BEIT SHEAN TAKES ON CLEVELAND
by Madricha Sharon Lipshatz

Where do I begin? These have been 10 most exciting days in Cleveland! Our stay included seeing Cleveland and its attractions, having serious discussions on educational and Jewish/Zionist subjects, and socializing with the local teens and adults of the Jewish community. As an adult, I can say that this trip was a success in many different ways:

The Israeli teens on this trip came from very different cultures. In Israel, they hardly get to interact with each other. Those of you who have visited Bet Shean before can understand the extremely disparate communities there. Through this trip, the Bet Shean teens got to know each other better and made new Bet Shean friends. These new friendships may well be the beginning of making the two separated communities one big united community.

The Israeli teens had never before been exposed to the American culture. The Bet Shean region is a very small area, far away from the center of Israel. Knowledge of the Western world and America comes mostly through television. For these youngsters to fly to a different country, see different people, a different mentality, huge cities, huge spaces, was all new, exciting and very important to their development and outlook.

Twelve Israeli teens left Israel naive and innocent, and returned to Israel as 12 adults full of new attitudes and ways of thinking, who -- we hope -- will continue at home what they have achieved here.

In Israel, if you are Orthodox, you get to practice your Judaism, while if you identify yourself as secular, your practice is limited. I think it was one of the better things the secular teens understood in the U.S.: you can practice your Judaism in many distinctive ways. You have the opportunity to decide what kind of Jew you want to be. On the other hand, this trip was a bit hard for the Orthodox teens. When they were asked to share their beliefs with the others they usually preferred not to, saying that they felt their ideas were not welcomed.

This trip also made some of the kids confront their beliefs and motives. Questions like "How can I be a Jew if I don't believe in God?" "What is Judaism for me; a culture, or a way of life?" "Would I be a different Jew if I had lived outside Israel?" Such questions are not raised in Israel often. I'm sure that after the Beit Shean teenagers will continue to discuss these important issues.

One of the main goals of this trip was to let the Israeli and the American kids compare each other's life styles. The Israeli teens went to the local schools with their teen hosts. The experience was fascinating. There are so many differences between the two educational systems, and only by seeing them and comparing them with one another could they appreciate the distinctions.

The visit was a joint project of the Jewish Community Center, B'nai B'rith Youth Organization with assistance from Bet Sefer Mizrachi. The program was sponsored by the Cleveland JCF Partnership 2000 program.

Iyar 5763 - May 2003