Projects and Activities in Depth:

A.     The Twin Classes project

Project goal: to create new ties between participating children and adolescents and to strengthen existing ties; to drive home the importance of Israel (in the US) and of Jewish belonging and identity (in Israel).

Theoretical objective: Each side produces a mirror image for the other.  Through joint activity, participating American pupils will come to express a warm and close connection with Israel, and Israeli pupils will feel more strongly tied to Diaspora Jewry in general, and to the Jews of the Partnership communities in particular.

Operative objective:  To maintain the same number of twin relationships, with at least 5 pairs of classes beginning their study activity in the context of structured and professional programs.

Meeting the objectives: At present there are 35 active pairs of classes.  The project’s specific objective has moved from achieving a certain number of participating classes, to ensuring the quality of the relationships that have developed.  In order to strengthen ties between the classes, new, professionally-operated programs such as the Jewish Lens have been launched, and existing projects such as the book sharing program of the Ghetto Fighters House have been expanded (four classes, two in the Western Galilee and two in the communities, have been added since the first half of 2007).

B.    The TriWizard project:

Goal:  A two-year project with the participation of 60 tenth graders (Arabs, Jews and Americans).  The goal is to instill values of tolerance, attentiveness, and understanding, while transferring the responsibility for preventing stereotypical thinking and behavior to the participants themselves.

Theoretical objective:  At the end of the project, the participants and their families will have a better understanding of the “other" and will be open to hearing the other side of the story, that which does not conform to their own views (without stereotypes).

Operative goal:  A minimal project drop-out rate over the course of the two years.  Maximal cooperation on the part of the pupils and their families.

Meeting the objectives:  The project in its current format has only just started and it is too early to assess the degree to which objectives are being met.

C.    Israeli principal and teacher delegation

Goal:  Israeli teachers travel to the communities for an unmediated encounter with their American peers.  The aim of the meeting is to plan new programs and improve existing ones, as well as to enable the Israeli teachers to get to know the Jewish communities and to meet with pupils and school staffs.  Another goal is to hold joint educational-academic activities for the American and Israeli participants.

Theoretical objective:  A teacher delegation will visit the various communities and take part in a joint Israeli-American seminar.

Operative objective:  A delegation of 12 teachers and principals from Akko and Mateh Asher (6 and 6) will visit the communities.  They will disperse to 6 different communities for several days, following which they will gather for a joint seminar in one of the communities.

Meeting the objectives:  In December 2007 a delegation of 11 teachers and principals from three schools in Akko and three schools in Matte Asher traveled to eight “twin” communities:  Youngstown, Canton, Akron, Dallas, Louisville, Indianapolis, South Bend and Omaha.  After 4 days in the twin communities, all of the teachers gathered in Omaha for a joint seminar entitled Challenges and Jewish Identity.

D.    Visit by a teaching "professional" to the communities:

Goal:  An Israeli teacher traveled to the Partnership communities and shared his knowledge and professional experience with American teachers, in order to acquaint them with the extensive educational activity taking place in Israel.  This teacher may be called upon in future to deliver a lecture series or to visit schools or kindergartens.

Theoretical objective:  To send one teacher to the communities – the aim being to reach as many communities as possible.

Operative objective:  Efrat Srebro, director of the Musical Kindergarten project in Akko, traveled to eight partnership communities:  Louisville, Northwest Indiana, Toledo, Indianapolis, Canton, Youngstown, Omaha and Dallas.  While in the States she visited kindergartens in the communities, ran workshops for kindergarten teachers and parents, and presented her unique work method.

Meeting the objectives:  Efrat’s visit was regarded as an outstanding success by all of the communities to which she traveled.  Some of them have even begun implementing portions of her program in their kindergartens.  In light of this success, systematic efforts are now underway to turn the Musical Kindergarten into a larger and more far reaching project.

E.     Visit by the Education Coordinator to the communities:

Goal:  Meetings with teaching professionals currently participating and/or interested in becoming involved in Partnership educational projects. Visiting local educators and federation staff in their local settings is essential for maintaining stable and regular contact with all of the partners.

Theoretical objective:  To reach a large number of communities with new educational projects and creative ideas for continued or new activity.

Operative objective:  The December trip encompassed 7 communities:  Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Omaha, Canton, Akron and Louisville.  The visit included meetings with  active schools, meetings with teachers and principals, discussions regarding increased activity, presentation of Lights of Peace and other projects.

Meeting the objectives:   The objectives were met in full.

F.     Lights of Peace:  

Goal:  A project intended for all children and teenagers enrolled in educational frameworks in the Israeli and American communities.  The project is devoted to issues of peace and tolerance and is simple to implement. After 1-2 class sessions each participating class will produce a final product on a meter by two meter canvas which will be joined in each community by Israeli works thus creating joint exhibits for the local community 60th anniversary celebrations. 

Theoretical objective:  To expose the greatest possible number of Israeli and American children to the project and, thereby, to Partnership.

Operative goal:  All of the communities received materials and as much information as possible about the project, in order to ensure its dissemination to the various different kinds of schools.  

Meeting the objectives:  At the end of the project’s exposure stage, 120 classes have so far signed up (35 Western Galilee classes and 85 classes representing 14 partner communities in the US.

2008 Report

Background:  

In 2008 we will be continuing along the directions marked out in 2007:

1.      Deepening personal relationships between pupils and teachers in Israel and the US, in an effort to enable reciprocal learning.  Emphasis on unmediated encounters and professional curricula.

2.      Continuing the Lights of Peace project; exhibitions of the products will be held in the communities, to be followed by a large exhibition in the Western Galilee.

3.      Continuing the projects begun during the second half of 2007 (e.g., TriWizard).

4.      Developing new programs and projects for 2008-2009.

Work plan for the first half of 2008

 A.     Pupil delegation:

Goal:  A delegation from the Sulam Tsur School will visit the communities this year in the context of the twin classes activity and the desire to encourage personal encounters.

Theoretical objective:  To enable the development of personal relationships between Israeli and American teens.

Operative objective:  Ten young people in grades 11 and 12 from the Sulam Tsur School will travel to Indianapolis and perhaps, the Northwest Indiana communities, in order to visit pupils with whom they have been working since last year.  The trip is planned for late April and will last for 1 week, during which the pupils will stay in the homes of their American peers and visit the schools as representatives of Israel.

B.    Lights of Peace:

Goal:  Transition to the project’s next stage.  The 120 participating classes will study material related to peace and tolerance, and will produce final projects on identical large canvasses.  In preparation for Independence Day (May 8), each community will hold a exhibition of products sent from Israel along with those produced by local children; afterwards the materials will be sent to the Western Galilee for a large joint exhibition encompassing the Western Galilee and Consortium communities.

Operative objective:  Each of the 14 participating communities will mount an exhibition in early May in a major community venue.  In June 2008 all of the materials (120 products) will be sent by the communities to the Western Galilee for a subsequent exhibition.