At Manhattan Day School, students develop a love for Israel through exposure to Isreali culture in conjunction with the bnot sherut and shlichim program. At MDS, the bnot sherut create an environment that allows students to converse in Ivrit and learn about Israeli culture. Throughout the year, the bnot sherut have enhanced Manhattan Day School programming. On Tu B’shvat the talented bnot sherut Leah Fedida and Shalev Huri created a real-life “shuk” for students to taste an assortment of Israeli dried fruit and delicious candy while listening to an original Tu b’Shevat video on renewal the bnot made. “I enjoyed the shuk and learning all about Tu B’Shevat in Hebrew! It was sweet and awesome,” commented first grader, Jake R.

Furthering students’ connection to Israel, MDS middle school students participated in a Zoom learning session with Rabbi Joel Cohen, founder of IsraeEd. IsraeEd’s mission is to provide accessible resources to deepen the connection to Israel and Judaism. Students learn from educators currently residing in Israel and receive a first hand look at living in The Holy Land during shemitah.

Students learned about the shemitah year and how daily life in Israel is impacted by the shemitah cycle. Furthermore, students deepened their knowledge about how shemitah impacts produce around the world. Students were privileged to take a virtual tour of farms, and various sites in Israel, to truly experience the farmers and Israeli’s experiences during this time. Students engaged in conversations around what to do with leftover produce, the mesirut nefesh of farmers and the way produce is distributed by independent vendors.

“It was so interesting to learn about how you can still sell fruits and vegetables during a shemitah year and how many opinions there are on this topic,” commented Sarah Rechttshaffen, sixth grader.