As the single largest provider of Israel engagement programs in the United States, Jewish National Fund strongly maintains that investing in education is critical to creating the next generation of Jewish community leaders and Zionists.

You’re receiving this because at some point you have encountered, and likely worked with, JNF. Whether you had one of our Israel Programs Admissions Directors IPADs come to your class to teach your students, or you’ve been to a JNF event, we have in some way impacted you. Every year we work with hundreds of educators to engage tens of thousands of young Jews. We want to do more.

To that end, we are pleased to bring you our new education newsletter. It is designed to inform and connect you and your students to Jewish National Fund, the Jewish world, and Israel.  We hope you enjoy this update and use our downloadable materials in your classroom.

We invite you to read below to learn more!

Have you prepared a lesson plan for your classroom? Let us help! Last year, in honor of Israel’s 70th birthday, Jewish National Fund sent out packages to 325 middle and high schools with a unique program about Megillat Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Declaration of Independence. This year, in celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, we are offering you the opportunity to download these materials to use in your schools and classrooms.

In the program, we travel back in time to the magical moment of the establishment of the State of Israel, when David Ben-Gurion read Israel’s Declaration of Independence, the Megillah, in Independence Hall in Tel Aviv. By reading this declaration aloud to the world, David Ben-Gurion spoke the State of Israel into existence.

The Megillah establishes the foundation for the guiding principles and values of the State of Israel while providing us with many insights into:

• The history of the Jewish people and their connection to the land of Israel
  
• The character of a Jewish and Democratic state.
  
• The relationship between the Jewish people and the Arab people.
  
• The connection between the Jewish people who live in Israel and those living in the Diaspora.

In this program we are going to use the Megillah as a platform to talk about the vision of the State of Israel and connect it to our values in a way that will be relevant. We hope that you will find this program meaningful, topical, and interesting for you and your participants.

To download materials, visit jnf.org/yhintheschools

Judi Rapaport   

Judi Rapaport has inspired generations as a long-time (36 years!) , kindergarten teacher at Solomon Schechter Day School (SSDS) of Greater Boston. For many years, Judi has run the annual Tu BiShvat Walkathon where they raise money for JNF to plant trees in Israel. The children walk around the school 5 times and after each lap they receive a sticker and a fruit from Israel. At the end, each child receives a certificate of completion. Parents and friends donate any amount of money to support the walkathon. Judi’s dedication to this program has made SSDS consistently one of our top fundraising schools for our Tu BiShvat tree planting campaign. Thank you, Judi, for all you do!

A Letter from Tova Yemin

As a participant in last summer’s Educators Trip to Israel, I thank Jewish National Fund for this amazing mission!! I had the best time with all the mission participants, and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to make new friends and learn from the experience of like-minded professionals from around the world. This experience was meaningful, impressive, moving, educational and important. I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to experience our beautiful Israel through the eyes of educators and the projects of JNF.

At Scheck Hillel we continued our friendship and we did a few projects that are related to Israel and JNF. Here are just a few:

• We held a seminar for our team to share the materials and ideas.
• We created a seven species garden, in which students from different grades were involved. We actually planted the Shivat Haminim.
• On Tu BiShvat we had three activities for students in grades 3-5. There were three groups that rotated from the IsraChute to the Israel map to another game. In each station the students learned about Israel from a different point of view.
• Our PK4 teachers had a PBL project about the Box.
• On Tu BiShvat we had a beautiful turnout of planting trees by many students.
• And soon, our Hebrew/Judaic team will dress up in a variety of the Israeli innovations (we were very impressed by the session in Natzerat).

I highly recommend that my colleagues participate this summer.

Yashar Koach for all that you do!

Thank You!

Tova Yemin

Lower School Hebrew Coordinator

Scheck Hillel Community School

N. Miami Beach, FL

Join JNF-USA on this subsidized trip to the JNF-KKL World Education Conference in Israel.

July 22-28, 2019

Network with 200+ educators from around the world

• Tour JNF sites, heritage sites, and historical sites of the Jewish people
• Attend workshops, lectures, and discussions on the current challenges in Israel education
• Meet and connect with Israeli educators
• Gain exposure to JNF’s educational activities and materials

Terms of Participation

COST – $200 per educator (based on double-occupancy), all other land costs are covered. Transportation to/from Israel is the responsibility of the participant.

Participants are expected to share their experiences on social media while they’re on the trip, and write and/or speak about the trip when they return, at their school and in their community.

FOLLOW UP PROJECTS – Each participant must commit to the implementation of two JNF programs during the school year – one for Tu BiShvat and the other at their discretion. Programs can be based on anything relating to JNF’s work in Israel (Community Building, Disabilities & Special Needs, Zionist Education & Advocacy, Forestry & Green Innovations, Heritage Sites, Research & Development, or Water Solutions). Educators from the same school may complete projects together. Space is limited!!

Let us know of your interest by signing up here: JNF-USA Educators Tour- Summer 2019. (Please note that completing the form DOES NOT guarantee your acceptance onto the trip. All applicants will be contacted for a personal interview.) 

More Information – Anne Greenspoon agreenspoon@jnf.org / 410.486.3317 x835 or Zohar Vloski zvloski@jnf.org / 561.447.9733 x898

Applications are now open for our Jewish Communal Professionals Initiative (JCPI). This program provides Jewish professionals, who have children in high school, an opportunity to apply for a tuition discount for all late 2019 programs* up to 50%! Families and students who are accepted into the initiative will work in tandem with our school to promote and recruit for AMHSI-JNF in their local communities.

Find out more:amhsi.org/jcpi

The JNF Israel Advocacy and Education Department has close 30 professionals working across the United States, bringing Israel, JNF and AMHSI directly to you. Each month we will profile one team member in our newsletter.

Rafi Glazer, Israel Programs Admissions Director (IPAD), MidAtlantic Region

Based in Washington, D.C., Rafi Glazer enjoys reading, re-watching the West Wing, and travelling the United States with the goal of getting to all 50 states (only nine states left). Prior to coming to JNF in March 2018, Rafi was the Director of Programs for the American Jewish Society for Service, an organization dedicated to creating service-learning opportunities for Jewish high school students.  As a member of our JNF IAE team, Rafi works with synagogues, schools and organizations to bring resources about Israel, JNF and AMHSI to students of all ages in MD, DC, VA and DE.  To reach Rafi, please email him at rglazer@jnf.org or call 202.750.3217 x480.

Sababa Society

Want to forge a deeper connection between your students and Israel? Don’t let them miss out!! 

Sababa Society is a free online portal with engaging activities that allow students, ages 10-14, a chance to learn about Israel through local adventures that connect them to JNF’s projects in Israel. As an educator, you can also sign up for the Sababa Society and get ideas for teaching about Israel for your classroom.

• Create your own local adventures to learn about JNF’s work in Israel
• Learn about philanthropy and raise money for Israel
• Earn points to win prizes, badges, and special recognition.

Sign up today at jnf.org/sababasociety

For more information on how you can get involved with Jewish National Fund, send us an email education@jnf.org or give us a call 212.879.9305 x245.