recorded=tv

Update from a teacher who lives west of Kiryat Malachi

2009-01-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

It is true that Israeli schools within 40 kilometers of the Gaza Strip are closed, but some children are still studying. The Ministry of Education has arranged for the youth in the gifted program to study via the Internet. Ariella Duvduvan teaches English at AMAL High School and also heads the regional gifted center located in the science center in Kiryat Malachi, and her 4th and 5th students are continuing classes with their teachers on the Internet.

At the end of January, many upper level high school students will be taking mid-year “bagruyot” exams, which are similar to state-mandated tests in specific subjects. Ariella’s home room students are in the 11th grade and will be taking a math test the end of January. So it has been arranged for them to go to a school in the Tel Aviv area on Monday (Jan. 5) to study math intensively for the day. Ariella and their math teacher will accompany them on a chartered bus. When they finish their full day of studying at 3, they will have some time to have fun before returning home by 7 p.m. Of course many of their mothers are worried about their traveling on the roads, but that is the situation now.

For the time being, Ariella and her husband are staying on their moshav. They have sent their two youngest children (high school students) to stay with a brother in the center of the country. Their oldest daughter, her husband, and their young daughter live in a “caravilla” or trailer next to the family home. Since this action began, they have been staying in the family home, which is more secure that the caravilla. There is no shelter near their home. The original homes at this moshav, established over 45 years old, had shelters, but then the practice ended until about twelve years ago when the government required that each home have a shelter or a secure room. Therefore, whenever they hear the Red Color alert, they rush to archway between two interior rooms, for their protection. Today, there was no alert; yesterday there were two with rockets landing in the vicinity.
Duvduvan home

Their oldest daughter, Sharona, is a doctor at Barzilai hospital in Ashkelon. She is in her 9th month of pregnancy, but has been schlepping to the hospital daily to work in the pediatric ward. Most patients who were able were sent home, and others were sent to other hospitals, closer to the center of the country. But a number are still at Barzilai, underground in a large shelter where the hospital is now operating. The only patients now in the pediatric section are three young children from Gaza. Of course, their mothers are staying with them, and Sharona has gotten to know them quite well. They are very afraid and keep on asking that their children be transferred father away from the rocket fire, even though they are in a very safe area underground. Ironically, Sharona has been traveling from her moshav to the hospital by car. When the Red Alert goes off while she is driving, she stops the car, and quickly lies as flat as she can by the side of the road, endangering her soon-to-be born baby to help the young ones from Gaza. Ariella is very relieved that Sharona was told 2 day ago to stay home, and not go in to work.

Ariella asks that I pass on to all those in the region she has met that she and her family are doing well, and that they really appreciate our support. She especially wanted to pass on that message to the students and teachers at the Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle where she spent a week during the last school year.

Message from our Israeli Chair, Rachel Barkai

2009-01-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your words and care. It means a lot for us to get them.
Yes, not a dull moment here in our small country.

For the last week - a very long and tiring week- we have been under heavy missile attack.
no need to speak about the fear and worry, the empty cities and the damage that we suffer.
no schools and no open Malls, no outdoor activities ... businesses are shutting down ...
you know it all.

Here in Hof Ashkelon we have arranged different trips for the kids -- for free -- in order to minimize their exposal to the missile attacks.
The trauma centers are loaded with work as well as the medical centers.
The needs in the region are greater than ever.

Time is hard over here, but although it is difficult, we all justify the Israeli act.
It seems like the situation will continue for long weeks.

We pray for peace - we know that only peace will save us - we hope one day there will be someone on their side who will be willing for that as much as we do.
Thank you for being there for us.
It warms our hearts to know we are not alone at this constant survival war.