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June 2004, Volume 37 |
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Dear Friends,
Firstly, I would like to thank the entire Ibim staff for their dedicated efforts over this past school year. We worked together to achieve the Zionist goal of immigrant absorption by connecting our immigrant students to Israeli society and their Jewish heritage. With great emotion we say farewell to most of our program participants who have completed their stay at Ibim, and we await the arrival of more students as the new school year approaches. The staff is busy assessing the past year and making changes as found necessary; each in his or her own field.
It was a difficult year for our neighbors in Sderot and the Sha'ar Hanegev region as Kassam rockets fell. As was widely publicized two Sderot residents were killed, an innocent man and young child. The Ibim community mourns with their families and friends. We live in hope of better times to come.
In light of the situation, the IDF has sent extra soldiers from its Education Branch to work with children in summer camps in Sderot and in the Regional Council. We are pleased to host them in Ibim. In addition to their active involvement in our cultural agenda, their evenings are often devoted to tutoring our students who have difficulties with Hebrew. Kudos to them.
Best Wishes for a calm and healthy summer holiday,
Arik Saban, Cultural Director
Ibim-San Diego Student Village |
A Perfect Finale
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How does one measure the success of a program? Anat Savion, Ibim's Acting Director, responds with a story, "Two years ago, a group of Ethiopian immigrants came to Ibim on the Kedma program. They were, for the most part, illiterate. Yesterday, we received the results of their high school matriculation exam in math. Eleven out of our thirty-three students scored 100 - perfect! Another five scored in the 90s. I can barely describe the excitement and sheer emotion felt by the students and staff upon opening the envelopes and seeing those results."
The Kedma Bet (Ofek) students took standard Israeli matriculation tests in Math, English and Amharic, with the results from English and Amharic still pending. With satisfactory matriculation scores, these new immigrant students can be accepted to college preparatory year programs and continue on to their bachelors degree. "We hope that many will choose the Sapir College, and remain at Ibim as students," adds Arik Saban, Ibim Cultural Director. "This has been a positive experience in a positive environment and it would be a healthy continuum." |
Reliving the Moment
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Kedma and Atid students participated in a seminar on "Jewish settlement in the Northern Negev" from pre-1948 til today. Despite British attempts during its Mandate to prevent the establishment of new Jewish settlements, according to law, a settlement could not be dismantled once a water tower and fence were erected. At Kibbutz Negba's open air museum, the students were encouraged to relive the tense hours of darkness in 1939 during which Jewish pioneers surreptitiously set up tents, built a stockade and raised a tower on a parcel of land purchased by the Jewish National Fund.
The students were also witness to Kibbutz Negba of today, a lush, large and thriving community. The group also visited the kibbutzim Yad Mordechai and Nir Am, where critical battles took place during Israel's War of Independence, and continued on to discuss water and development issues, crucial to any vision of Israel's future.
Difficult Passages
Kedma students, who began the program at Ibim six months ago, participated in a series of seminars on cultural differences. They sat together and discussed issues which they face on a day-to-day basis - the passage from one culture to another, cultural uniqueness and preservation, changes and crisis, grappling with dreams, reality and hope; mutual stereotypes. Many of the points had never been articulated in a formal group structure, and facing them alone can cause confusion and discontent. The chance to share their feelings and to receive professional feedback is the first step to successfully grappling with these complicated issues. |
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