The Jewish Agency for Israel

The Jewish Agency for Israel

Sha'ar HaNegev Regional

 

May 2003, Volume 25 Following the Passover holiday, Memorial and Holocaust Day commemorations and Independence Day and Lag Ba'Omer celebrations, we are returning to our routine. The fleeting spring became summer and today our thermostat soared to close to 100 degrees. Last week, we welcomed Kaley Levitt from San Diego, our newest guest who will be with us until mid-July. We are happy that she chose to stay with us and take part in the activities of the Village and the Sha'ar HaNegev Region. In addition to her volunteer work, we are hoping she will enjoy the two-day trip to Eilat with our Selah students. In the beginning of June, we will bid farewell to our Aleh students who are moving on to continue their technical studies in the Beer Sheva College. At the same time, we will welcome another 45 Kedma (young Ethiopians) graduates who plan on continuing their academic track at Sapir College while living at Ibim-San Diego Village. Together with our veteran Kedma students, our population of young Ethiopians will reach 80. At the end of May, our Selah students – young high school graduates from the FSU – will go on to either academic pursuits or army service (even some of the women, who are not obligated to serve, have volunteered). Some of the students will join their parents and/or siblings who have made aliyah in their wake. We heartily wish everyone great success in their future endeavors and hope that they will return to visit their first home in Israel, Ibim-San Diego Student Village. The new Selah group will arrive on our doorstep in mid-August. As you can see from the newsletter, our Village is full of activities. We would be happy to hear your comments, and of course, please let us know of any upcoming visit to Israel. Best wishes and looking forward to seeing you soon, Soni Singer Director

 

A Convergence of Cultures

On a star-lit desert evening, Village students joined Sha'ar Negev residents, MKs, mayors from around Israel and San Diego's Gary Jacobs to pay tribute and say farewell to Sha'ar HaNegev's Council Head Shai Hermesh and congratulate him on his appointment as Treasurer of the Jewish Agency. In a carefully choreographed dance tribute, students from Ethiopia, the Former Soviet Union and Latin America appeared on stage in traditional ethnic costumes from their former homes. After short dances reflecting their origins, they converged, dancing in unison to Israeli music.

With cheerful confidence and uncompromising idealism, San Diego's 19 year-old Kaley Levitt, a Brandeis student, has begun two months of volunteering, based in Ibim-San Diego Student Village. Kaley, who was on The Gary Jacobs International Teen Leadership program will be tutoring English at local schools, as well as assisting in swimming lessons for the handicapped in a specially-equipped pool.

A Taste for Timing

Saluting the camera during Gadna week

Ayelegn Takale, a Kedma student who arrived in Israel only a year and a half ago from Ethiopia, was one of the Village students who participated in a five-day Gadna, IDF preparation course, at Sde Boker. Ayelegn, a charming 18 year-old, who converses comfortably in Hebrew, plans to join the IDF in the next few months. He was thrilled to get a taste of army life and was most impressed with the punctuality - "Everything is done on time." For Ayelegn, who admittedly has had to re-adjust to "Western Time" – an ability to adhere to the strict military time schedules proved his success in overcoming one of the many obstacles on his the way to becoming absorbed into Israeli society. 

Showing off the first prize trophy.

Running to a Different Drummer

"I knew the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council's march would be a cinch for them," chuckled Soni, as she recalled the group's earlier trip to Masada in September. "There I was, riding up in the cable car and I saw them below me, not just running, but singing and dancing as they ran all the way up Masada in under 20 minutes."

When asked about the Sha'ar HaNegev March, Muligeta Avraham, a Kedma student, shrugged his shoulders as he described the traditional 5-kilometer route where Village students joined hundreds of the local residents. "Of course, we ran. It was just too short to walk." Needless to say, the Kedma group came in first place. Muligeta's endurance and quiet perseverance should serve him in good stead for his future as he plans to join the army and learn a trade. He wants to be prepared to help his family who are waiting in Ethiopia to come to Israel.

A Moment of Silence
In Memory

One week later, on Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day), buses brought students from the Village to Sderot to join our neighbors as we mourned the loss of life in the defense of the State of Israel.

Southern Sojourn

As part of the Village students' introduction to Israel, the Kedma group enjoyed a two-day excursion to Eilat in May. Hiking the red cliffs of the Southern Arava Valley and delving to the depths of the Red Sea in Coral World's Yellow Submarine were just a few highlights of the trip.