‘Bruchim Habaim!’ Open arms and lots of Ivrit welcomed Israel’s delegation of the Yerucham-Miami Steering Committee to Scheck Hillel Community School on August 26 as part of a tour of the Magic City.
Gilinski Hillel Ambassadors and faculty greeted the 12 Yerucham representatives with a campus tour of Hillel’s Juda and Maria Diener Lower School through Ben Lipson Upper School, lunch and conversation about the vibrant center of Jewish life and learning that is Hillel. Student Ambassadors Lior Barhai, Ariel Gelrud and Nikki Scheck shared a brief history of the school, highlights of the Grade 9 Israel trip and the value of a Jewish education, b’Ivrit v b’Anglit. The group then took in a full taste of every aspect of Hillel by stopping by Grade 4 Hebrew with Morah Galit Geiger, Grade 2 Science with Mrs. Michelle Binder, Kindergarten with Morah Jaime Waksman andMorah Anna Miara, as well as Advanced Placement Art with Mrs. Anat Agam and Advanced Placement U.S. History with Dr. Rhea Schwartzberg teaching live via conference technology from Beit Shemesh, Israel. Special thanks to these teachers, as well as to Mr. Yossi Yativ, Israel Trip Director and Upper School Hebrew teacher, and Mr. Yuval Miara, Director of Hebrew Language, Grades 1-8, for coordinating the visit.
In 2007, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation established a long-term partnership between Miami and the city of Yerucham, Israel. Located in the Negev Desert, Yerucham is home to nearly 10,000 residents, representing a microcosm of Israel’s many cultural and ethnic communities. According to Federation, the purpose of the Miami-Yerucham Partnership is to build meaningful relationships in order to strengthen both communities, and to foster and develop a love of Judaism, Israel and the Jewish people…speaking directly to Hillel’s mission. The Partnership encourages people-to-people relationships between residents of Miami and Yerucham. It also promotes mutually supportive initiatives, connecting resources and expertise to achieve sustained spiritual, social, cultural and economic growth for both communities.
Hillel was honored to welcome Yeruchaum chaverim and looks forward to growing the partnership for years to come.
