Trip inspires Aussie teachers
"MORE inspired, motivated and connected" are how 61 teachers from Jewish schools in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are feeling after attending the inaugural JNF Australia Educators Study Tour of Israel from January 2-10.
“MORE inspired, motivated and connected” are how 61 teachers from Jewish schools in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are feeling after attending the inaugural JNF Australia Educators Study Tour of Israel from January 2-10.
The group enjoyed experiencing must-see destinations like the Dead Sea, Masada, Hula Nature Reserve, the Western Wall, Yad Vashem, Tzfat and Tel Aviv, soaking up the country’s history, environment and culture.
But they said the trip’s real value was having multiple opportunities to network with Israeli teachers and principals, meet local farmers, environmentalists and mayors, and tour JNF-KKL headquarters and facilities directly supported by JNF Australia.
Six schools were visited including Shaar Hanegev School at Kibbutz Nahal Oz near the Gaza border and the Desert Stars School, which has Jewish and Arab students and a Beduin principal.
“The synergy and interaction between the teachers filled the room with laughter and discussions [and] the sharing and collaboration of ideas,”coordinator of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Perth’s Carmel School, Debbi Benn, said of a visit to Shaar Hanegev School.
“Upon thanking the teachers for staying late [for us] away from their families, we were told ‘you are also our family’.”
Quality time was spent at the Lavi Field and Forest Education Centre, Jordan River Village, Beersheva Anzac Memorial Centre, the Arava Research and Development Centre, and JNF Australia-sponsored parks and water purification plants from Sderot and the Negev to the Galilee.
Katie Brody, Moriah College’s head of differentiated learning, said as they travelled “it became increasingly clear that the projects of the JNF have a profound and enduring effect on the land, the animals and the people.”
Two of the most emotional moments on the trip were when Masada College history teacher George Charlton visited the Golan Heights battle site where his father had fought in 1940, and going to Ammunition Hill Museum in Jerusalem.
“We were treated to a talk [at the museum] by the son of one of the fallen paratroopers – a true hero,” Mount Sinai College deputy principal Garron Forman said. “It really hit us that this man typifies the pride and passion that Israelis hold for their country.”
JNF NSW executive director Gabbie Budai, who attended the tour with JNF Australia’s education shaliach Yigal Nisell, described it as “an incredibly inspiring journey” for the teachers.
“We can’t wait to see how they implement Eretz Yisrael into the curriculum at their schools.”
SHANE DESIATNIK
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