02/05/2022
A delegation of twenty-one school principals participating in TALI Education Fund‘s Halleli program returned from a visit to New York to explore American Jewish life the week before Passover. The visit to Jewish communities and educational institutions in the United States was the culmination of a course that began about two years ago as part of the Halleli program, a Hebrew acronym for Invitation to Study Israeli Judaism. Halleli allows participants to discover their Jewish and Israeli identities, through learning and experiential activities in Israel, and getting to know Diaspora Jewry through a visit to Manhattan. The participants returned with the formative experiences from an enriching and instructive journey.
The mission, which was funded in part by UJA- Federation of New York, was hosted by Jewish organizations including JTS, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, and Israeli American Council, which all work primarily to strengthen Jewish identity within the United States. They also met with community and synagogue leaders from Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, B’nai Jeshurun, Lincoln Square Synagogue, and Ansche Chesed. Additionally, they met with their counterparts in New York: school principals from Manhattan Day School, Schechter Manhattan, and Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School, and Jewish education teaching staff.
In addition, the mission met with leaders of different and diverse Jewish worlds, such as Arielle Korman of Ammud: the Jews of Color Torah Academy, Deborah Fishman Shelby Founder & Executive Director of FED, a platform for ideas built into an inclusive Jewish intentional community in Harlem, and lawyer Rebecca Yousefzadeh Sassouni, president of the Sephardic Heritage Alliance, Inc. The leaders of these organizations and communities shared with the group their vision and beliefs about the future of the Jewish people.
The delegation expressed openness and curiosity about American Jewry. Inspired, they returned with ideas about how to engage Israeli society in the field of Jewish education. The trip honed their understanding that the multiplicity of voices expressed in various forms in American Jewry is important and significant not only in the Diaspora, but also for those in Israel, and that diversity allows for cultural growth.
Dr. Peri Sinclair, the Susan and Scott Shay TALI Director General remarked: “We embarked on an experiential journey following an in-depth study of our personal identity as Israeli Jews, and our professional identity as educators in Israel. The journey opened a window to different expressions of Judaism and the ways in which organizations deal with the challenges of the moment. It also allows us to look with new eyes at our actions and ways of dealing with similar challenges.”
Yael Heiman, the director of the Saul Brownswig Masorti High School in Jerusalem, shared thoughts following the trip: “Before the trip, I was not aware of the depth of the growing rift between American Jews and the State of Israel. I was also exposed to the different streams in Judaism that exist among American Jews. The encounter with them was enriching and instructive. I was surprised by the tremendous effort, thought, investment, and creativity needed in order to create communities that will attract and bring different Jews closer to Judaism. The meeting with American Jews emphasized the importance of accepting anyone who wants to be part of the Jewish people and community. The journey made me think about our responsibility and duty to the Diaspora. I believe that the Israeli government has a duty in strengthening the ties between the State of Israel and Diaspora Jews, and I, as a principal and a public leader, also have a responsibility.”
Meital Deri, the TALI and Hebrew Culture track coordinator at the Nitzanim School in Holon, said: “During my encounter with American Jewry, my understanding of a different Jewish approach became clear. I believe in it to the fullest. Every encounter with different men and women from American communities has connected me to the complex puzzle called Judaism. The journey inspired me to spread the message further, to be a connecting thread between the “here and there.” To work for mutual partnership and solidarity, we, both those who live in the Land of Israel and of those who live outside it, have a common interest in the preservation of Judaism.”