Our seventh and eighth grade students returned this past week from the ten-day Junior High Israel Experience program. Mrs. Anat Kampf, Chazzan Ricky Kampf and I were honored to chaperone this inaugural program, and, on behalf of the students, we are very thankful to the parents, to the community and Lemsky Fund for their support of this endeavor.
Our students soaked up the land, the people and the Torah of Eretz Yisrael. At school, we learn Torah. In Israel, we experienced the Torah. At school we learn about the impact and significance of the State of Israel. In Israel, we experienced the geography, history and people of the State of Israel. In school, we learn Ivrit. In Israel, we spoke Ivrit.
Our students experienced the breadth and depth of the land. They had both an urban experience – sleeping in Yerushalayim for six days – and a more pastoral experience – sleeping in Kibbutz Lavi. They visited sites of destruction and death that now have renewed vitality and significance – the Kotel, Me’arat HaMachpela, the kever of the Rambam and Ir David. They contributed to the welfare of the people by working at a food bank (and spending obscene amounts of money on shwarma be’lafa). They sensed our brothers’ and sisters’ struggle for safety but felt very safe in the process. Israel is an extremely welcoming country and an air of freedom and youthfulness pervades it. Our students experienced a taste of Hashem’s promise in this week’s parasha that the Jewish People will “dwell securely on the land” as a blessing for adhering to the agricultural and interpersonal laws of the shemita year.
One of the more meaningful interpersonal moments that I witnessed occurred during a hike at Arbel, near Tiverya. We invited Junior High students from the Shalhevet School in our sister city, Shoham, to spend the day with us hiking, planting a new forest in Ya’ar Lavi and floating on kayakim in the Galil. The hike at Arbel was challenging and somewhat technical. As all sixty of us made our way down from the top of the promontory, we hit a difficult, steep and narrow section of trail. I was in the back of the group with the final two students (one from MHA and one from Shalhevet), two security guards, and one teacher from Shoham. The students were worried about falling and were noticeably scared to proceed. Despite our prodding and reassurances, they refused to continue. After a few minutes, in a moment of calm, our student said to her compatriot, “My name is Adina, what is yours?”. Her new friend responded in kind. After taking a deep breath, both agreed to continue. They made it down the rest of the trail with renewed confidence.
I learned from this interaction that security and confidence are influenced by the belief that you can rely on others around you. Yes, our ultimate security comes from Hashem. However, it is difficult to jump directly to trusting only in Hashem from our original belief that we are the source of our own security. Building trusting relationships with those around us is a critical step in the direction of building a trusting relationship with Hashem. Indeed, the interpersonal relationships built through this experience – between students and teachers and between students and students – will be a foundation for continued growth for each of our Junior High students.
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