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From the Educator |
Connecting to our homeland, to Israel...
How can it be accomplished?
What ties do we have to this land geo-graphically so distant
but deep within our hearts?
It is a land, a country, rife
with politi-cal, economical & religious strife - as
are many countries, but it is also the embodiment of the
dream, the hope for a Jewish homeland going right back to
Torah (Beresheet) when Abraham is commanded - Lech
Lecha - Go, you go to the land that I will show you.
And throughout our history - in the Tanach, the Talmud,
in the poetry and prose of Jewish writers such as Shai Agnon,
Amichai, Ha Levi. Israel has a compelling centre of Jewish
identity.
For 2 weeks this past summer,
I had the privilege of studying with a group of 14 International
Educators at the Bergman Institute housed at H.U.C. in Jerusalem.
Under the leadership of Steve Israel and Paul Liptz (the
Seminar coordinator and Director of Education respectively)
all the educa-tors travelled through literature, texts,
geographical locations, ancient sites, and market places,
learning how to connect to Israel.
Our studies included visits
to the First Temple area, Yemin Moshe, Israel Museum, Tower
of David, Yad VaShem, Museum of the Diaspora, Safed, Cesarea,
Rosh Pina, The Mili-tary Cemetery and Ethiopian Memo-rial,
as well as swimming in the Kenneret, shopping on Machaneh
Yebuda and strolling along Emek Refaim and Ben Yehuda.
If these places trigger your
memories of Israel, then we both have shared an amazing
experience. If these are all unfamiliar to you, then it
is time to start planning your trip to Israel. No matter
how much those of us who have been there share our experiences,
our stories, our pictures, nothing can compare to personally
visiting Israel.
Whether on a Solel trip ( next
trip is set for June 2013) or through your own arrangements,
the best connection to Israel is made when one is able to
be there.
We say at Pesach Next
Year in Jerusa-lem. Make it happen.
Shanah Tovah Arliene.
Up
Arlienes Lunch & Learn
TBA
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Our Education Director
Arliene Botnick
received her Honours B.A. degree from University of
Toronto and her M.Ed. from OISE. As well, she was
granted the title Reform Jewish Educator from the
National Association of Temple Educators.
Arliene has been
Director of Education at Solel Synagogue for the past
22 years, prior to which she taught both in the public
school system and was a volunteer teacher at Solel's
Hebrew/Religious school. Her present staff, continuing
Solel's tradition, is entirely avocational - parents
are the teachers.
Arliene is involved in several
community organizations and is a member of the Steering
Committee of the 905 Interfaith Organization, the
Credit Valley Spiritual Advisory Committee, Pathway
Community Projects, the Family Education Network of
the Board of Jewish Education (Mercaz), and the Teacher
Education Institute. She was the chair of the Reform
Educators Council and is a recent graduate of
the International Summer School of Holocaust Studies
- Yad Vashem in Israel.
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