Day 8: Leadership in a New Era

Tel-Aviv Shoreline (as seen from Jaffa)

Today we reversed our regular routine, and rather than tour the country and return to the University to wrap-up the day, instead, we began with a text study led by Joshua Berman on the theme of "transitional leadership" using Joshua taking over from Moses as the case study.  There was lots of good debate, insight, and many "aha" moments, and like last night's havruta study (study in pairs) we had the opportunity to study with other fellows and better appreciate each one's unique skills and perspectives which s/he brings to the proverbial table.


Following our morning study we were dropped off in Jaffa for a touring hike through its ancient streets traveling through time to 19th & 20th Century Tel-Aviv; ending our morning in Independence Hall (AKA "House of Dizengoff") for a retelling of the events that led to the announcement of the State of Israel.  The 4 hour tour was a world wind experience covering a few thousand years of history, yet, at the same time allowing us to glean a few wonderful nuggets of historical leadership examples


It's hard to believe that we only have three more days of the retreat left! 

Day 7: Dissent in Community

Caves of Qumran

Where the Dead Sea Scrolls Were Discovered

Today started off with an early departure from Jerusalem with a brief stop at the Mosaic Museum of the Good Samaritan.  There are no lesser words than amazing to describe the original mosaic floors and artwork that are on display at this museum.  The incredible detail and precision on these mosaics were absolutely incredible (unfortunately no photos could be taken).


Next on the agenda was Nebi Musa.  This was my first time visiting this site, and needless to say, I was incredibly surprised to learn that local folklore believes that this is the burial place of Moses.  The history of this Muslim religious site was fascinating, and helped frame the theme of the day..."dissent in the community". 


From Nebi Musa we continued to the Caves of Qumran and studied the lifestyles of the Essenes and how they adapted to their new desert lifestyle while maintaining their religious identity.  Having this opportunity to visit the site first hand, especially after Friday night's presentation from Hanan Eshel (the professor who literally "wrote the book" on these caves) was without question a once in a lifetime opportunity.


We wrapped up our day of touring with a visit to the Menachem Begin Memorial Museum in Jerusalem followed by a presentation/text study back at Bar Ilan University by Adam Ferziger.  


It was a full day following our "relaxed" Shabbat; but now on to Monday!

Day 6: Shabbat in Jerusalem

Uri Fink (l) & Shay Charka (r)

Shabbat was a nice relaxing day which started off with almost 15 hours of sleep!  Yes, after having possibly the worst case of desynchronosis (aka "jet lag") I have ever experienced, I woke up after breakfast and lunch, and just in time for seudah shlisheet ("third meal").  Thankfully (or maybe "unthankfully") the meals here have been delicious, with clockwork regularity, and incredibly plentiful, so missing a couple of meals really wasn't much of a concern.

Also at seudah shlisheet, Nurit Bachrach, Director of Mosaica Mediation Center for Conflict Resolution in Jerusalem, presented a few fascinating examples and stories of how Restorative Justice and mediation are helping Jews, Arabs, Ethiopians, Russians, and the many other residents with cultural differences find ways of living together in Jerusalem.


Following this we had a few hours to pack our bags, answer a few emails, and then come back together for our evening program with Robbie Gringras, Artist-in-Residence for MAKOM Israel Engagement Network.  What a great evening of art, music and insider perspective from Robbie (such as the cartoon above drawn by two of Israel's top cartoonists Fink and Charka.)


May you have a wonderful week, shavuah tov!

Day 4 & 5: Part B - The Value of Values

Yerushalayim Hineni (Jerusalem here I am)! "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem...if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy" (Psalms 137:5-6)

View of the Southern Wall of the Temple from the overlook at the ancient City of David

Today we woke up in Jerusalem.  The very feeling of walking outside and taking in a breath of fresh air in this holiest of Holy lands is something indescribable.  Yet, I remind myself almost every time I am here that it was not always this way for me.  When I would come to Israel as a child (which in some years was multiple times a year) Jerusalem to me was no different than any other city in Israel.  In fact, it might have even been a city I tried not to have to go to.  Even when I had my Bar Mitzvah at the base of the Western Wall (where 25 years later to the exact same day I had the opportunity to attend the Bar Mitzvah of one of my students), this holy city never truly carried any particularly special "value" to me.  It was only as a young adult, when t'fillah (prayer), my personal theology, and having possessed a deeper understanding of what it meant to be Jewish, did Jerusalem finally receive the respect and awe which I know have for it today.

The "Value of Values" has been our theme as we toured Jerusalem and looked at it through the eyes of the 1st & 2nd Temples.  "What were the values that guided our ancient leaders decisions?" was the repeating questions from our guides Tzvi Grumet & Shalom Berger (Associate Educational Director of the Lookstein Center, and Co-Director of the Jim Joseph Fellowship Program respectively).  "Values?" I kept asking myself as we walked the paths that were laid thousands of years ago...what values did our ancient ancestors have that built cities which have lasted longer than most countries have even been in existence! What values guided these leaders visions and understandings of creating ways of life that we still try and emulate today?

As I pondered (and am still pondering as I write this posting) we wrapped up our day today with a special presentation by Hanan Eshel, Associate Professor and former Head (2002-2004) of the Department of Land of Israel Studies & Archeology at Bar Ilan University. Dr. Eshel capped our day by sharing with us a few personal stories and anecdotes on one of his particular interests and personal excavations, the Caves of Qumran and its "Dead Sea Scrolls".  Todah Professor Eshel for helping to personalize and frame the lives which these Jews experienced during those ancient times!

Lastly, I feel as though I have not tackled the question of the day and its "Value of Values" theme.  It will have to wait for a later positing as I struggle with simply wanting to remain at the 40,000 foot level of this theme, and leave everything to Divine direction and human vision.

And now to enjoy Shabbat in Yerushalayim!  

Day 4 & 5: Part A - Insiders & Outsiders

Original aqueduct which Herod began to build in the year 22 BCE to bring mountain
water to the beach city of Caesarea from the springs of Mt. Carmel, 10 miles away.

Day 4 started with a study tour in the ancient city of Caesarea.  Since our purpose and primary objective on this retreat is to study communities (with our ultimate objective and mission of building Communities of Practice - CoPs - for our respective areas of Jewish educational expertise) today's theme was "Insiders & Outsiders".

After spending an amazing 6 hours walking the city, studying, the sights, and discussing the complex relationship of the Jewish community living under Roman rule we returned to Bar Ilan University for our closing processing session of the day with Rabbi/Dr. Jeffrey Woolf, senior lecturer in the Department of Talmud at Bar Ilan University.

Dr. Woolf shared with us a few texts and discussed the rise of the first Jewish school's to not only teach Jewish themes, concepts, and religious texts, but which also educated the children in Latin, "Christian scripts", and other secular studies so as to provide them with the opportunity to pursue all business and finance opportunities in the greater community.

It was an intense day with many ramifications for how we will develop our own CoPs in the future, the real influence of these lessons learned however,  will be on how we view our current environments of Jewish education.

Day 3: Creating Community

Today was a touring day.  We started with a visit to Hurbat Etri (see above photo) where we walked around the remains of an ancient Jewish village inhabited during the 1st Century CE.  We walked around the limestone structures, as well as climbed down into the underground mikvehs, and "hiding holes", so as to better understand the lifestyle our ancient ancestors lived so many centuries ago.


From there we traveled to the Bar Kokhba Caves and, like our 8th grade students do every year, the adults crawled through the tight underground crevices and trails to appreciate what it must have been like to live underground and prepare for the impending revolt against the Romans.


In the evening we had the incredible pleasure of having Steven Israel work with us on sharpening our appreciation for Communities of Practice (CoP) through the investigation of the etymological background of the term "community".  [Did you know that "community" means to have a shared experience?]  


It was during this session where we also looked at what characteristics differentiate the Jewish community from the general community. Through studying a few Talmudic source texts we identified the additional criterion of having a "must" factor applied to the citizen and member of every Jewish community.  According to our wisdom literature every Jew has an unyielding obligation to support one's Jewish community.  The idea that this is not an optional responsibility, rather, that it is obligatory, once again demonstrates one of these repeating moments where our Jewish tradition openly conflicts with our broader society's common culture...something we have to always be conscious about.


Well, its time to sign-off and get a good night's sleep for tomorrow's visit to Caesarea (followed by a relocation from Kfar Maccabiah, Ramat Gan, to the Prima Royale Hotel, Jerusalem).


Lailah tov (Good night)!

Day 2: The Conference Begins

Today was a great first day!  Besides having an afternoon of listening to some great classical music, led by some of the world's best conductors, Itay Talgam (pictured above) presented on Leadership as Vision & Values through the multiple conducting styles of the various conductors.

Itay, who also served as an Assistant Conductor to Leonard Bernstein, shared with the group the importance of leading from a place of "higher consciousness" (known as "Transcendence" in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs) which is actually beyond Maslow's original highest level of "Self-Actualization."

The whole afternoon really allowed the 11 of us (unfortunately 3 fellows were delayed because of the storm that hit the northeast on Saturday night) the opportunity to do some of our own critical thinking and self-reflection to see where we fall in the variety of leadership examples, as well as which leadership would work best in our respective Jewish educational arenas.

And if all of this was not enough, in the morning we were all invited to work on a Google Wave together to better understand how this Web 2.0 application can be used down the road...when this comes out for Beta testing this will change the way we currently communicate through instant messaging, etc. This is REAL TIME communication online?!?!

Anyway, that should be it for now, so have a great day, and stay tuned for Day 3 when we visit the Bar Kochba Caves (made of "mysterious limestone formations in the southern region of Israel. It was here that the Jews took refuge from the Romans, who persecuted them. In the year 132 C.E., the Jews planned and began their revolt against the repressive regime [from these caves].")

Lailah tov! (Good night)

Israel: Day 1

After almost 20+ hours of travel time from PHX to Tel Aviv we finally arrived at 10:15 am local time.  Both flights were uneventful... exactly what flights should be.

When I landed I was met by Ira Kerem, TIPS staff liaison in Israel.  TIPS is the acronym for Tuscon, Israel, Phoenix and Seattle, which is our P2K (Partnership 2000) region with Kiryat Malachi and Chof Ashkelon in Israel.

Of all the many years I've spent coming to Israel, and the multiple 10's of trips I've taken around our homeland, I have to admit that I don't recall ever having visited this region.  But that will now change.  Having spent the day (thank you Ira) visiting Kiryat Malachi and Chof Ashkelon I now look forward to returning to Phoenix and designing a curriculum for our 8th grade students to interact and "meet" their Israeli P2K Kitah Chet partners online before they get here in May.

<<For more information on this wonderful region and the P2K TIPS partnership follow http://tips-kmha.blogspot.com/>>

So after this great day of new experiences, meeting new friends and potential partners, Ira dropped me off at Kfar Maccabiah which is the host site for the quadrennial Maccabi Games in Israel; and which will be our primary place of residence for our Jim Joseph Fellowship winter 2009 retreat.

Can't wait for the program to start!

Giving Thanks...

It is in this week's Torah portion where we read a verse which so clearly overstates a single word that one cannot miss it's suggestive message in the greater context of what the Torah may be trying to tell us.  We learn very early on in our Judaic Studies classes that there are no coincidences in the words of the Torah; and we learn very early on in our Language Arts classes that when trying to communicate a specific idea that one should state things in similar ways but consciously not use the same word again and again; so why this obvious attempt in the Torah to go against everything we know about written communication?


"And he arrived upon a certain place, and he spent the night there because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put in under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep." (Genesis 28:11)


It certainly does not require an extensive degree, or years of experience in biblical exegesis to realize that the "place" being referenced in this verse from Parashah Vayetzei is clearly important.  So what happened in this "place" that G-d wants us to make sure that we don't forget?  Maybe it's not even the exact place G-d is drawing our attention to, but rather, it is what happens in this place that G-d wants to make sure we remember?


For me it is clearly the latter.  It is the what happened here which I will elaborate upon on this Thanksgiving Day; although it should also be noted that only a few verses later we do in fact find out this place's name "And he called the name of that place Beth-El" (28:19).


This "place" which we read about this week is where Jacob dreamed the dream which led him to believe that this place was the "Gate of Heaven."  It was here where he dreamed of a ladder reaching the heavens with angels ascending and descending from the heavens to the earth; and it was in this place where G-d spoke to Jacob and promised him the same promise given to his grandfather Abraham, and his father Isaac; that the land upon which he lies will be given to his descendants, and that "thy seed will be as dust of the earth, and they will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south." (28:14).


But what of the message of this "place", and why it's connection to Thanksgiving?  Because it is in this place where Jacob becomes a "believer".  It is on this spot, in this location, at this "place" where Jacob thanks "G-d for opening his eyes".


All of us have memories of specific places, some of them are ingrained in us because of their physical beauty, for some because of the emotional ties, and for some others because of the history of what might have happened years before.  Whatever the reason we possess a "connection" to the place.


This week, during this Thanksgiving/VIP shortened school week, as I was walking around campus, it dawned on me that this place (JSJCDS) was for many of our students their "Beth-El".  It was here in our school, at our "place" where many of our children find their connection to Hashem.  It is the development of their relationships with their schoolmates, it is their continued studies in the classroom, it is in their daily T'fillah services, and it is in their ownership of our campus, where many of them have made this place their gateway to heaven.


I can only hope that each one of them makes a similar vow as Jacob to be committed to living a life of divine awe, with a responsibility to future generations, and with a sense of obligation and duty to their community...it is for this blessing of possibility for which I am personally incredibly thankful on this day.


Happy Thanksgiving, and may we all be similarly blessed with finding our own Beth-El.

Israel - a different perspective...

First, take a look at the following 6-minute interview...


http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1311023934&play=1


Second, answer me honestly, why aren't we as Diaspora Jews talking more about this side of Israel?


Today, I held my weekly class with our 8th grade students.  


[Side note - The course is a 45-minute/week class focusing during the first semester on the events that led to the creation of the State of Israel, the global circumstances which finally brought our Homeland to fruition, along with discussions on regional current events.  During the second semester we will be using our 8th grade Israel trip itinerary to study specific historical/biblical locations, texts, stories, and much more so as to prepare the students for their eventual Israel experience in the spring.]


So today I decided to show the students this "new" perspective of Israel.  This version of Israel rarely discussed or presented by the media.  Here's what a few of the students had to say:

• "I think people need to see Israel's side of the story."
• "Israel knows how to shine through in dark times."
• "I believe that this video showed an amazing perspective of Israel that not many people get to see or hear."
• "I found that Israel being so economically resilient was very interesting."
• "I am proud to be Jewish."
• "Children in Israel have a greater responsibility than children in the US."
• "I feel that Israel has had a very hard time ever since it became a state.  The amazing thing is that the Israelis have never stopped trying to fight back or represent their country.  Israel is very small but has a very large heart."

So I ask once again, why are we not working as the Diaspora Jewish community just as hard to present this image of Israel as anything else we do for our Homeland?  These are our brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, and even grandparents we are talking about.


In a "flat world" and a world which has become so "small" because of our society's technological advancements, this is the message which produces great pride and personal connectivity with Israel for the next generation. The metaphor of the small country surrounded by bullies trying to fight for its survival just doesn't speak to these children anymore.  This new message is the one that resonates with them.  Let's share it more often.


Shabbat shalom.

Congratulations & Yashar Koch'achem!!!

What a great week in Jess Schwartz Sports!  From our youngest of teams (the girls 4-6th grade  Volleyball Team pictured above), who came in 3rd place in their conference tournament, through the 7th & 8th grade, as well as the high school, girls volleyball teams who both came in 2nd place in their respective tournaments, through our high school boy's soccer team who too came in 2nd place in their league tournament playoffs.


Nobody gave our students, from a school of 250 strong, their kavod, and so our players walked onto those courts and fields and showed them just how much school spirit and Jewish pride we are made up of; and from there we rose to the championship rounds.


Congrats, and yashar koch'achem to all of you who represented our school and community with tremendous honor...and thanks to all of our fans and supporters who came out to cheer our students on.  We couldn't have done it without you!

Lekh Lekha...

As we read this week's Torah Portion, Parashat Lekh Lekha, we read of Abram being sent by G-d to go on his way.  Granted it wasn't G-d sending me out to California to participate in my "fellows" program, but it definitely feels a little like lekh lekha'ish as I sit here at Brandeis Bardin in Simi Valley (the largest Jewish owned piece of land outside of Israel) while school and "home" is still going on back in sunny Scottsdale.


That being said, I wanted to thank all of the dads, granddads, and "stand-in" dads who helped make this past Saturday evening's 2nd Annual Dad's Club Camp-Out such a tremendous success.  Thanks also to our Dad's Club Chair specifically, Bryan Kort, who planned and coordinated this incredible evening, and who without such great leadership we wouldn't have the involved and "connected" group of dads that we have.


Looking forward to next year's 3rd Annual!!!

Simhat Torah

There is a wonderful Midrash (rabbinic interpretation) explaining the connection between the reading of the last few verses of the Torah followed by the immediate recitation of the first few verses.  This "connecting" of the two halves at the end and beginning draws our attention to the very last letter of the Torah (the lamed) and the very first letter (the bet) from the words Yisrael and Bereisheet respectively.  If we then combine these two letters together we create the word "lev" which means "heart". It is this unexpected connection between the end and the beginning which possibly suggests that the heart of the Torah is not "in" the Torah itself, rather it is in the act of concluding it and once again beginning anew.

Last week our middle school students considered the possible message in this connection, and thought about how the gap between finishing something and then immediately starting it over again could relate to the "heart" of the matter.  The critical thinking and high level discussions that ensued where the perfect way to prepare them for their afternoon's celebration and hakafot (rotations) as they then went on to celebrate with great fervor and joy, dancing and singing with the Torah during our school Simhat Torah celebration.

It is at moments like this where the true essence of our school comes out.  It is the beauty of seeing our children's minds stretched in order to contemplate these ancient and rabbinic abstract ideas and concepts, while only a few hours later providing these same children with the tangible joy and happiness of kissing and dancing with the Torah with "all their heart".  Or as the Shema so eloquently puts it "You shall love Hashem your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." (Deuteronomy 6:4) 

I'd like to thank all of our guests who came to our school celebration, and to specifically thank the dads who carried the Torah and led the grade-level groups in their respective hakafot around the sanctuary and multipurpose room.  Additionally, I want to thank Rabbi Allouche for not only bringing two additional Torahs (one Sephardic and one Ashkenazic) to provide our children once again with another opportunity to help them understand that there are many ways of expressing our traditions and customs as well as ways of practicing our rituals, but to also thank Rabbi for chanting the final aliyah of the Torah (v'zot habracha - "and this is the blessing") for our students to hear and enjoy.

What a great way to wrap last week and begin our new week...immersed in honoring G-d with our minds, bodies, and souls.  Shavuah tov!

Sukkot, Zman Simchateinu

 (photo above taken at last year's Dad's Club Campout
- save the date for this year's overnight on 10/24/09)

As we celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, eating our meals in the temporary booths built in backyards, on balconies and rooftops, school playgrounds, and other communal locations; and as we fervently shake the lulav and etrog signifying G-d’s all-encompassing existence and transcendent relationship between this world and the realm of spirituality; and as we conclude our High Holiday Season with the celebration and conclusion of this holiday and Simhat Torah specifically, we are left physically and spiritually exhausted and almost needing a holiday from our Holy Days.

It is believed that because of the intensity of the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when every Jew cleanses his or her soul of their errors and wrongdoings and starts the new year fresh with a “clean slate”, that the holiday of Sukkot, also known as Zman Simhateinu (“The time of our joy”) is specifically because we have nothing to “bring us down” and should therefore only be happy and joyous.

Rabbi Isaac Luria, also known as the Arizal, a great Jewish thinker and recognized leader of the Kabbalistic movement of Tsfat (Safed), Israel, taught his disciples that the first step in developing a spiritual connection with G-d was through joy and happiness. Rabbi Luria interpreted the message of Psalm 100 Verse 2 “Serve Hashem with joy” (which in turn was believed to have been based on “And ye shall rejoice before Hashem your G-d”, Deuteronomy 12:12) that if a person was not happy his prayers were not reaching their desired destination.

Rabbi Luria believed that Sukkot was the time to create a positive outlook and happy persona for the rest of the year, and that Simhat Torah specifically offered us the opportunity to connect to our history, our ancestors, and to G-d by once again starting to read the weekly Torah portions from a place of happiness and joy.

I wish you all a festive and very happy Sukkot holiday; and remind you that there is nothing more joyous than seeing our children sing and perform together on the stage and taking pride in their Jewish identity. Therefore, I hope to see you all this Wednesday at the “Sukkot Under the Stars” program.

Chag Sa-me’ach!

Shanah Tovah

"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."  ~Albert Einstein


Shanah Tovah and Happy 5770!

Not being one to ever fore-go the opportunity to try something new, and/or possibly make a mistake along the way, I have decided to create this new blog as a way to share with you things happening at the elementary and middle schools of the Jess Schwartz Jewish Community Day School.  

Maybe it will be a few brief words about an upcoming holiday (such as my next posting about Sukkot), or maybe it will be about something that took place on campus today.  Maybe it will be a quote from one of the students, those great words of wisdom that come "out of the mouth of babes", or maybe it will be a shared learning that will help us all grow in our Judaism, our spirituality, or simply as a citizen of the world.  Whatever the topic, I hope you not only enjoy the post with its intended sentiment, but I deeply hope that you will share your own thoughts and ideas as we use this blog to grow together and ultimately to make our school the place we all desire it to be. 

Shanah tovah, and may it be as sweet as the honey in which we dip our Rosh Hashanah apples. 

Shavuah tov.