The Elman And The Kirstein Families Celebrated Their Daughters' Bat Mitzvah By Visiting Afik School In Beer Sheva

Photos show the Elman and Kirstein families, Emily and Erika with Afik principal, Aviva Almog, the representative of the Jewish Agency, Mr. Ran Sagee and the Gesher Chai Student Committee of Afik School.

Afik School in Beer Sheva and Solomon Schechter Academy in Montreal maintain a special bond since both school were declared partners in the Partnership 2000 (Gesher Chai) program sponsored by the Jewish Agency for Israel (Federation CJA in Montreal).  

Aviva Almog and Dr. Shimshon Hamerman were two educators that were and remain committed to the link between Israeli and Diaspora schools.  Faculties have undertaken joint seminars in Israel, in Canada and in Poland.  Our students send materials to each other to decorate each other's school and make students aware of each other.  

Students speak to each other several times during the course of the year via Video Conference electronic links so the students see that there is a face on the other side of the world with whom we communicate and our communications are not resting in cyberspace. Last year one family celebrated a Bar Mitzvah and made it a point to visit Afik in Be'er Sheva.  How delighted we (Afik, SSA and the Jewish Agency) are to see an additional two families feel a need to celebrate by visiting Afik again.

Thank you to the Elmans and the Kirsteins for strengthening the link between Montreal and Israel Jewry by adding Afik to the Bat Mitzvah celebrations of Emily and Erika.

Afik went all out to greet you.  We hope you will tell your classmates all about the school, the principal, the students and the memorable visit you had to Afik,  Beer Sheva and Israel.