A delegation of teachers and educators from twenty schools in Australia and New Zealand has arrived in Israel for a study visit. For ten days they will tour the length and breadth of the country and observe a variety of KKL-JNF projects for the benefit of people and the environment, including those developed in partnership with JNF Australia.
Australian and New Zealand Educators group photo at Jordan River Village for sick children.
Photo: Yoav Devir
Rosh Tzipor Ornithological Center: Nature in the Heart of the City
The trip began with a visit to the Rosh Tzipor Birdwatching Center in Tel Aviv’s HaYarkon Park, a KKL-JNF project that was implemented with the support of JNF Australia. The site includes a lake, wetlands, a winter pond and water-filled channels, all constructed. The diverse vegetation planted provides habitats for different bird species. Scattered around the lake are observation points and outdoor classrooms that enable visitors to enjoy this natural world that thrives amidst the hustle and bustle of the city.
In response to being welcomed by a klezmer band playing traditional Jewish music, the delegates broke into lively and spontaneous dancing. Could there be a better start to a shared journey around Israel?
KKL-JNF Chief Ornithologist Yaron Charka showed his guests how birds are ringed for research purposes. When the demonstration was over, several delegates were accorded the privilege of releasing the birds back into the wild.
“I’m delighted to be visiting places here that I haven’t seen before,” said Tessa Dorfan, director of academic support at Sydney’s Reddam House School. “I have a profound connection to Israel, and every visit here is truly food for my soul.”
“I still can’t believe that we’re actually here in Israel,” said Maureen Hallahan, principal of Vaucluse School in Sydney, who is visiting here for the first time. “As our school has a large number of Jewish students, I’ve heard a lot of stories about Israel over the years, and for me, visiting here is both a learning experience and a spiritual one.”
This is the second successive year that an Australian educational delegation of this kind has visited Israel, and Hani Dessa, director of the KKL-JNF Education Division’s Overseas Education Department, explains that the objective is to make these visits an annual event that will continue for many years to come. “This trip is the high point of our collaboration with educators all around the world,” she said. “With your help, we shall continue to strengthen the young generation’s Zionist identity, for the sake of the future of the Jewish People.”
The delegates will visit nature and heritage sites all over Israel, meet Israeli educators and students and take part in a range of educational workshops.
“The delegates will carry home with them the inspiration they have drawn from their visit to Israel and pass it on to their students,” said KKL-JNF Educational Emissary to Australia Yigal Nisell. “Through the sixty-seven educators taking part in this trip we can actually reach thousands of pupils.”
Simon Elbaz, director of KKL-JNF's Education Division, arrived to welcome the guests on their first day in Israel. “The fact that you’ve come to us all the way from far-off Australia fills me with admiration, and I wish us all success on this journey of ours,” he told them.
Tzippori Field and Forest Center: Making Israel Green
The delegates then made their way northwards to KKL-JNF’s Field and Forest Center at Tzippori, which offers educational activities related to nature, the environment and Zionism.
“Thanks to KKL-JNF, Israel is the only country in the world that has more trees today than it did a hundred years ago,” said Tzippori Educational Center Director Nir Reches. As he guided his guests around the facility he told them about its educational activities for children and teens, which take place amidst natural surroundings.
Cornelia Grosman, who teaches science and Hebrew at Mount Scopus Memorial College in Melbourne, spent her childhood in Israel – which, she says, has changed a great deal since those days: “I feel a little bit like those delegates who are visiting here for the first time,” she confessed. “Of course, participating in an educational delegation is very different from a family holiday. As a science teacher, I attach great importance to familiarizing myself with Israeli technology and innovation so that I can pass this knowledge on to my students in Australia.”
The delegates planted trees on behalf of the schools they represent. Together they recited the Planter’s Prayer, and then, undeterred by the mud, they plunged their hands into the Israeli soil as they covered the roots of the young trees.
Jordan River Village: Recreation for Sick Children
Donations from JNF Australia enabled KKL-JNF to equip Jordan River Village with a multisensory science garden that helps children with disabilities to experience and connect with nature and learn through their senses about the world around them. The delegates had as much fun as the youngsters in this well-tended park, and enjoyed trying out the various installations.
Jordan River Village is a year-round overnight camp that offers holiday and leisure activities to children who suffer from chronic illness, life-threatening diseases and disabilities of various kinds.
Deputy CEO of the village Yakir Sternin told the visitors about this special camp: “Children of all religions come to us, including some from the Palestinian Authority and the Gaza Strip, and they celebrate life together,” he explained. “It’s important to us to see the child behind the illness. The small successes they achieve here help them to acquire self-confidence and discover that they are no different from any other child.”
Among the visiting delegates was Shana Friedgut, a speech and language therapist at a school in Sydney. “There’s no doubt that the activities the village provides can improve the self-image of these children and strengthen their sense of belonging,” she said. “As education is an inseparable part of me, and Israel is so very close to my heart, this excursion is the perfect combination as far as I’m concerned.”
The first day of the study-tour concluded with a seminar designed to encourage the participants to get to know one another. In the days to come the delegates will no doubt form stronger bonds, deepen their knowledge of Israel and connect more profoundly with the country.