A delegation of educators from Australia, participating in KKL-JNF Educators Study Tour, began the second week of its tour in Israel (January 7, 2018) at KKL-JNF’s head office in the the National Institutions Building in Jerusalem, for a close-up look at KKL-JNF’s historic Books of Honour. They then continued onto Yad Vashem, before heading south to Sderot on the Gaza border.
The Books of Honour
“We are celebrating 70 years since the establishment of the State of Israel and 116 years of KKL-JNF”, said KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar, to the guests. "It is not easy to understand the complexity of life in the Middle East, but within this enormous challenge, a fascinating country has emerged. Were it not for KKL-JNF, the State of Israel would not have been established, or would it be the way it is today. KKL-JNF works to build the country and strengthen its peripheral regions and the Jewish world. I believe that a deep understanding of the country will provide you with tools and personal experience for educating the younger generation”.
Members of the group looked at the impressive books that have been honoring KKL-JNF donors for generations. The support of KKL-JNF’s friends from around the world enabled the purchase of lands by the organization prior to the establishment of the State and its development afterwards.
Efrat Benbenisti, the Books of Honour custodian, met the group and told them that the exquisitely crafted book covers are works of art that depict major events in Jewish history.
The hall also features an exhibition of historical blue boxes, collected from different places and time periods, which represent the Jewish people’s connection across the Diaspora to Israel over the generations. JNF Australia is one of the last countries in the world where the blue box is still a dominant factor in JNF activities. A national educational campaign is currently being launched to create Blue Boxes designed by students.
Dr. Carole Golding, a member of KKL-JNF’s Board of Directors, came to congratulate the delegation and said, "It is very important for every member of the Jewish people to be in contact with KKL-JNF. You, as educators, have a central role to play as those those developing their students’ thoughts can help bring them closer to the Jewish people and strengthen their roots. Our presence here is the fulfillment of a dream for all of us”.
Yad Vashem: Connecting the younger generation
The delegation continued to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum. They marched along the avenue of Righteous Gentiles of the World, in memory of whom each participant planted a tree as a symbol of life. They toured the museum and viewed films, exhibits and testimonies salvaged from the destruction of European Jewry.
"This is a difficult and moving visit, because the national story connects to our personal story," said Tammy Cohen, the Blue Box coordinator at JNF Victoria, and the grandchild of Auschwitz survivors. "I leave with a strong sense of duty to preserve the continued existence of the Jewish people and the place of the State of Israel in the lives of Diaspora Jewry. Educators have an important role to play in this”.
The family of participant Hilary Kahn’s grandmother perished in the Holocaust, and no one knows where or when. "My grandmother never spoke about the Holocaust, and my strongest memory of her is to see her sitting alone and staring into the distance," she said sadly.
About 30 years ago Kahn spent two weeks in Jerusalem and participated in a course at Yad Vashem, a course that changed her life, she says. "Today I teach Jewish history, and I still cry in class, especially when I talk about the children who perished in the Holocaust. I hope and believe that the young generation is connected to the subject because it’s vital that the memory is preserved.”
The group continued on to Mount Herzl, Israel’s national burial site, where presidents, prime ministers and leaders of the Zionist movement are buried. Thus, in just a few minutes walking, the delegation moved from the Jewish people’s Holocaust to its revival in its own land.
As they left the Mount, the delegation was treated to an emotional surprise: letters written to them from their families in Australia.
Sderot: A new park
For years, the city of Sderot has symbolized the determination of Israelis living by the Gaza border to continue living their lives in the face of the constant security threat hanging over their heads. The city has been hit by barrages of rockets over the past 15 years, and an entire generation of children is growing up in the shadow of constant code red alerts. Despite the impossible situation, Sderot continues to expand and grow.
JNF Australia is supporting the development of the Park of Courage, which is being built in a new residential neighborhood currently under construction. This is possibly the ultimate answer to terrorists who are trying to make life miserable for the region’s residents: to continue building, planting and creating a green and prosperous city filled with the joy of life and the laughter of children.
The Australian donation is earmarked for the construction of an artificial lake in the park. The 5-acre lake will include an island with an open classroom for nature and environmental studies.
Alon Davidi, the mayor of Sderot, came to meet the delegation, and from the observation point at the local Hesder Yeshiva, pointed towards the Gaza Strip and said: "Fifteen thousand missiles have been fired at Sderot in recent years, and this makes life here very complicated. I believe that most inhabitants of Gaza want to live a normal life, but Hamas is only interested in bringing death to the region”.
From the observation point it was also possible see the progress of the Park of Courage’s construction. "I wish that the day will come when the residents of Gaza will be able to visit the beautiful green park that we are building here", said Davidi. "The partnership with JNF Australia, which has the building of this park possible, has a profound significance for us”.
Simon Elbaz, Director of KKL-JNF’s Education Division and himself a resident of Sderot, told the delegation that his son is a member of a delegation visiting Australia. "It is very important for us to strengthen the ties between our communities."
"The message that is most important for me to pass on is that Sderot is a beautiful place to live," said Rabbi David Fendel, head of the Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot. The visit also provided an intriguing opportunity to take a peek at the lively studying and debates occurring in the yeshiva, which take place in a large auditorium filled with students and holy books.
The day ended with a joint dinner with Israeli teachers from Shaar HaNegev High School, which was an opportunity to for educators from the far sides of the world to meet and hold an open discussion about the differences and similarities between the educational systems of the two countries.