Aussies visit the Arava
IN Israel on their respective school programs, students from The King David School and Bialik College were immersed in Arava culture on a five-day exchange in the area.
IN Israel on their respective school programs, students from The King David School and Bialik College were immersed in Arava culture on a five-day exchange in the area.
Uniting with their counterparts from the Shittim School last week, the Aussie youngsters had the opportunity to learn more about, and strengthen their connection with, the Negev students.
The intensive visit included personal interaction, joint study and shared activities as part of the United Israel Appeal’s (UIA) Partnership 2000 initiative, which pairs Australia with Israel’s Arava region.
“It fosters a strengthened connection to Israel and a greater, more powerful belief in the relevance of Jewish peoplehood as a force that binds Jews in Israel and the Diaspora in a relevant and meaningful fashion,” UIA Arava Australia partnership coordinator Ilana Maizels explained. “No less important is that participants have fun and make personal connections via the mifgash, or encounter.”
The school visit included workshops on Jewish identity, Zionism and national identity, Israeli dancing and a hike through the desert. The three schools also jointly celebrated Chanukah and Shabbat, with the Australian students boarding with local families.
Also in the Arava, a group of Australian participants on the Israel By Choice program, which recently returned, spent three of their 10 months in the region on a leadership program.
The contingent was given the chance to study with Israelis of their own age on a moshav, near the Jordanian border.
Lectures ranged from philosophy and astronomy to Zionism and Tanach, with the students also getting out of the classroom to participate in physical training sessions and agriculture activities with resident farmers. In recognition of their experience, the Australian group took part in building a desert garden for the moshav families to enjoy.
Caption: The King David School’s Yesh contingent bound for Israel.
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