Since its formation at the beginning of the school year, Naaleh’s Committee for Israel Awareness had been looking forward to one major highlight of the year: Yom Ha’atzmaut! The committee planned the entire day, beginning with Israeli-themed elective classes and a beautifully decorated and delicious Israeli lunch. Then, with the halls transformed to highways, the classrooms to cities and students to bus drivers and passengers, the students traveled through Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv, Kibbutz Degania and Tzfat, engaging in meaningful and interesting activities that captured the essence of each city. With a thoughtful combination of educational enrichment and cultural entertainment, each room provided a unique taste of the vast sanctity, beauty and history of the land of Israel. All roads led to one final destination, a live and interactive video conference with Rabbi Joel Cohn of IsraEd. In the fascinating program entitled “The Streets Tell Your Story,” Rabbi Cohn took the girls on a virtual tour of his neighborhood in Jerusalem, “introducing” them to the people, places and events who lend their names to the streets near his home. Ranging from biblical to contemporary in nature, the names behind some of Jerusalem’s famous streets came to life through song, video, story and religious text. The program was an exceptional way to end the day, solidifying the students’ appreciation of the land of Israel as a symbol of their religious and historical identity.
