e-neWs - Bronfman Fellows

issue 6

Winter

2013
Education
E-News
What’s Inside!
Beyond the Classroom!
ISJL Ed Department Photo
Contest
Become an Olympic Hurdler:
Break Down Obstacles/
Challenges to Jewish
Experiences
A Journey of Faith
How’d I Get to Mississippi?!
The Bronfman Youth Fellowship
Experiences
How to Choose Your Jewish
Adventure
Keepin’ it Local: Exploring Your
Own Community
T
Beyond the Classroom!
here are memorable moments that can only occur in
an immersive experience. How much more do these
participants attend synagogue, engage in Jewish rituals, and
seek out a local Jewish community as they mature? Researchbased books and reports reveal that Jewish adolescents who
participate in immersive, overnight experiences are increasingly
likely to participate in Jewish life as adults.
Trips to Israel especially help to light, or fan, the inner flame of
desire for more Jewish content, connection, and community.
Often times, participants describe their
trips as “life-changing.” The impact of
these immersive experiences cannot be
overstated and that is why, this month, we
are dedicated to informing you about all
sorts of paths that you can provide for your
students. Because of this we have partnered
with The Bronfman Youth Fellowships, an
unbelievable institution, which offers an
incredible opportunity for someone in your
community to learn, grow, and connect with
others like themself from across the United
States, and the world. Over 30 teens from
every corner of our region have participated
in this amazing summer fellowship, including one of
our former ISJL Fellow’s sister (whose testimony is
included within)! With a little time and dedication, we
can secure avenues for amazing learning in immersive
experiences.
Rachel Stern and Rabbi Matt Dreffin
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Looking for
a Challenge?
the Bronfman Fellowships
is an exciting, academic experience beginning
with a FREE 5 week program to Israel
to learn more and apply
visit our website at bronfman.org
APPLICATION Deadline: January 6, 2014
This is a selective, merit based program for high school juniors
who identify as Jewish, where high level discussions and learning
take place in a community of inspiring peers.
For more information, visit us at
The Bronfman Fellowships:
bronfman.org
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ISJL Ed Department
Photo Contest
The Chanukah Holiday is a time of light and inspiration. What better way to celebrate than with a
Photo Contest? Submit your most inspired photo using the light of your flashbulbs with the theme of
one of these key content areas of the curriculum:
Community - How many people from your congregation can you fit in one picture (based on
percentage, not overall size).
Culture and Symbols - Display your best homemade Jewish food.
God - how do you fulfill the concept of b'tzelem elohim, finding the Godliness in humanity?
Hebrew and Prayer - Are you engaged with Hebrew in a unique way? Perhaps there is a new
Online Learning Center you’re trying for the first time?
Israel - Make a map of Israel with your body(s).
History - Find an old picture from your synagogue. Reenact it and send us both next to each
other.
Lifecycle - Do you have a special tradition or unique custom in your community related to a
lifecycle event?
Mitz’vot & Jewish Values - Show us your best mitz’vah, either a ritual or how you repair the
world.
Tanach (Hebrew Bible) - Who is YOUR favorite Biblical Character?
Photos must be submitted to photos@isjl.org by, Friday December 20 to be included in the contest.
Your top three submissions will make it into the January issue of our Ed Department Newsletter, and
the winner will receive a special prize!
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Become an Olympic
Hurdler: Breaking Down
O
ne cause for which we are huge advocates is taking
advantage of captivating Jewish experiences. They can
range from creating a Shabbat experience in the home to
taking a trip to Israel. While some people have seemingly
endless resources with which to have these experiences, we
know the challenges many people face when trying to make
these amazing opportunities come to fruition.
We’re here to tell you that if you want it to happen, you can
make it happen. You just have to be determined, have a
voice, and seek out help.
Let’s look at something small first, like Shabbat dinner.
The most prevalent argument is that it’s just too hard. After
getting off of work, picking up the kids from school, and
stopping by the dry-cleaners before they close, who has
time to make an elaborate Shabbat dinner?! Our answer:
No one! But who says Shabbat dinner has to be elaborate?
Do you have wine or grape juice? Do you have a slice of
bread, a bagel, or cheerios? Do you have candles (matching
optional)? That’s all you need – the “making it meaningful”
does not come from how fancy everything is, but rather from
how you choose to treat the moment. Start with something
small -- one new thing for this month to add to your Shabbat
experience.
“But what about that trip to Israel? I cannot afford to send
my children. Try and fix that!” There are many programs
that are either free or heavily subsidized and, while they
generally cater to specific age-groups, if you find that you
A Lesson
From Dreffin
Obstacles/Challenges to Jewish
Experiences By Elaine Barenblat
or your child no longer meet the age requirements, staffing
trips are another great way to experience Israel.
Camp-like experiences are also one of the best opportunities
for building Jewish identity, but they too can be costly. Check
with your synagogue, federation, or other local groups –
generally there are a lot of scholarships out there. Also, don’t
forget to check with the camp itself; many are generous with
scholarships, especially when there is a donor determined to
send a certain number of children to camp each year.
Additionally, rather than waiting for children to become
camp-age to begin pondering how to send them on a trip,
think in terms of preparing for the future now. What ways can
we save money for a trip or experience ahead of time? What
sorts of funds can we begin to create to help our children?
The list of Jewish experiences can go on and on, but it’s here
that I will stop and ask: how will you choose your next Jewish
experience? Will you look at the obstacles you face from the
sidelines or, with gusto, investigate all avenues to tackle
those hurdles and help bring your children the experiences
they need and deserve? Once we see the end goal, we can
celebrate the fact that we are able to bring so many more
Jewish experiences to our children, our communities, and
our families than we ever thought possible.
“The initial chok hash’vut (right of return) was
passed by the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) in
1950. This amazing law guaranteed that any
Jewish person had the right to move to, acquire
citizenship from, and live in Israel. Known for
their hospitality, this open-armed attitude toward
other Jews extends back to the Mishnah. Pir’kei
Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) Chapter 5, verse 5
essentially tells us, “no person should say to his
or her friend, ‘there is no place for me to lodge
in Jerusalem!’” The ancient rabbis knew the
importance of visitors coming to the land of Israel
and having a positive experience!”
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2
A Journey of Faith
H
By Rachel Glazer
ere in the buckle of the BibleBelt, I am the little Jewish girl,
safely exotic around Chanukah and
appropriately confused around Lent.
differing in my level of observance. As living, breathing way of life - adaptable
soon as I allowed this truth to sink in, for modern humanity, yet steadfastly
I appreciated the opportunity I had not enduring. To sing, worship, learn and
only to learn from my fellow Fellows, but bond with teenagers from every facet of
also to offer my perspective. My basic the Jewish spectrum provided me with
My summer in Israel, however, I was questions brought lofty conversations invaluable perspective as I returned to
the Southern belle who craved sweet tea back to earth, and a fresh pair of eyes my life in Gainesville.
with falafel and may
on an over-discussed
“I appreciated the
have said “y’all” a time
passage was invaluable But all of a sudden, conversations with
or two. Experiencing
at times.
my friends were missing something.
opportunity I had not
some levels of cognitive
Where were the Hebrew slang, kosher
only to learn from my
dissonance, I spent the
We packed months’ raps, existential crises, and intellectual
month of July in the fellow Fellows, but also worth of activities into urgency to which I had grown
Jewish state trying to
those five weeks. An accustomed?
figure out just where to offer my perspective.” outstanding faculty
I fell. The Bronfman
of modern sages led The importance of community, in
Youth Fellowships in Israel provided our group discussions based on the Judaism and in Bronfman, is both
an all-expenses-paid summer program, day’s theme or centered on biblical or evident to me and central to my life now.
for 26 of the top Jewish high school contemporary texts. We had a multitude Before, I was a Jew in the Diaspora;
seniors from the U.S. and Canada, to of speakers over the course of the now, I am a member of the international
Israel for five weeks. Their aims every summer, ranging from political activists Jewish community because I have
summer are to cultivate understanding and rabbis to authors and musicians. experienced it firsthand. I greeted
among the denominations of Judaism We were based in Jerusalem, but we strangers on Yehuda Amichai Street
and educate and inspire the Fellows traveled all over the country, visiting with “Shabbat Shalom” on Saturday
to be active in the Jewish community, major cities and historical sites. It afternoons and did not receive puzzled
contributing to the world in general.
was a balance of Jewish learning and looks in return. I hiked to the top of
discovery - both the land and the people Masada at sunrise and swam in every
That’s a mouthful. In short, I went to of Israel.
major body of water that surrounds
meet teenagers of my own faith, be
Israel. I wandered through the desert
exposed to new and opposing ideas, as For one week we had a mif’gash and partook of the milk and honey
well as discuss, debate, and discover (meeting) with a group of Israeli (though the milk comes in a bag these
Israel in the process. Immediately teenagers in a program that parallels days).
following my overwhelming joy at our own. In our discussion about the
learning I had been accepted to BYFI difficulties of translation they had us This trip was the highlight of my 16
came feelings of apprehension and pair up with an Israeli, try to think years, and what’s wonderful is that it’s
inadequacy. It was easy to feel strongly of a word in our own language that only the beginning. I have two more
Jewish in Gainesville since I was pretty is
untranslatable,
seminars
with
much the only Jewish kid I knew. But and then explain to
the group in New
“The importance of
how would I compare to the other our partner. I could
York, and I will
community,
in Judaism be in contact with
fellows?
only think of “hunkydory.” I explained it
these people for
and in Bronfman, is
In the beginning, my anxiety seemed to Naphtali, and then
both evident to me and the rest of my life.
to be justified: every other student he started trying to
This has opened up
prevalent in my life.”
seemed brilliant, offering commentary translate his word to
a whole new world
on Babylonian sages and contemporary me, yofi tofi (which, it
to me that I am
Israeli poets whose names I could barely turns out means “hunky-dory”). Pure itching to explore, both religiously and
pronounce. My questions were more luck allowed me to find someone to intellectually. It may have been my first
to clarify than to contemplate, and for equal my nerdiness on the opposite side visit to Israel, but it will certainly not be
the first week and a half in the Holy of the globe.
my last.
City, I felt ignorant of my own religion,
intolerant of my own culture, and Studying with such a diverse group Rachel Glazer is from Gainesville,
unintelligent about all sorts of matters, provided the opportunity for me Georgia, and is now a Sophomore
as I tried to befriend these future leaders to understand why my Israeli home at North Georgia College & State
of the Jewish community.
stay insisted that I make aliyah (move University.
to Israel), how one boy logically
Slowly, however, I began to see that I rationalized God’s existence, and what This reflection was originally published
was not there by mistake. I had been significance a Talmudic text has to a in The Gainesville Times.
raised in a Jewish home. I was not 17-year-old in Seattle. It transformed
any less Jewish than any of them, only my religion from an ancient one into a
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How’d I Get to Mississippi?!
ISJL Fellows Reflect on the Jewish Experiences They’ve Had OUTSIDE the classroom!
Amanda
Allison
Field trips to Jewish museums, art
galleries, or important Jewish buildings
help students understand the reality of
Jewish life outside the classroom and
incorporate Jewish knowledge and
values into their own everyday lives.
Working on a farm afforded me the opportunity to look at the
Torah in a brand new way – like the Jewish Farmers’ Almanac!
Missy
Peer trips allow you to
travel outside your
comfort zone and meet a
great group of teens or
young adults who are
also discovering these
sites for the first time.
Lex
Exploring Jewish
conferences, whether
related to the
environment, Jewish
learning, or Israel, could
be a great way to engage
students on a whole new
level.
Sam
Exchange programs offer a
window of exploration into
other communities and
cultures. Spending a
summer in Israel and
having Israeli teens spend
time in America
strengthened my
connection to Judaism and
Israel.
Elaine
Attending Jewish
summer camp is one
of the best ways to
meet other Jewish
children, create
positive Jewish
memories, and set a
foundation for a
Jewish life.
Dan
Service learning helps teens
develop new viewpoints,
experience interesting and
unfamiliar environments,
meet new people, and
perhaps most of all, put
their lives in perspective –
exposing them to a wider
world outside of their own!
Adam
Youth groups offer teenagers a mixture of
religious instruction, social outings, and
group projects that serve to better themselves
and the community. It is a place where
everyone is accepted and where peer-learning
takes place.
Alachua
A gap year program in another country
allowed me to grow into myself as a Jew.
During this experience, I became a Jewish
adult.
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The Bronfman Youth Fellowship
Experience! By Gabriela Hoberman
T
he Bronfman Youth Fellowships in staff member to discuss their project
Israel brings together a group of concerns, achievements, and progress.
North American teenagers for a year
of discussion, intensive
Gabriela Hoberman
learning,
lasting “The Ma’aseh (Action) was
awarded
a
friendships, and selfBronfman Fellowship
Project helped me
discovery. Their diverse
in 2012 and is from
Fellows, from a range
Atlanta,
Georgia.
grow as a leader.”
of religious observance
She grew up in Hong
levels, geographic locations, academic Kong and moved to Atlanta in 2006,
interests, and perspectives, learn from a graduating from Yeshiva Atlanta High
faculty of four accomplished rabbis and School in 2013. She is currently on a
educators as well as from the lasting gap year in Israel and will be attending
friendships they form with the other Barnard College next Fall. During her
Fellows. During their all-expenses-paid Fellowship year, Gabi founded a club at
five weeks in Israel, the Fellows engage her high school called the “God Club,”
with classes on politics, religion, poetry, to discuss an array of perspectives
and history, while visiting important on religion and spirituality. This is a
sites and hearing prominent speakers reflection on her experience with her
deeply involved in Israeli arts, culture, project.
religion and politics.
“In the beginning, I envisioned my
An equally important aspect of the project as a mini-Bronfman, a way to
experience comes after the Fellows ‘bring Bronfman back’ for myself in
have returned from their time in Israel. Atlanta. I remembered an afternoon
Their senior year of high school is when we discussed different images
a “Fellowship Year,” and the Fellows of God—all of the discussions about
come together for two additional in- God and the beliefs we had, our own
person seminars. Between meetings pictures of God—and I wanted my
they take part in structured group calls, project to be like that. People from
continuing to learn while integrating diverse backgrounds and with diverse
their Bronfman experience into their opinions would not only read texts,
home lives. Fellows also engage directly but also challenge themselves and
with their home communities using the each other, digging for truth in serious
ideas and themes encountered on their discussions about God and beliefs. I
Bronfman summer
was surprised by my
“It was incredibly
through a “Ma’aseh
schoolmates’ positive
challenging—talking to
(Action) Project.”
responses,
their
The Ma’aseh Project
eagerness to engage
random students about
is an opportunity for
in discussion about
my personal beliefs and
the Fellows to bring
God, and I continued
trying to convince them
meaningful change
to be surprised in
to take an interest in my
to their community,
the meetings with
passions.”
either through a new
questions, comments,
initiative, direct service, or growing an discussions, debates, and arguments
existing program or group. The Fellows centered around personal beliefs.
are assigned an older alumnus, working
in a relevant field, as an advisor and also The Ma’aseh project helped me
work closely with another Fellow and grow as a leader. I organized the
creation of the club, advertised to get
enthusiastic people to attend, and
retained permission from the school
administration. I pulled from texts
to type up source-sheets, researched,
and even secured two juniors to help
lead the club and continue it after I
graduated. I really tried to talk to
people, constantly engaging others
in discussion. It was incredibly
challenging—talking to random
students about my personal beliefs
and trying to convince them to take
an interest in my passions. However,
when it worked, I got to learn and
help others learn. I got to challenge
others, helping them to think further
and dig towards the truth… things I
love doing.
Hannah, my advisor from Bronfman
(a Fellow in 2004) helped a ton. She
was a great teacher and gave me
the tools to focus from the beginning,
helping me make a list of all the things
I needed to accomplish to get my club
off the ground. She listened and gave
advice when I confided my fears to
her, and studied the sources with me
herself, coming up with discussion
questions, different angles, and
different ways to teach that I would
never have considered on my own.
The God Club ended up having two
meetings weeks before school ended.
I managed to bring together students
from many different parts of school,
to challenge their beliefs of God, and to
teach them to learn about other ideas.
I hope the discussions continued after
the meetings ended, and that, with my
continued help, the club might develop
an even stronger following next year.”
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How to Choose Your Jewish
Adventure!
By Allison Poirier
Q
Is Your Priority Service,
Socializing, or
Learning?
Service
Q
Socializing
Q
Do you like the
outdoors?
Yes
No
Jewish
Farming
Service
Learning
I Want All Three!
Bronfman
Youth
Fellowships
in Israel
Q
Learning
Q
When do you want
to do this?
Talking to People
Summer
During the
School Year
Jewish
Summer
Camp
Seeing Things
Q
Do you want to go
somewhere new?
How do you like to
learn?
Jewish
Conferences
How much time do
you have?
Yes
No
A Few Days
A Week or More
A Year
Exchange
Program
Youth
Group
Field Trips
Jewish
Travel
(Israel!)
Gap-Year
Program
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Keepin’ It Local: Exploring Your Own
Community! By Dan Ring
O
ne of the best ways to build teen
Jewish identity is to explore
Judaism, Jewish history and Jewish
values in your own community. It’s
also significantly less expensive and
much easier.
Before you hit the
pavement, however, decide whether
your trip will cover Jewish history,
social action, Jewish learning, athletics,
or a combination of them all! Here
are some pointers on how to begin
planning:
Use your synagogue community:
You can find an expert in your
synagogue who can help with your trip.
He or she would likely be overjoyed to
share his or her knowledge with you
and your students! For instance, if you
want to show students various Jewish
historical sites throughout the area,
ask your resident local Jewish history
expert. He or she can direct you to local
sites of interest, and potentially act as
a tour guide (play dress up!). Great
local sites to check out are historic
houses built by Jewish families, the
organization, or shelter). They can
direct you to places best suited for
regular volunteers of various ages and
skill sets. In larger Jewish communities,
you can check out the local federation
or Jewish museum. In many smaller
communities, local civic organizations
are a great place to start.
older section of the Jewish cemetery,
the former location or building of your
synagogue, or historically Jewishowned shops. For social action, ask
the community service chair in your
synagogue for recommendations. For
Jewish learning, such as planning a day
of Jewish learning, ask the rabbi or the
adult education chair to help organize
some learning time.
Use your community resources:
Check out local organizations which
specialize in your trip’s goals (e.g.
call the local library, museum, Red
Cross, food pantry, family services
Remember, when planning and
brainstorming, you also have all of
the ISJL’s resources at your service
– beyond just your Education Fellow
and the entire education team, our
Rabbinic Department and Community
Engagement Department are happy to
help! For history help, check out the
ISJL’s online encyclopedia at http://
www.isjl.org/history/archive, to find
your community’s history, or get in
contact with our head of Museum and
Special Projects to create a special place
within your own building!
Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life
PLEASE CONTACT RACHEL STERN
OR RABBI MATT DREFFIN
AT 601.362.6357
OR VISIT www.ISJL.org
FOR MORE INFORMATION.
ISJL Education Staff, 2013-2014
Rachel Stern, MAJE/MAJCS, Director of Education
Rabbi Matt Dreffin, MAJE, Asst. Director of Education
Elaine Barenblat, 2nd year Fellow
Missy Goldstein, 1st year Fellow
Alachua Haskins, 1st year Fellow
Sam Kahan, 2nd year Fellow
Allison Poirier, 1st year Fellow
Dan Ring, 2nd year Fellow
Lex Rofes, 1st year Fellow
Adam Wassell, 2nd year Fellow
Amanda Winer, 2nd year Fellow
Shirley Eriksen, Administrative Support
ISJL Staff
Macy B. Hart, President/CEO
Michele Schipper, Chief Operating Officer
Rabbi Marshal Klaven, Director of Rabbinic Services
Malkie Schwartz, Director of Community Engagement
Ann Kientz, Director of Programming
Beth Kander, Development and Communications Coordinator
Nonnie Campbell, Administration
Betsy Samuels, Chief Financial Officer
Lynda Yule, Administrative Assistant
Rachel Jarman Myers, Museum Project/Special Projects Coordinator
Charlett Frumin, Development
Jitu Patel, Technology
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