Bridges Building A TIME FOR - AMIT
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SPRING 2022 / NISSAN 5782
IN THIS EDITION:
A TIME FOR
Building
Bridges
AND EMBRACING DIFFERENCES
On the cover: The
PRESIDENT Chords Bridge also
Audrey Axelrod Trachtman called the Bridge of
Strings or Jerusalem
Light Rail Bridge
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Andrew Goldsmith
DIRECTOR GENERAL
Dr. Amnon Eldar
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
Shari Weisenberg
Designed by
Bacio Design & Marketing Inc.
AMIT Offices
Around the World
NATIONAL OFFICE
New York City
Tel: 212.477.4720
info@amitchildren.org
www.amitchildren.org
ISRAEL
Kfar Batya Campus
1 Jerusalem Street Table of
CONTENTS
Ra’anana
MID-ATLANTIC & NEW ENGLAND
REGIONS
01 President’s Message 18 Recipe for Pesach
Baltimore/Boston/D.C./Philadelphia
02 Executive VP’s Impressions 19 Dvar Torah
Tel: 410.484.2223
03 Isaiah’s Expanding Tent: 20 AMIT Highlights and Successes
Robbiep@amitchildren.org
Secular Israeli Schools Join 30 Development News
the AMIT Network 32 R
emembering Dr. Marguerite
MIDWEST
06 From Kibbutz Life to a Torah Werrin
Chicago
Way of Life 34 A Triple Investment in Education
Tel: 847.677.3800
08 Skating for Israel 36 Welcome and Mazel Tov
AMITChicago@amitchildren.org
10 Magic and the Shema 37 In Memoriam
14 A
MIT Schools Win Coveted
Cleveland
Education Excellence Prizes
Tel: 216.591.1119
16 AMIT Alumni Leading
AMITCleveland@amitchildren.org
Israel: The Real Impact Your
Investment
SOUTHEAST
Florida
Tel: 954.922.5100
ronir@amitchildren.org AMIT provides an innovative, Jewish,
values-based education for 44,000 children
WESTERN in Israel each year. AMIT welcomes every
Los Angeles child and levels the playing field for the
Tel: 310.859.4885
children of Israel through education.
AMITLA@amitchildren.org
Signed articles do not necessarily represent the opinion of the organization.
Reproduction of any material requires permission and attribution.
Inside AMIT / Spring 2022
President’s Message
BY AUDREY AXELROD TRACHTMAN
“There is no life without a task; no person without a talent; no place
without a fragment of God’s light waiting to be discovered and redeemed”
— Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, How to Heal A Fractured World
M
y sister, Beth Axelrod Weinberger, but close. Mark would talk sports. She would nod
passed away on February 6. Beth was her head and sort of listen, thinking about what
given an unfair deal in life -— she was she was making for Shabbos.
born cognitively impaired. But it did not
derail her from living a happy, satisfied life, finding Beth was my only sibling. Growing up with her
love, and making meaningful connections. made me acutely sensitive to inequality. It is a
major reason that when I stopped working, I
Her success started with my parents. Beth went doubled down on my commitment to AMIT. At
to Camp Morasha when she was eight years old. AMIT, we more often talk about leveling the playing
I was going, so Beth was going too. There was field for children from economically and socially
no special education inclusion then. Yachad was disadvantaged backgrounds. We also do it for kids
30 years in the future. So what? A highlight of with learning disabilities. Our mantra — “We are
shiva was hearing from friends I haven’t spoken the No. 1 educational network in Israel“ — is based
to in 50 years, reminiscing fondly about Beth and on nine criteria that the Ministry of Education uses
how natural it was having her in the bunk. They in its evaluation. Surprisingly (in a good way), one
remember her ever-present smile. of the nine criteria is special education inclusion.
I am proud that we are in the top
After graduating from a tier for this criterion.
paraeducation course at
NYU, Beth worked as a So, how do I tie my sister’s life
teacher’s assistant in a small story into Passover, the Festival
nursery school. When the of Freedom? Most of us are
school closed, it was hard extremely fortunate. We have the
to find another job. So she freedom to choose what we want
volunteered at a local hospital. to do with our lives. But too often,
For Beth, volunteering was while we consider the rich array of
serious business. It meant choices spread out before us, we
9-to-5, rain or shine. She was fail to notice the people a little off
on a first name basis with to the side, sometimes out of view.
doctors, nurses, and orderlies They don’t have the same freedom
— because she was genuinely to choose their lives. What Beth
interested in everyone she met. But, she desperately did was provide people with opportunities to
wanted to be paid for her work. “Networking” and notice her. She had the courage and natural grace
“advocating” came naturally to her. Beth made to make people see her caring, generous spirit
friends and they had her back. A nurse in the as well as her needs and potential. Beth made
hospital found out that there was an opening for a everyone kinder and more supportive than they
tray serving position that Beth could handle, but the might otherwise have been. And they gave her the
hospital didn’t want to hire her. After some not so freedom to live her life as she dreamed.
gentle behind the scenes prodding, Beth was hired.
Against expectations, she did more with the job This is the lesson I learned from my sister’s life.
than I’m sure anyone else could or would have. She Even when others were helping her, she was
would chat with everyone she served. In the process, helping us learn the life lessons of chesed (loving
she made them feel good. kindness), character, humility and grace. And
that’s an incredible legacy.
Although Beth always wanted to get married,
it was hard to imagine it would happen. The Thank you, AMIT family, for your kind messages
shidduch with Mark was made through friends of condolence.
but it was undoubtedly God’s handiwork. They
were a happy couple — she would make sure they
got invited and he was the wheels who got them
there. I can see Beth and Mark walking home from Audrey Axelrod Trachtman
shul together and talking, not exactly in rhythm AMIT President
BUILDING Bridges -01-
AMIT Children
Impressions
BY ANDREW GOLDSMITH
L
anding in Israel always brings with it some level highly successful in
of excitement — after all, is there any other transforming lives,
destination where everyone applauds when simply doesn’t have
the plane lands? After two and a half years the capability to grow
of perpetual closure, a palpable communal outburst in numbers in the traditional way. It’s absolutely true
of joy was followed by shared smiles even during the — some our programs won’t grow and will never ever
deplaning bedlam. be economical. Budgets are always a balance between
what you want and what you can afford. The argument
She’s open again and not a moment too soon. The talk of that we should focus only on programs that can help
damage to the Diaspora/Israel relationship is a real thing. the most (and jettison the rest) never quite leaves my
Reasons aside, Israel’s closure was kind of like calling mind.
your mother to ask whether you can bring over the kids
for a Shabbat meal, and being told “no.” The reasoning That is until I saw something quite wonderful. I was
might be valid but there’s still a sting. visiting the Gloria & Henry I. Zeisel and Family Junior
College and accidentally happened upon their “wall of
The good news is the sting doesn’t last long. They did graduates.” Each alumnus has a picture, an update and
miss us and genuinely feel quote — kind of like a living yearbook.
bad about the closure. The Scanning the faces, I recognized
traditional “Ma Nishma” Yaffa Rothman — so would many of
(always a sincere inquiry) is you. For two years, Yaffa served as
now accompanied by hugs our AMIT student ambassador. She
and warm invitations too toured the country on our behalf,
numerous even if there were meeting hundreds of supporters and
double the time. winning our hearts. As a teenager,
she came to us when everyone else
I was eager to see firsthand had given up on her and Kfar Blatt
— really to witness — how became her home. While in our care,
AMIT did during COVID. Of her father was killed in a terrorist
course we’ve been in close attack and her tough life became
contact, read reports galore, much tougher. But our staff never
burnt out two IPADs from gave up on her and in turn she never
over-Zooming, but nothing gave up on herself. Yaffa graduated
— absolutely nothing — takes the junior college in 2016 and now
the place of walking the halls attends the prestigious IDC Herziliya.
of our schools, meeting the She plans to utilize her talents to
students and staff, and having become a diplomat in the Israel
a thousand conversations. foreign ministry and every indicator
It’s the difference leads us to believe that Yaffa has
between FaceTiming your what it takes to get there.
grandchildren and holding
them on your lap — similar but in no way the same. Budget? Yeah, right. Impractical? Certainly. But still
absolutely the right thing to do. AMIT will find a way
Throughout this issue of the magazine and in our Annual because we have to. We at AMIT would never knowingly
Report (amitchildren.org/2021report), you’ll see many give up on a single child, no matter what they need or
examples that add up to a singular conclusion — we’ve how many are in need. And I know you wouldn’t have it
come through this storm well. Battered at times, certainly, any other way.
but well. We faced unbelievable adversity with courage
and creativity and teamwork par excellence. “No child left Chag Kasher V’Samaech — to you, your loved ones, and
behind” became a war cry and anything less intolerable. all of our AMIT children.
It’s not a simple mission and frankly incredibly
impractical. Over the last few months I’ve had a running
and at times vehement dispute with a supporter who Andrew Goldsmith
makes the argument that one of our programs, while AMIT Executive Vice President
-02-
Inside AMIT / Spring 2022
ISAIAH’S
EXPANDING
TENT: Secular Israeli Schools
Join the AMIT Network
BY WE N DY E L L I M A N
It is shortly before eight o’clock on a Sunday with academic abilities from very strong to its 37
morning in Rehovot, and most of the Ron Arad mainstreamed special education students.
High School’s 735 seventh- to twelfth-graders
are streaming into class — all but those currently What sets this school apart, however, is that while
quarantined for COVID-19. its pupils, its curriculum and most of its teachers are
secular, it is part of the religious Zionist AMIT Network —
They are a fairly typical Israeli high school population: an incongruity that may at first seem startling to Israelis,
boys and girls, almost 600 of whom live locally, from for whom the secular/religious educational divide
families that range from privileged to disadvantaged, predates the birth of the State.
BUILDING Bridges -03-
AMIT Children
Some parents were apprehensive
about the association, but they quickly
saw that AMIT is happy for us to
define Judaism for our own school.
“We joined AMIT last September because it’s an as Ron Arad, and the large Beer Tuvia High School in
educational and pedagogic leader,” says Ron Arad Kiryat Malachi came on board the year before.)
principal Keren Shachal, 55, herself secular. “Some
parents were apprehensive about the association, The decision to expand into Israel’s secular population
but they quickly saw that AMIT is happy for us to was triggered by a heartfelt appeal to AMIT from
define Judaism for our own school.” the IDF’s Chief of Staff. “For him, the country’s social
divisions are a greater threat to Israel’s future than
A chemistry teacher by training, Tel Aviv-born any external enemy, and he urged us, as educators,
Shachal came to Ron Arad (then run by the city) five to address this,” says Dr. Amnon Eldar, AMIT Director
years ago, following seven successful years at the General for the past 20 years. “Our Board of Directors
helm of another Rehovot high school. “The Ron Arad approved our transitioning from a network of solely
School was then three years old
and hadn’t found its way,” she says
tactfully. “I was appointed to put
it on its feet.”
She replaced 80 percent of the
school’s 70 teachers, introduced
electives ranging from social skills
and theater arts to volleyball and
pre-med, and added matriculation
tracks such as sciences, visual
arts, diplomacy, social initiatives,
and communications. “I see my
job as attracting and nurturing
the best pupils, giving those from
underprivileged backgrounds
an equal chance, and making
our school a second home for its
students and staff,” she says.
It took Shachal five years to
stabilize the school, academically,
socially, and in the community.
“It was then time to move it up another level, and for religious Zionist schools to one that reaches out
this we needed help,” she says. “Together — teachers, to all Israel — secular to haredi — accepting of one
pedagogues — we agreed that AMIT, with its 97 years another’s differences while focusing on our broad
of expertise, could provide this help. We haven’t been common denominators.”
disappointed.”
While AMIT remains a religious Zionist movement, he
In September 2021, the Ron Arad Junior & Senior clarifies, the academic values based education in all
High became one of three secular schools to count its schools creates a rare meeting-point between the
themselves among the 110 educational institutions riven sectors of Israeli society. “Educating and nurturing
that AMIT operates with Israel’s local and national children from diverse backgrounds within a framework
education authorities. (The Nachshon Junior & Senior of academic excellence, Torah values, and Zionist ideals,
High in Hevel Modi’in joined AMIT at the same time can only strengthen our people,” he insists.
-04-
Inside AMIT / Spring 2022
AMIT has adopted Visionary Education as its motto “Our overall aim,” he continues, “is to make Israel’s
to reflect this change, but its core values remain schools hubs of values-based education that
rock-solid. They are first, enumerates Dr. Eldar, instill openness, tolerance, religious commitment
love and respect for Torah ideals (honesty, integrity, by choice and Jewish heritage. By nurturing
tolerance and openness, Zionism and its connection academic excellence in both Judaic and academic
with Jewish culture, keeping mitzvot from choice); studies, AMIT pupils graduate with the skills,
second, Jewish peoplehood (living together in values, knowledge, and tools that open a world of
mutual respect, and addressing differences and opportunity.”
disagreements positively and civilly); and third,
striving toward excellence and fulfilling potential. The Ron Arad School’s pupils are clearly happy to be
“We’re walking in the footsteps of the prophet within the network. Tenth-grader May Bersano, 16,
Isaiah Isaiah [54:2],” he smiles. “We’re expanding and eagerly goes to school each day. “I know that I matter
broadening our tent while strengthening our base.” there, and learn things I can’t learn elsewhere. I want
to be an actress and they
Expanding and support that. I’m just
broadening is an
Educating and nurturing children starting a theater elective
understatement. AMIT
intends to take more
from diverse backgrounds within a and am really excited
about it!”
secular schools into framework of academic excellence,
its network until a full Naama Sameach, 18, two
quarter of its student Torah values and Zionist ideals can grades ahead of her, has
body is secular. More chosen computer science
than that, at the request
only strengthen our people. and diplomacy as her
of the Education Ministry, electives “because I want
it plans to replicate its model high school alternative to do something significant with my life,” she says.
to traditional yeshiva — the 10-year-old Menorat Meantime, she too “love[s] coming to school. If I have
Ha’Maor High School in Petach Tikva — as needed, as difficulty in my studies, my teachers work with me
well as enter schools in Israel’s Druze sector. till I get it. If I have a request or complaint, I go to the
principal, know I’ll be heard, and the issue addressed.”
“We’re taking the lead in redefining Israel’s educational
landscape to give all young Israelis the best educational Ariel Regev, 15, came to Ron Arad following a difficult
opportunities both for themselves and for their time in elementary school, socially, and academically.
country,” says Dr. Eldar. “The Education Ministry has “The personal attention here has helped me get
named us its leading education network, and we’re over all that,” he says. “My English and history, which
also one of Israel’s largest school systems. So we see I really wasn’t good at, have picked up. And the
ourselves as a role model, guided by AMIT’s values, enrichment courses here, like the science programs
responsive to changing educational needs and with the Weizmann Institute, are just wonderful!”
emphasizing educational and pedagogical innovation.”
BUILDING Bridges -05-
AMIT Children
Message from
From
Kibbutz Life
to a Torah
Way of Life
BY HELGA ABRAHAM
I
n addition to academic excellence, one of to help these students better understand religious
the central pillars of AMIT’s educational concepts and values.
vision is Torat Chaim, the goal of which is to
inculcate in students the values of Torah as Bar Shalom, 46, is uniquely suited to the task.
a way of life. “Our aim is to create a spark in “I come from both worlds and I live in both
the eyes of students — a spark of meaning, depth, worlds,” he says as he describes his very secular
and joy,” says Elad Bar Shalom, Director of the upbringing. “Secularism is steeped in my family.
Torat Chaim program at AMIT. My paternal grandfather left a comfortable life and
a flourishing career as an engineer in the Czech
Surprisingly, one of the ways in which Bar Shalom Republic to till the land on a kibbutz. He was a true
and his team are making Torah studies more pioneer who believed in social equality and unity.”
meaningful to students is by adopting concepts
from the secular world. “In order to make religious Religion was not part of his grandfather’s life; he
studies more relevant to students we use tools did not have a Bar Mitzvah, nor did Bar Shalom’s
from psychology, coaching, and group therapy, father. Both of his parents grew up on the kibbutz
and we encourage teachers to be more like and were raised in children’s houses, where the
facilitators and mentors,” he says. children of the kibbutz lived together under adult
supervision, rather than in their parents’ homes.
At the same time, AMIT is working to bring the They suffered from this and from the strict rules
values of Judaism and belief in the land of Israel that regulated every part of their lives, he says.
to secular students, as a way to bridge societal
divides in Israel and unify communities. In recent Bar Shalom recalls an incident that exemplified
years, more and more secular schools have joined this period. “A neighbor of my parents was sent
the AMIT educational network and there is a need a color TV by relatives abroad, but the kibbutz
-06-
Inside AMIT / Spring 2022
did not let them watch it because
everyone else only had a black
and white TV. A meeting was held
to discuss the problem and it was
decided that the family could keep Our aim is to create a spark in
the TV set but they were not allowed
to use the color option.”
the eyes of students – a spark of
By the time Bar Shalom was born in
the mid-‘70s, kibbutz life was more
normative — there were no more
meaning, depth, and joy.
children’s houses on the kibbutz
and much greater freedom. But - Elad Bar Shalom
secularism still reigned and Bar Director of the Torat Chaim program at AMIT
Shalom grew up with no religious
education and did not have a Bar
Mitzvah. “Having a Bar Mitzvah was
not even an option for me since
neither my father nor my grandfather
had had one,” he says.
But as a teen, he took an interest
in the human spirit and soul. As
he followed the traditional Israeli
trajectory of army service, traveling
abroad, and college studies, he began
to study the Bible, Jewish philosophy
and Hassidism, while practicing
meditation, yoga and Tai Chi. By his
mid-thirties, Bar Shalom was wearing
a kippah, keeping mitzvot, and raising
a religious family.
The process of becoming religious
led to a major change of career for
Bar Shalom — from marketing to
education. After teaching for several
years in a yeshiva high school, he
joined AMIT’s Torat Chaim program,
bringing fresh ideas for how to teach
Jewish studies in innovative and
meaningful ways. “We want students
to feel that the Torah is a life model,”
he says, where each student can find
his or her personal spiritual path.”
Bar Shalom believes that the more
young people feel connected to their
faith and Jewish identity, the more
they will be able to connect with
other streams of Israeli society. “My
vision is to create a society where all
streams talk to each other, respect
each other, and complement each
other.”
BUILDING Bridges -07-
AMIT Children
Skating
for Israel
BY TAMAR SNYDER
ONLY A YEAR AGO, OLYMPIC ATHLETE HAILEY KOPS
WAS STUDYING AT THE MIDRESHET AMIT SEMINARY
IN JERUSALEM, WITH PLANS TO ATTEND NURSING
SCHOOL UPON HER RETURN TO NEW JERSEY.
-08-Inside AMIT / Spring 2022
A
fter several knee injuries, Hailey had to train, and competed in several local ice skating
decided to retire from competitive figure competitions. She later trained with Galit Chait, a three-
skating. A gap year in Israel focusing time Olympian who is the head coach of the Israeli Skating
on Jewish studies and exploring her Federation.
homeland served as the perfect refresher.
There, she made new friends and grew At the age of 13, she became an Israeli citizen and started
spiritually, religiously, and mentally. competing on behalf of Israel at international competitions.
She and her former skating partner, Israel’s Artem Tsoglin,
But she didn’t hang up her skates for long. represented Israel at the 2017 World Junior Championships,
2018 World Junior Championships, and 2019 European
Upon returning from Israel in June, she received a call Championships.
from the Israeli Skating Federation asking her to rejoin
the team. She agreed with one condition: she wouldn’t She has only been practicing with her current skating
practice or train on Shabbat. partner, Krasnopolski, for less than a handful of months. To
make up for lost time, the pair practiced for nine hours each
“As a religious Shomer Shabbat athlete, I enjoy day at the Montclair University Ice Arena in Montclair, New
spending Shabbat at home with my family and Jersey. This was the third Olympic bid for Krasnopolski, 33.
friends,” she says. Studying
at Midreshet AMIT had
solidified her commitment A LOYAL FAN
to maintaining her spiritual
balance and not relaxing her Hailey is grateful for the outpouring of
standards. support she has received from family,
friends, and Jews around the globe. One
Although she does compete on especially passionate fan rooting for her was
Shabbat when necessary, as a her 11-year-old “little sister” in Israel. The two
Modern Orthodox Jew she eats were paired together as part of a chessed
only kosher foods and won’t fly program at the Midreshet AMIT Seminary in
on Shabbat or Jewish holidays. Jerusalem that Hailey attended last year.
“Quietly and in her own way, The seminary is located on the campus of
[Hailey] represented what it meant to be a Modern Beit Hayeled, AMIT’s foster home for disadvantaged Israeli
Orthodox Jew competing at an elite level,” her father, children. Hailey and her fellow students became part of a
Steven Kops, wrote in a Facebook post. “She would “mishpachton,” a family unit made up of a caring young
perform her own moments of kiddush hashem Israeli couple and 12 children. Twice a week, Hailey helped
(sanctifying God’s name).” her “little sister” with homework, went on excursions
together, and just hung out. “She continually inspired me,”
The 19-year-old from West Orange, N.J., made her Hailey says of her “little sister.”
Olympic debut in Beijing in February, skating on
behalf of Israel. She and her skating partner, Evgeni
Krasnopolski, finished in 15th place. Before every ACHIEVING THE IMPOSSIBLE
competition, she prays. They had qualified for a spot
at the Olympics by finishing fifth overall at the 2021 For the long program in Beijing on February 18, Kops
CS Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September. and Krasnopolski skated to Josh Groban cover of “The
Impossible Dream,” the song sung by Don Quixote in the
Competing at the Olympics was a “dream come Broadway show “Man of La Mancha.” It was a fitting choice
true,” she says. “To be able to represent Israel and the as she reflects on achieving her long-held dream of skating
Jewish people is really special and something that I in the Olympics, representing Israel.
always wanted to do,” Hailey says.
“I think that every parent wants their children to
chase their passion and dreams — no matter how big,
EARLY YEARS AS A SKATER challenging, and potentially unattainable those dreams
can actually be,” her father told JNS, noting, noting that
Hailey got her start at an early age. The daughter of a Hailey representing Israel “has been the greatest honor
figure skating coach, Hailey was already in skates at the for us as a family.”
age of three. She would wake up early every morning
BUILDING Bridges -09-AMIT Children
Magic AND
THE BY GLORIA AVERBUCH
SHEMA
A GROUNDBREAKING
MUSEUM EXHIBITION
REVEALS THE CONNECTION
A
It began with a remarkable discovery. “Suddenly I understood that I was looking at
Deuteronomy 6:5 — the second verse of the Shema,”
Nancy Benovitz was working alone in says Benovitz. “My heart was pounding; it was
The Israel Museum in Jerusalem late so surprising and so exciting.” Painstakingly, she
one evening in 2014. She was studying continued to decipher the armband’s inscription,
a silver armband that was part of a ultimately revealing that it contains most of the Shema
bequest made by the late Prof. Dan Barag to the and the first verse of Psalm 91, and that it was not a
Museum in 2010. Benovitz, currently the museum’s Christian amulet, but rather a Jewish one.
Senior Editor of English Publications in Archaeology,
has worked at the Israel Museum since 1988 and
holds a master’s degree in classical archaeology with
an emphasis on reading ancient Greek inscriptions.
She was attempting to decipher the Greek script on
the armband — a particular challenge as the words
are written with no spaces, no punctuation, and
include misspellings.
Assuming this was a Christian amulet, as were most
of the items she had been working as part of the
bequest, she noticed the words “with all” repeated
several times, as well as the word “love.” “You shall
love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with Manuscript of Practical Kabbalah open to a magical recipe for the
all your soul and with all your might,” she repeated treatment of epilepsy, which incorporates the Shema.
Ukraine, ca. 1740.
to herself.
Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv
Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem / Elie Posner
-10-Inside AMIT / Spring 2022
Benovitz had made a thrilling discovery and one that Amulet/pendant with
would give birth to the wider topic of the presence the Shema.
and function of the Shema in Jewish magic. Israel, 20th century.
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Hear O Israel: The Magic of the Shema, the first Photo © The Israel Museum,
exhibition of its kind anywhere, debuted in August Jerusalem / Elie Posner
2021, and was curated by Benovitz and her long-
time colleague at the Israel Museum, Dudi Mevorah,
Senior Curator of Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine
Archaeology.
The preamble provides a basic explanation of the
Of the 90 objects in the exhibition, the earliest are Shema – its origins in the Torah, and how it came
tefillin from Qumran — the oldest in the world — together as a liturgical unit sometime in the Second
dating from the 1st century BCE to 1st century CE. Temple period.
The latest items are from the present day and were
produced by a practitioner of Practical Kabbalah The first section, Hidden and Revealed, is devoted to
in Hod HaSharon, Israel. The ancient items are amulets and “magic bowls” incorporating the Shema.
in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, but those from Some of the amulets take the form of jewelry, and
medieval times onward are in Hebrew. One book thus the magical words and images inscribed on them
on display, Wisdom of Solomon, is an 18th century are visible, or “revealed.” Other amulets are written
Hebrew translation of a book of Christian magic on parchment, paper, or metal, and are rolled and
written in Latin in the 15th century. Almost all the inserted into containers or pouches. The curators have
items on display in the exhibition are from the Israel dubbed these “hidden” amulets.
Museum’s collections of Archaeology and Judaica,
as well as from local private and public collections, The second section, The Shema in Books of Jewish
including The National Library of Israel and the Israel Magic, displays collections of magic recipes, some of
Antiquities Authority (IAA). which incorporate the Shema.
The exhibition is comprised of a preamble, four The third section, Betwixt and Between, discusses the
sections, and a film. connection between the Shema and liminal occasions,
BUILDING Bridges -11-AMIT Children
such as childbirth, the circumcision
ceremony (brit milah), the moment before
sleep, and the moment before death.
The final section, Between Religion and
Magic: Tefillin and Mezuzot, raises the
question of the connection between
these important Jewish ritual items and
the “hidden” amulets in the exhibition.
All share the same basic design concept
consisting of powerful, sacred words
written on scrolls which are rolled and
inserted into containers.
Why the Shema?
“Why is the Shema on this armband?” was
the original question that guided Benovitz.
The Shema is a biblical text that has been revered and Amulets and Magic Bowls with
maintained at the core of Jewish life for over 2,000 the Shema
years. Although it is not the way we normally think
of it, the Shema is also connected to magic, as it has The earliest known amulet with the words of the
been used for the purpose of protection, health, and Shema dates back to the 3rd century. Inscribed on thin
success. It can be found on and inside amulets from gold foil, it was found rolled inside a tiny silver capsule
ancient through modern times. in the grave of an 18-month-old child in Halbturn,
Austria. “Hidden amulets” like these, mainly inscribed
In fact, the Shema is one of the deepest and most on parchment and paper, continue to be produced
profound aspects of the ancient as well as the more today. The Shema is also inscribed on ancient
recent history of the Jewish people. Examples include amuletic pendants, bracelets, and rings, worn, seen,
three early 20th-century pendants featuring the and admired like all jewelry. The curators call these
Shema prayer that were excavated at the Sobibor “revealed amulets.”
extermination camp in Poland in late January 2021,
according to the Israel Antiquities Authority. Six similar Although not technically amulets, also on display
amulets are part of the Israel Museum exhibition. are earthenware incantation, or magic bowls which
functioned like “demon traps.”
These were a popular practice
among Jews and non-Jews of
Babylonia (present day Iraq).
The bowls, many of which were
written for specific clients,
AMIT’s Co-Chair of the are inscribed with magic
Israel Executive Board, spells intended to remedy
Tamar Benovitz, and the clients’ problems. The
Jewish bowls quote from the
AMIT’s President, Mishnah, Jewish prayers, and
Audrey Axelrod the Bible, and quite a few
Trachtman, giving others incorporate the Shema.
AMIT friends and It appears that after they were
created, they were then buried
donors a private tour upside down in and around
of the Israel Museum’s the homes of those inhabitants
“Magic of the Shema” they were meant to protect.
exhibition.
-12-The Bedtime Shema in a miniature illuminated manuscript.
Moravia (?), Austrian Empire, 18th century. Inside AMIT / Spring 2022
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem / Elie Posner
Magical Instruction Books
Instruction manuals are literally recipe books
that provide direction on performing rituals
and producing amulets addressing a wide
variety of human situations and problems.
The recipes in these manuals were collected
and copied over the generations. The books
on display in the exhibition, including
manuscripts dating back to the 18th century,
are open to pages that incorporate the Shema.
Amulet/pendant with the Shema.
Between Religion and Magic: Yemen, 19th century.
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Tefillin and Mezuzot
Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem / Elie Posner
Jewish law (halakhah) prescribes the wearing
of tefillin and the affixing of mezuzot to doorposts. These
important Jewish ritual items are directly tied to the
Shema. The words of the Shema, on which the laws are
Amulet/pendant inscribed
based, are inscribed on the parchments inside them. with the Shema, Psalm
Thus, in terms of their basic form, tefillin and mezuzot are 91:1 and Proverbs 18:10 in
reminiscent of “hidden amulets,” such as those on view in Hebrew.
the exhibition. Moreover, both tefillin and mezuzot have Israel, 6th–7th century.
been associated with protection since Talmudic times Extended loan from
the René and Susanne
and even before. In fact, phylacterion (phylactery), the Braginsky Collection, Zurich
word also used for tefillin, is the same word for amulet in
Photo © The Israel Museum,
Greek. Yet, while there are similarities between amulets Jerusalem / Elie Posner
and tefillin and mezuzot, there are also differences
(e.g., amulets are optional, but tefillin and mezuzot are
required by Jewish law). “This issue leads to the broader
question of the fuzzy relationship between religion and
magic,” says Benovitz.
An Enlightening Experience
In addition to serving the general Israeli public, the
exhibition has generated significant interest from
academia, including higher educational institutions such
as Israeli universities. In an effort to further serve young
visitors, the Museum has just completed an additional
exhibition audio guide for children.
Amulet/armband inscribed with the first two paragraphs of
“It has been absolutely thrilling for me to see the visitors’ the Shema and Psalm 91(90):1 in Greek.
reactions and receive their feedback,” says Nancy of the Egypt or Israel, 6th –7th century.
exhibition. And while she acknowledges that sometimes The Israel Museum, Jerusalem: Bequest of Dan Barag, Jerusalem
the word “magic” throws people off, she contends that, Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem / Elie Posner
“Magic has been a part of Jewish culture from the very
beginning.”
HEAR O ISRAEL: THE MAGIC OF THE SHEMA
THE ISRAEL MUSEUM, JERUSALEM
August 20, 2021 — April 23, 2022
Listen to the audio guide, see photos and a brief film, available for the time being:
https://www.imj.org.il/en, click on EXHIBITIONS
BUILDING Bridges -13-6
AMIT Children
AMIT
SCHOOLS
Win Coveted Education
Excellence Prizes
BY DEBRA KIRSCHENBAUM
S
top by the colorful hallways of YESHIVAT Israeli society. Whether grappling with identity and
AMIT AMICHAI on any weekday, and you’ll exploration, facing terrorism or COVID-19 loneliness,
be struck not just by the sound of laughter, the students at each of these schools know when they
but also by a palpable sense of optimism. walk through the school door they are entering their
second home. And that is the secret of their success.
AMIT Amichai, a combined junior high and high
school in the central Israeli city of Rehovot, combines It’s all rooted in the Jewish idea of kehilah
academic excellence with a love of Torah. But to (community).
pupils, it’s more than just a school — it’s also a safety
net for the entire student body. “Jewish values are the beating heart through which
our students are taught to constantly ask themselves
AMIT Amichai is among six AMIT schools that what their place and purpose are in the world,” said
received Israel’s Ministry of Education Excellence Shimon Shushan, AMIT Amichai’s principal. Students
Prizes. The prizes confirm what the students at each come from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds
school already knew: The classroom can also serve and religious observances, and the school has a
as a community. The schools have each found a 97 percent (bagrut) matriculation rate — nearly
creative way to become a haven as students navigate 30 percent above the national average. “We strive
adolescence, stress and the deeper challenges within to teach them that their contribution to the world
-14-Inside AMIT / Spring 2022
and their community goes hand in hand with their determined that its ultra-Orthodox students graduate
contribution to their own success and academic growth,” fully prepared for professional success. Sixty percent of
Shushan said. its students continue toward a computer engineering
degree; the school has cracked the code on providing
In the tiny city of Karmiel in Israel’s Galilee, 89 percent of a well-rounded education that teaches Torah as well as
AMIT KARMIEL JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL technical skills. They do it by personalizing the education
students matriculate, many with high-level certificates to meet the unique needs of each student.
in the key subjects of English and math. Principal Guy
Dekel points to a holistic view of the student as the key to “For each student, a personal plan is built according to his
achieving educational excellence. or her academic level,” said Principal Ilan Chamami.
“We hold personal conversations to identify where YESHIVAT AMIT NACHSHON, near Beit Shemesh,
students have difficulties. And we create a program in is located in one of the fastest-growing areas of
accordance, with a plan to bridge their gaps and help Israel. As the population swells, the student body has
them progress,” he said. become increasingly diverse. In Israel, most schools
are homogenous, but here the diversity is embraced.
At AMIT SDEROT RELIGIOUS JUNIOR AND SENIOR Sephardim, Ashkenazim, and immigrants from around
HIGH SCHOOL, the challenges are more readily the world all attend, as do students who are classified
apparent — the entire school is fortified against frequent as youth-at-risk. They are integrated together with an
rocket attacks from nearby Gaza. Many students are emphasis on highlighting each other’s strengths.
immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union, And at AMIT KFAR BLATT YOUTH VILLAGE in Petah
but despite poverty, language gaps and the persistent Tikva, students truly do come to see their school as a
threat of terrorism, matriculation rates are an impressive home. Many of the school’s 500 at-risk teenagers grew
98 percent. The reason, said Noa Epstein, a teacher up often not even knowing where their next meal would
and school coordinator, is a commitment to ensuring come from. At Kfar Blatt, the teens are placed in family-
students don’t give up when faced with challenges, like units with surrogate parents, where in addition
either academic or social. to academic excellence, they are offered a chance for
healthy physical and psychological development.
“We put a maximum effort into giving our students all the
keys that they might need in the future, to open all sorts They live in residences for 16 to 18 girls or boys, along with
of doors,” she said. The school has tracts for both religious a young couple and their own biological children. Here,
and non-religious students with the same rigorous they become part of a family, sometimes for the first time
standards. This, too, serves as a motivator — universally in their lives. Their days include chores and communal
high standards creates a rising tide that lifts all students. meals. That sense of security translates into success: over
95 percent of Kfar Blatt graduates continue to serve in
At AMIT MENORAT HAMAOR IN PETAH TIKVA, the IDF or participate in National Service, a crucial step
matriculation rates have climbed from 62.5 percent toward long-term employment.
to 93 percent in just two years — with school leaders
BUILDING Bridges -15-AMIT Children
AMIT alumni
leading Israel:
The real-life impact of your investment.
BY HELGA ABRAHAM
the Israel Scholarship Education Foundation (ISEF), an
organization that enables disadvantaged students to
access every level of higher education.
Through his involvement with ISEF, Amir says he
has witnessed how educational opportunities not
only change the fate of a student but also that of his
siblings, parents, and even neighborhood.
He describes his own experience at AMIT Ginsburg
Bar Ilan Gush Dan Junior and Senior High School for
Boys as formative. He credits the school with instilling
in him the aspiration for excellence as well as love for
Israel and religious values. It is for this reason that he
has placed his two eldest sons in AMIT schools and
continues to be involved with AMIT through his alma
mater’s alumni association.
Much of his own personal success, he says, can be
Amir Chenchinski
attributed to the education he received at AMIT: “It is
the combination of Torah and advanced science and
technology which is the key to AMIT’s success and that
A
MIT alumnus Amir Chenchinski, 47, is a of its students,” he says. “Torah without modernity or
successful international tax partner with the modernity without Torah cannot succeed. One needs
global firm Ernst & Young who manages the other and this is the model of AMIT.”
to make time from his high-powered job
to promote educational projects and help This combination, he says, will become more and
strengthen Israeli society. more important as high-tech and innovation become
the basis of world economies. “High-tech is the Qatar
Amir lectures at Ono Academic College and is a board of Israel,” he says. “It is the wealth that will take Israel
member of a pre-army preparation program and of forward and AMIT is playing a big part in this process.”
Torah without modernity other modernity without Torah cannot
succeed. One needs the other and this is the model of AMIT.”
-16-Inside AMIT / Spring 2022
Boaz Yosefi: Student
Turned Principal
B
oaz Yosefi, the Principal of AMIT Hatzor Haglilit,
has a long history with the school and with
Hatzor Haglilit, a small development town in
northern Israel. He was born there and studied
at AMIT Hatzor from the second year of the
school’s existence, watching it grow into a full-
fledged religious high school for boys and girls.
After serving in the IDF as a commander in the Givati
Brigade, Boaz became a teacher by chance: “I had not
thought of going into education,” he says, “but when
the opportunity arose I saw it as an obligation to return
to the community what I had gained from it, and at
AMIT, I had learned the values of kindness and giving.”
After serving at AMIT Hatzor as teacher, homeroom
Shalom Giat: teacher, and deputy principal, Boaz was appointed
Principal in 2016.
AMIT is my Home He points out that the school is unique in several ways:
T
“Firstly, we accept every type of student — religious,
he formative years that 39-year-old Shalom
ultra-Orthodox, traditional and secular — because we
Giat spent at AMIT Frisch Beit Hayeled Youth
strongly believe in Klal Yisrael, one people with one
Village, AMIT’s unique residential school for
Torah, and secondly we do not separate bright from
disadvantaged children in Jerusalem, are
poor students.”
inscribed in his mind.
While this policy creates challenges for his teaching
“From the age of five, Beit Hayeled gave
staff, it has proven successful, with 98 percent of
me a home,” he says. “I received enormous love and
students at AMIT Hatzor graduating with a full high
warmth there and also tools for life — how to look
school certificate. But for Boaz, academic achievements
after myself, how to clean floors, how to deal with
are not the only goal. “The most important thing,” he
my outbursts of anger.”
says, “is for the students to be happy and I can say that
99 percent of them are happy here.”
Unable to serve in the army because of clinical
depression, Shalom performed menial jobs for
several years until, by chance, he was asked to work
as a substitute teacher in an elementary school. “I
fell in love with teaching from day one,” he recalls,
“and I used a lot of the skills I learned at AMIT, such as
how to listen to others and how to be sensitive to the
needs of students.”
While teaching, Shalom acquired a BA in Education
and in 2017 he joined AMIT Eitan High School in Ma’aleh
Adumim, where he teaches Bible studies, literature,
and citizenship. He was recently appointed homeroom
teacher and is currently studying for an MA.
“I found my vocation,” he says, “and I feel that I have
closed the circle. AMIT was my home and is my home
today.”
BUILDING Bridges -17-AMIT Children
REC I PE FO R PE SAC H
ROAST MULLET
in Garlic and Cilantro
Traditional Jewish Moroccan
Jewish recipe eaten at Pesach
IN GRED IEN TS:
.2 pounds fillet of mullet, or another white-
2
fleshed fish such as flounder, tilapia, grouper, sole,
haddock, or ocean perch.
1/2 cup olive oil
1 hot red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
1/2 cut semi-dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Juice of 2 lemons
IN STRUCT ION S:
1. M
ix everything except the fish fillets and place in
a shallow bowl or baking dish. Add the fish and
marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
2. Pre-heat a grill or an oven on grill setting.
3. G
rill the fish for about five minutes on each side.
Baste occasionally with the marinade.
ELI ALFASI is a teacher in the AMIT Technological High School in Ramle’s
culinary track. He was born in Morocco and made aliyah at the age of six
months. Eli learned to cook from his mother and grandmother before
earning professional certification from the Tadmor Culinary, Hotelier
and Tourism School. He comes to AMIT Ramle after being an IDF chef
for 35 years, during which time he won various awards from the IDF
for his work, as well as a gold and silver medal in an international army
culinary competition held in Europe. He decided to go into teaching upon
retirement from the IDF because he heard about AMIT Ramle and decided
he could have a strong positive impact on the students’ lives.
-18-Inside AMIT / Spring 2022
Dvar Torah
PESACH, RAV KOOK AND HELPING
OTHERS WITHOUT HURTING ONESELF
BY RABBI ARI ZE’EV SCHWARTZ
P
esach is not only about freeing oneself In other words, Rav
from slavery but also about helping to free Kook says that a
other people from their personal Egypt. giving person must
Indeed, kindness toward other people is learn to develop
an essential part of the Seder night. As the a shield- healthy
Haggada writes, “Anyone who is hungry, boundaries. When
come eat.” And while the desire to do acts of kindness giving to others, a person must have the discipline to
to someone else is a great value, nonetheless, Rav also keep a distance. This is extremely hard to do for a
Kook warns us about the hidden danger of kindness. giving personality. Such a person yearns to give their
He writes: entire essence to the cause and not simply a part of
themselves. But this is what Rav Kook wants us to
“The desire to do kindness needs a great shield. understand: only one who has a shield can actually
A person with the personality of kindness, who help others.
yearns to influence everyone, is also more likely to
be influenced from everyone. This is the spiritual On the festival of Pesach, we want everyone to go free
law of influence: the one who influences will also be from their personal Egypt, we desire that everyone be
influenced” (Shmoneh Kevatzim 7:23). redeemed from their struggles and sufferings. As the
Haggada writes, “Anyone who is hungry, come eat.”
That is to say, when a person is negative toward Yet in order to set someone else free, in order to help
someone else, there is no real danger of being someone else be healthy, a person must be free and
influenced by them since one has put up a shield. Yet healthy themselves.
the moment a person enters the mode of being kind
to someone else, of wanting to give oneself to another When Rav Kook arrived in Israel, he yearned to help
person, one has put down their shield and are now all types of people — secular Zionists, atheists, liberals,
open to being influenced. vegetarians, free-spirited artists, and poets. Eventually,
Rav Kook began to understand that without a shield,
For example, when a doctor tries to help someone without healthy boundaries, he would not be able to
with a contagious sickness, they open themselves help them. And so, Rav Kook went looking for a role
up to the danger of being infected. Or when a model of kindness with healthy boundaries. He found
psychologist tries to help someone with severe Avraham. “God promised Avraham a shield in order
depression, they open themselves up to the danger that his influencing negativity would not damage
of becoming depressed. This is also true regarding himself. He is the role model of this greater type of
matters of faith. When a religious person desires kindness” (Shmoneh Kevatzim 7:23).
to help an atheist understand faith, they open
themselves up to the possibility of having doubts This was the important spiritual lesson Rav Kook
about their own beliefs. learnt about helping to free other people from their
sufferings and do acts of kindness: the giver must never
For this reason, Rav Kook, who was known for being completely merge their soul with the receiver. Without
a very kind and giving person, offered the following a shield, the doctor, psychologist, and rabbi slowly
piece of advice. become sick as well. Only the person who develops a
shield and healthy boundaries will be able to truly help
“This is the strength of the greatest givers of others and free them from their personal Egypt.
kindness...that they only influence negativity and
not receive from it...God promised Avraham a shield PESACH SAMEACH!
in order that his influencing negativity would not
damage himself. He is the role model of this greater Rabbi Ari Ze’ev Schwartz is a teacher at Midreshet AMIT,
type of kindness. “I will be a shield for you” (Bereishit teaching classes on Rav Kook, Rambam, and Tanach.
15:1) (Shmoneh Kevatzim 7:23). He is the author of “The Spiritual Revolution of Rav Kook:
Writings of a Jewish Mystic.”
BUILDING Bridges -19-AMIT Children
HIGHLIGHTS
and Successes
KFAR GANIM STUDENT
CREATES SHMITA APP
This past Rosh Hashana began the Shmita (sabbatical) year, in
which planting and working the land in Israel is prohibited.
Ilay Furst, a ninth grade student at Yeshivat AMIT Kfar Ganim
High School in Petach Tikva, has an app for that.
Called Shmiton, the app allows users to enter a specific fruit or
vegetable and easily figure out whether you can purchase it or not.
“The halachot of keeping shmita are very complicated,” explains
Ilay. “And since it only comes around once every seven years,
people aren’t so familiar with laws.
Sure, there are books that explain how to keep
shmita properly, but not everyone has the time or
the ability to do their own research. So we put all
of the information in one easy-to-use app.”
You see, most vegetables have the “shmita holiness” from the
time they are harvested, regardless of when they are planted.
Fruit, on the other hand, is more complicated. Their “shmita well as how to handle shmita produce in the
status” depends on when the fruit was grown. Therefore, while kitchen.
most vegetables are considered to have “shmita holiness” from
shortly after Rosh Hashana of the shmita year, various fruit are While Ilay’s teacher, Rav Gilad Cohen, helped
only affected by the laws of shmita later in the year, depending him research the laws of Shmita, Ilay created
on when they were grown. It can get very complicated keeping the app design and user interface on his
track of when you can buy regular fruit and vegetables and when own. “I have always found programming
you need to be sure to buy only shmita produce — raised on fascinating. There is a lot of information out
land that has special halachic status, called “heter michera,” or there — YouTube videos and tutorials — and I
produce that was imported from outside of the land of Israel. kept at it until I learned,” Ilay says.
Available for free on Google Play, Shmiton is an easy way to keep Ilay “wanted to use his talents and abilities
track of it all. “It’s simple,” Ilay says. “You look up, for example, to create something useful that will help
pears, and the app tells you that shmita is only an issue from the people,” says Rabbi Nitzan Berger, principal
start of the Hebrew month of Sivan. You look up tomatoes and of Yeshivat AMIT Kfar Ganim. “He was able to
you learn that you need to make sure to buy only shmita-certified identify a real need and design a solution. In
tomatoes from the start of Tishrei.” doing so, he implemented the very essence
of an AMIT religious education — combining
There are 163 types of fruits and vegetables in the app’s search technical skills with halachic knowledge, all in
engine. Shmiton also has easy to use sections that present the the service of helping his fellow Jews keep a
shmita laws for keeping up one’s garden and houseplants, as mitzvah. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
-20-Inside AMIT / Spring 2022
“This is a groundbreaking, world-class scientific
AMIT STUDENTS educational program,” said the director of the Space
LAUNCH SATELLITE
Agency, Brigadier General (Res.) Uri Oron. The AMIT
Ulpana Givat Shmuel satellite was launched along with
INTO SPACE dozens of other satellites from around the world aboard
the SpaceX Falcon 9.
For a group of 16 students at AMIT Ulpana Givat Shmuel, “At first, to be honest, I was a bit overwhelmed by the
the recent launch into space of the nano-satellite they scope of the project, but then I started to learn more
built from scratch represented the culmination of three about it and got caught up in it,” said Or Porat, an
years of hard work. It also inspired a love of science and 18-year-old who graduated from Ulpanit AMIT and is
high tech, and has led students to consider broader currently serving in Sherut Leumi. “Once something
career possibilities. captures your interest, you give it your all. And so it was
for me with this project.”
The students spent eight hours a week on the project,
beyond their regular studies. They worked in the As tenth graders, the students learned about space,
afternoons, Fridays, and during vacations. To achieve the satellite’s functions and components, and studied
their goals, they divided the tasks — one group was computer coding language. The next year, they
responsible for the computers, another for the satellite’s wrote the code to operate the satellite’s antennas.
communications system, a third group for the electric “Sometimes the code didn’t work and we had to
systems, and a fourth for the operations of the satellite. keep at it and rewrite it until we succeeded,” Or said.
“The girls learned how to plan a project, to set and keep “Finally we got it right. It was a very moving moment.
a timeline, and how to work in a team...whatever they The antennas’ operation is crucial, because if they
do in their futures, these are important skills,” said Israel don’t open up as programmed, there is no way to
Eytan, a computer and cyber teacher at the Ulpana who communicate with the satellite.”
oversaw this project together with a second teacher,
Assaf Daguy. The program was a joint project led by the In the third year, the girls assembled the satellite from
Herzliya Science Center and the Israel Space Agency in components they received from the Space Agency. They
the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology. did this in the clean room that was specially created at
BUILDING Bridges -21-You can also read
