Read reflections and thank-yous from Rochester educators who traveled to Modi'in as part of the Education Bridge, March 2008.

Pauline Rosenberg writes:

Thank you so much for making our incredible Partnership possible, and especially, thank you for allowing me to be apart of the Teacher Exchange. 

What an absolutely amazing experience we all had - on so many different levels. 

• Meeting and bonding with the Israeli teachers (and rekindling friendships made with Israeli teachers who had been here in the first two groups).  There is so much we can learn from them, both in and out of the classroom. 
  
• Connecting with the students in the classroom and being able to share with them a bit about my classroom, my students, our curriculum, and what it means to be a Jew in Rochester (or anywhere outside Israel, for that matter).
  
• Bringing back a bit from the Modiin classroom to my own 7th graders.
  
• Forming connections with the other Rochester teachers and turning our group into a community of educators rather than teachers from separate schools.  I know many of us will continue to share and collaborate now that we are home.
  
•  Becoming part of the family in our hosts' homes.  I believe we all had wonderful experiences with our hosts, and we truly felt at home with them.
  
• The city of Modiin is such a vibrant and growing place.
  
• Israel - the country, the history that lives and breaths all around (I, for one, am a firm believer that every rock has a story to tell), the people, the trees, the spring flowers,  the sea,  the desert,  the very essence of Judaism and who we are as Jews.  For those of us who had been to Israel and for those of us who had never been, this was an amazing experience.  We all saw something new, and I think we all got just an inkling of how some of the others in the group were experiencing the same things.  Traveling together as educators (both from Rochester and Modiin), we kept one eye on how each experience could be taught and shared with others.  For me personally, this trip gave me a chance to relive some past and merge it with who I am today.

I will do my part to bring Israel and Modiin to my classroom, my temple, and our community at large.  This week, my 7th graders are completing a project for our matched classes at Mor, and I will be showing slides to all the students at Temple Sinai before the end of the year.  I am currently preparing a slide show for the community-wide (4th-12th grade)Yom HaZikaron  commemoration to be held at Beth El before the parade on May 11th.  I am also working on a separate slide show for Temple Sinai's "Israel at 60" celebration on May 24th, and I think I will be speaking at a Friday evening service in May. 

Thank you, again.

Pauline Rosenberg

Terry McArdle writes:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you all so much for choosing me to be among the group in your latest teacher connection in Israel. I found the experience to be deeply moving; I know it changed me in ways I'm not sure will ever be fully clear to me.

You chose me, to my surprise, despite (or because?) I felt an honest reservation about Israel. Having grown up a Catholic, I fully connected with just one country, the United States. I was ambivalent about the idea that Israel is part of a complete Jewish identity.
Preparing for this joyous trip, I found that I faced just two issues: the barriers of my own cautious nature and the fear that I'd have to be disloyal to ideas that have sustained me until now.

I was afraid that making room for Israel in my heart meant that something else would be diminished or betrayed.

Of course, I forgot that open hearts only grow, and I discovered that there was plenty of room in there for Israel. So I met and added the Rothschild family to my own; I fell in love with fellow teachers and hundreds of kids in Modi'in classrooms that grew so familiar so quickly. I touched the Western Wall and it touched me back. I wept at the sight of the hills of Zion after forcing myself through Yad Va Shem. I heard Hatikva in Independence Hall and remembered the martyrs and the hope, and the bravery and selflessness that created a nation.

I became a different Jew and a different teacher, and grew to understand that I have keep these connections that you helped me open. And, of course, I have to take a stand for Israel when I'm needed.

Thank you again for taking a chance on me.

Sincerely,

Terry McArdle

From Andrea Paprocki:
 
    I have just come back from Israel.  My first time - an all expense paid trip through the federation! I went with 9 other teachers in the Rochester area. One of the questions during my interview for this trip was what did I believe I could bring to the Israelis -  how could I enlighten them.  It is funny, but prior to this trip I thought I knew all there was to know about Israel and felt very involved with anything having to do with Israel. Nightly you could come into our home and hear us yelling at the television for misreporting what was happening in Israel. In some way I got my first taste of the true Israel a few years ago when two Israeli boys stayed with us for a couple of months. I remember one afternoon there was a special report on the news about a bus bombing in Israel. I had my own views (keeping in mind I knew it all). However, I learned more from watching the boys watching the television.  I almost began to see Israel through the eyes of two Israeli teens, two people whose family and community was in danger, true danger. Their entire life hung with the news reports and calls home.

     I took that experience with me as I traveled to Israel.  Amazingly, I have learned even more about myself and Israel in this last week than I ever thought possible.
  
     These last few months have been filled with preparing for my 10 day trip to Israel. They were filled with informational meetings, shopping for clothing, gifts to bring my host family, lists to my family about what chores needed to be done in my absence - all this so I could bring my knowledge and experience to Israel.

     Only when I got to Israel I was the one who was enlightened. What I brought could not possibly be compared to what I received. The Israelis taught me. They filled me with the true meaning of what a mishpacha (family) is, how not to take the days, minutes and experiences for granted.  How to treasure people more than things. How hard they work and live for their country, our homeland.  I began to understand in depth what Judaism stands for and why it and we have endured for thousands of years.  These people opened their homes and hearts to all of us.  No questions asked, no more expectations than to share their culture and kindness with all of us. These people became real to me,  not just the crying humans you see on the news during a tragedy in Israel.  True friends.  Friends who taught me about survival, goodness and friendship.
    
     In the last week I experienced an annex or addition if you will, in my ideas regarding friendships, teaching, and what kind of person I want to be. I believe this enrichment will assist me in both being a better teacher and person within the community.

     I want to thank all of you who helped me go on this trip.  Sandy Sapiro, Emily Fishman and Sherri Goldstein who strongly encouraged me to apply. To all the people on the P2K committee who made me feel so special by choosing me.  To Larry Fine and Beth Bruner who did a wonderful job of putting this program together.   To Jan Katz whom I was blessed to get to know better on this trip, and who, by the way, is truly an extraordinary individual.  She has both inner and outer strength, is propitious, detail oriented and has the energy of 10 teenagers!  She speaks volumes in the gentle way she addresses people. She is a great asset to the Federation and the Jewish community. I am so honored to have traveled with her. To my family of friends/teachers whom I traveled with throughout Israel, I thank you so much.  You have filled me with precious, hysterical, loving memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. And to all the other people (family friends etc) who were in some way involved, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Because of you, I am truly blessed.
    
Am Yisrael Chai
                                         
Andrea Paprocki
P2K 2008

Susan Kruchten writes:

I just wanted to take a few minutes to thank you so much for the opportunity of a lifetime.  My birthday was March 1 and I feel that the Federation gave me the best birthday present and the most life changing.
 
My family and I were very much out of our comfort range when we said that we would host Adi Levy for the week the Israeli teachers were here in October.  That week was to be the moment that my life changed. At first my family and I were apprehensive.  Once the teachers arrived we knew that we had met a friend for life.  Adi quickly became close to my kids. I felt like I had gained a friend in such a short period of time.  When she left we conversed regularly and continue to as of today.  We have shared art projects back and forth between classes and also have told each other of units that we have done with our kids.  We exchanged pictures of each others classes and my classroom kids know all about where she lives and what her class is like.  Our classroom ideas continue to flow.
 
That brings us to the trip to Modi'in.  After Adi left I was sad and looked forward to seeing her again.  When we went to Israel I did not know what to expect because I had never been there before.  All I knew was that it was where "My people" came from. I was looking forward to meeting Adi's family and seeing her classroom.   What I received from this trip was no less than a blessing!  I did not know the people I went with very well.  Now I am proud to call them my friends. The people in Modi'in were so nice and gracious.
I met Mayan (who will be coming in October) and a friend of hers when we went to dinner near Tel Aviv. On Saturday we went to Massada, the Dead sea and hiking in the Judean Desert with them as well as others.  It occurred to me that I had not even known these people for a few days and already felt close to them.
 
The people to people connection of this program can not be put into words.  It is so valuable and strong!  I learned so much on this trip and I am still processing it.  Learning more about the history of Israel helped me personally and it will also help when I teach Israel to my class as well as to my USY'ers and Kadima kids.
 
Some important events that will stick with me for a lifetime are the people in the Purim Parade joining us to sing and also going through Yad Vashem and knowing that my daughter would be experiencing the Holocaust museum in Washington for the Zikaron trip- I just thought truly l'dor va Dor as generation to generation we would be experiencing the events of the Holocaust.  The people I met and the feelings that I had and still have will also stay with me.
 
I just wanted you to know that I appreciate that you gave me the opportunity to go on this extremely valuable exchange.  It such an important program and trust me the money you spend on this is both appreciated and will bring rewards 10 fold. The bridge has started to be constructed.  So far the bridge is solid and just needs to be expanded.  I am looking forward to seeing my friends from Modi'in in the Fall when they come here and also to continue my relationships with my friends from Israel as well as my new found friends here.
 
Thank you again,
Susan Kruchten ( Keshet preschool)
 
 
Barbara Schron writes:

I am one of the lucky ten who were able to go to Israel on the Federation trip to Modiin.  Thank you so much!!

 It was a wonderful experience to view Israel with educators and not family.  My senses are still on overload from all of our touring and from spending Purim in such a vibrant city.  I wish every Jew could experience Purim in Israel.  It was amazing to feel so involved in the holiday and be on the street instead of in Temple!

My favorite part of the trip was our visits to the schools.  I spent more time at Nativ Zevulun and I was lucky enough to speak with three different classes there.  The children are wonderful, but then I do love to be around kids.  What impressed me the most was their language skills.  It truly made me want to learn more Hebrew, and to tell every American that we each need at least one other language.  I have become friends with the vice-principal there and we send each other pictures and communicate regularly.   She writes more easily in Hebrew and that is another reason for me to work on my Hebrew. We have talked about a few other ways for teachers at our schools to work on projects together.  We have also started to connect other teachers and hopefully into the education bridge. 

I have not stopped talking since I arrived home.  I started to get hoarse and had my family laughing at me and thinking that I was taking speed to stay excited- I was not.  After this trip I feel as though I just want to go back and experience more of Israel.  The euphoric feeling will be with me for a while.  I don't wish to let it go.

I can not thank you enough for giving me this wonderful opportunity.  Not only did we make wonderful connections in Israel, I believe it has helped us become better friends with the Jewish educators we traveled with from Rochester and with Rob from the School Without Walls who was a great addition to the trip.

Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you!  This was a trip that was a unique life experience and for me a very spiritual journey.
L'hitraot,
Barbara Boyar Schron

Ann Anderson writes:

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

I've attached a number of photos from our unforgettable trip to Modiin, each expressing the connections to people and bridges through time and history for Isaac , Jim and me: Yonat and I will continue to share a solid collegial relationship-but more than that, our families have become good friends, discovering that we have much in common beyond the classroom. How can I possibly convey the panoply of emotions I felt watching a 21st century Isaac and Jacob draw water from a well that connects them to events at another well and another Isaac and Jacob thousands of years ago? One hundred and four degrees F. - and Isaac and the mayor of Modiin are still smiling at the prospect of marching a mile in the broiling sun! Only in Israel!! Reading a story in my friend's classroom-the very same story with which I begin each year in my IHSC classroom! I read-the kids smiled-Yonat translated-the kids smiled again and had lots to say, then we went around again and again! What a great morning! All children smile in the same language-especially when sharing food! Isaac has already exchanged emails with his new friend Ofir! One afternoon Isaac chose to accompany Yonat and Guy's youngest daughter to her therapeutic horseback riding session-cuddling bunnies and guinea pigs doesn't require speaking the same language.
As we prepared to end our wonderful journey we were asked to think about what each of us would bring back from our experiences. My thoughts took me to the midrash about an angel's pot of light crashing to the ground and shattering into a million shards at the beginning of creation. The midrash goes on to say that it is our task to gather those shards from the darkest recesses in order to bring more light into our world. So my treasures from our trip include the many shards from the many pots, dishes, lamps and plates perhaps dropped by other eight year old boys a thousand years ago hurrying to clear away dishes to go out and play. I will also be reaching into my memory for the light from the many smiles, hugs, conversations and I'll be encouraging my classroom children to take note of the light in the trees and on the hills, streets, and faces in my many photos. Less tangible but equally as important will be that energizing light born from the solid relationships that "bridge" the many miles between Rochester and Modi'in.
                                                                              
 With gratitude and all good wishes for a joyful Pesach,
                                                                                                         
Ann

Stacy Gittleman writes:

The jetlag has finally worn off, but the glowing feelings and vast knowledge I gained from this trip to Israel will remain with me for a very long time. I cannot express in words my gratitude to have been chosen to be part of the Rochester P2K Education Bridge to Modi’n. I learned so much about day-to-day life in Israel -- from our wonderful, hospitable Israeli counterparts, from the eager Modi’in students who rushed to greet us like we were movie stars, and from my talented and dedicated teacher colleagues. This was definitely a trip that will have profound, lasting effects for me on personal and professional levels.

I want you to know that I appreciate the investment that the Rochester Jewish Community Federation has made in me and other Jewish educators in the community. Thank you for validating and valuing our roles as Jewish educators in a society where Jewish education can increasingly take a back seat to other pursuits.

I take this investment very seriously. The memories and the lessons I took away from Israel will be infused into each encounter I will have with teachers, students, parents and friends near and far. Right now, I am putting together my pictures and some Israeli music into a DVD presentation for Temple Beth El, to be shown in early May as well as our Arts Festival in June. I have also given my best pictures to be used on display at the JCC in their efforts to celebrate Israel’s 60th.

Please call on me to be a cheerleader for the P2K program in any capacity you see fit. I kept a travel journal that I can rework into some articles. Most of all, I can talk about how and why we as Americans, and not only Jewish Americans, should support this tiny, diverse, incredible country.

Again, a sincere todah rabah for giving me this incredible opportunity. I know that this is only the beginning.
Best regards,
Stacy Gittleman