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Posts Tagged "israel"

Israelis at HBHA!

March 16, 2023
By Adam Tilove, Head of School

Hello HBHA family,

This week, we have been honored and excited to welcome 11 Israelis- 9 high school students and 2 chaperones, to our school. This group is from Ramle, our sister city in Israel, and they were generously hosted in the homes of HBHA families during their time here. Next year, our juniors and seniors will be seeing them again during parts of our bi-annual Jewish Heritage Trip to Israel. This has been an amazing opportunity for us to exchange culture and ideas, and for our kids to get to know the people of Israel, not just its history and culture.

We were so proud to be able to share with them how we celebrate Purim, with our whole community in costume, the reading of the Megillah, and our festive Purim Carnival. On Wednesday, our 10th and 11th graders, along with the Israeli group, took a bus to visit all the sites of the old Jewish Kansas City, including former synagogues. It was important for our own students to see the history of the Jewish community in Kansas City, and it was a fascinating way for our Israeli visitors to see pieces of Kansas City as well.

On Thursday, the Israeli group visited many of the current synagogues in Kansas City, seeing the beautiful diversity of Jewish thought and practice in our community, and continued from there to KU Hillel and Chabad. Today, they spent time with our younger students in the classroom, talking about their experience as Israelis and even teaching a short lesson on computer coding.

I am proud of our school. We continue to foster a love of Israel and relationships with the people of Israel. We are pursuers of peace, who fundamentally believe that each person is made “B'tzelem Elohim”- in the Image of God. We are proud Jews, and independent and ethical thinkers, who are capable of hearing complex and divergent opinions and making sense of them. This is core to our mission as a school and our mission as a people.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our partners at the Jewish Federation, whose generous support helps us in so many ways, but whose vision and generosity helped make this Israeli delegation possible. We all leave this week richer people, with new friends and relationships, a deeper understanding of one another, and excitement for our future.

Warmly,
Adam Tilove

First Day in Israel

March 22, 2022
By Zohar Flacks, Director of Jewish Life

After a very long flight and a late arrival, we finally got to our hotel in Kibbutz Amiad and got a much needed rest. Tuesday morning, we hit the ground running at 7am and headed up to Gadot overlook to see the strategic importance of the Golan Heights to the security of Israel. We also got to daven Shacharit right there, which made it a much better backdrop than our usual Beit Midrash:)

We then continued for a hike in the Banias, where the water is flowing after a very wet winter in Israel. Everything around us is in bloom, and it felt amazing to be outdoors. We then proceeded to Buk’ata, which is a Druze village in the Golan Heights (one of 4 such villages), where we ate the most delicious lunch.

We also spoke with Nusiba, a Druze woman who was a true warrior for women’s rights in the Druze culture. She explained to us what the druze religion is about and what life looks like for the Druze people in the Golan Heights, post 1967. It was both a delicious and interesting experience, and we were so lucky to have Nusiba open her house to us.

After lunch, tea and dessert, we took a Jeep tour around the Golan, off-roading and exploring off-the-track spots, orchards and cows. We once again saw what was left from before 1967, and how the Golan has developed in the past 50 years under Israeli control. The jeep tour was bumpy and fun.

We concluded the day at the BenTal mountain where we learned about the war in Syria, who are the major players and how that affects Israel. We were also able to see how close everything is and why it’s important for Israel to preserve its strategic spot on the Golan. We are all jet-lagged and somewhat tired, so tonight we’ll wrap up with a short evening activity, and welcome the rest of our group to Israel.

Tomorrow is a brand new day and we have much to see and do!

 

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Posts Tagged "israel"

HBHA Celebrates Israel

April 16, 2021
By Jane Martin

Note: This week, in lieu of Adam Tilove's regular message, we are pleased to share highlights of the past two weeks at HBHA!

HBHA Celebrates Israel
Yom HaShoah, followed by Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut, are all important in the cycle of our school year. Our Jewish Studies department always makes it look easy, but much preparation goes into making these Israeli holidays memorable and meaningful for our students. The love our teachers share for Israel - and the lessons they teach - contribute to our students’ connection to the State of Israel.

Typically, these holidays bring students together across the grades in commemoration and in celebration. This year’s holiday observances looked quite different, so we can keep our school community safe, healthy, and most important, on campus! 

Fortunately, our creative and dedicated Jewish Studies department ensured students were still able to experience the holidays in relevant ways. The holidays also gave many of our older students an opportunity to shine in the leadership roles they took throughout the holidays.


Yom HaShoah | Holocaust Remembrance Day

For Yom HaShoah, HBHA partnered with the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education and HBHA families to bring this holiday into the homes of our students. Students in select grades brought yahrzeit candles home to light in memory of those who died in the Holocaust. Each candle included the names of people who were related to members of Kansas City's Jewish community. 

It was a special way to turn this extreme loss - 6 million perished in the Holocaust - into a learning opportunity that students of all ages can grasp. Thanks to our families for sending in photos of your students lighting the candles.

Watch HBHA's Yom HaShoah Observance here

 

Yom HaZikaron | Israel Memorial Day

Yom HaZikaron is another holiday typically observed in group settings around HBHA; with a memorial service, the sounding of the siren to call for a moment of silence (just like in Israel), and learning about those who have fallen for the State of Israel. 

Unable to bring our students together indoors, we instead brought the holiday to our students: Upper School student volunteers - along with Head of Jewish Studies, Rabbi Avi Weinstein, and Director of Jewish Life, Zohar Flacks - created a video memorial service for students to watch in their classrooms. The video was accompanied by special programming for grades 6-12.

Watch HBHA's Yom HaZikaron Memorial Service here.

 

Yom HaAtzmaut | Israel Independence Day

From darkness comes light, and so is the way with Yom HaAtzmaut, which comes on the heels of Israel’s Memorial Day, making the celebration of Israel’s independence that much sweeter. 

Yom HaAtzmaut 2021 held a very special moment for HBHA students and faculty: it was the first time our entire student body was able to come together (safely) in a group setting since March 2020. Students were thrilled to be able to gather around the flagpole in their classroom pods, and seniors led the school in a brief flag raising ceremony. The ceremony was followed by an outdoor, school-wide parade on the grounds of the Jewish Community Campus, and a day full of grade-level activities, which ranged from Israel Bingo to IDF Boot Camp to outdoor games of Gaga.

Watch HBHA's Yom HaAtzmaut flag ceremony here

The ruach surrounding Yom HaAtzmaut was apparent in the week leading up to the holiday: Students created decorations for the school and learned all about Israel. We invite you to visit HBHA on Instagram and Facebook in the coming week to view even more moments from these celebrations.

With appreciation for our Middle and Upper School STUCO students and our Jewish Studies teachers: Michal Cohen, Michal Luger, Leah Nash, Rabbi Aron Rubin, Tami Sal, Tammy Sandler, Nira Solomon, Chanie Sosover, and Civia White, who met and surpassed the challenge of creatively and safely observing these holidays. Special thanks to Zohar Flacks, for leading the way. 


From all of us at HBHA - wishing you a Shabbat Shalom.

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