Dear Friends,

As winter days come to a close with Spring at our doorsteps, Ibim is donning its brightest colors. We are enjoying the calm and quiet atmosphere after a stormy year of Kassam rockets and complicated security issues.

The Ethiopian, Latin American and FSU students have all made themselves at home. They answer more and more in Hebrew, leaving the elaborate hand gestures aside. It is an intense study period, and the time to begin asking the question of where each student will go next year -to the university? to the army? to work?

The ulpan students have recently moved on. Many moved to Bat Yam, while four have remained close-by. We wish them all the best in their endeavors.

Spring in Ibim

As you know, no student leaves Ibim without having experienced an absorption process. In this spirit, we welcome eleven soldiers (see story below) who will spend part of their extra voluntary service with us. Residing at Ibim, two of the soldiers will work at the Village during the day, while all of them will participate in our cultural and social activities. We are hopeful that our students will learn about Israel from their Israeli peers, and that the soldiers will be equally enriched by our students.

Best Wishes for a happy Purim.
Soni Singer and the entire staff of
the Ibim-San Diego Student Village

Smiling Soldiers

The Nahal Corps, unique to IDF, has served the State of Israel since its establishment. Traditionally, groups of soldiers, who sign on for more than the required three years, divide their army service between combat duties and work in outlying agricultural settlements. The character of the corps has evolved, and today a wider range of community services are available to the soldiers during their non-combat period. Ibim has recently been designated as a Nahal option, and for the first time eleven soldiers will live at Ibim. While either working at Ibim or in the surrounding Sha'ar Hanegev region, these soldiers will become part of the social life of the Village. Director Soni Singer is "sure that the soldiers will soon become an integral part of our community."

Personal Histories

The excited click of keyboards filled the computer room in Tel Aviv's Diaspora Museum as Ibim's Selah and Atid students busily opened up the worlds of their family histories. Struggling to remember a mother's maiden name, or a grandfather's hometown; the students began to feel a palpable connection to the Jewish past and to each other. Entering the museum through a large rendering of the Roman conquest of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jewish people, their journey began. They discovered the pillars of heritage and the varied customs of family, faith and community. By the end of their winding paths throughout the halls of the museum, the influx of the diasporas had begun, and the State of Israel was created. Now each student was ready to look back and find where he or she fit into the maze of Jewish wanderings.

And a one, two, three... A little creative release from the grind of studies was a welcome addition to Village life. Three extra-curricular classes-- aerobics, salsa and painting--recently opened and the response was enthusiastic. During these weekly course, many of the students are happy to direct their concentration towards fun.

A Living Art

Becoming a part of Israel happily entails an aquaintance with its rich cultural life. Forty-five of Ibim's immigrant students have the privilege of experiencing the "living art" of theater once a month in nearby Kiryat Malachi. The first show they saw was about street youth, which touched on numerous historical and social issues. A simultaneous Russian translation was available for the students. The most recent show, "Mezeritz" was a true story about six Jews in the Polish town of Mezeritz who hid in an attic for over a year. Ultra-orthodox, communists, men, women, Zionists, assimilationists; all together in a two and a half foot high space all frightened and all bored. The moving performance gave the students much food for thought about the Holocaust, Jewish identity and human relations.