Thanks to the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, MJDS continues a wonderful partnership with the Mul Gilad School on Kibbutz Ashdot Yaacov Yihud and Gan Shaked at Kibbutz Afikim through Education Bridge . This program is designed to strengthen youth and adult community connections between Minneapolis and the Sov Kiennert region of Israel . Education Bridge , established in 2000, allows MJDS students and families to share meaningful curricular experiences and cultural exchanges with “real people” in Israel in order to discover the traditional values that bind us as “global citizens” to Israel .
Several MJDS faculty traveled to Israel to meet with Israeli teacher partners in July 2005. The MJDS staff toured the kibbutz and was warmly welcomed into their partner teachers’ homes. They studied, brainstormed, and shared curricular ideas in order to plan quality projects for both Minneapolis and Israeli students. This annual meeting alternates between Israel and Minneapolis during the summer months. During the year teachers continue to talk and email each other in order to further connect MJDS with its Israeli partners. The joint curriculum includes live video conferences at all grade levels. The conferences increase student contact with their peers in Israel and assist in making curricular projects more meaningful.
Here are some of the shared curriculum plans developed during the July mifgash (meeting) for the 2005-06 school year:
- Sending mutual Rosh Hashana greetings, integrating art concepts such as collage, block printing and creative writing (all grades).
- Creating cookbooks and family photo albums (grades 1 and 2).
- Building “continuing stories” around the themes of friendship (grade3) and social values (grade 4).
- Exploring the value and concept of friendship through prose and poetry (grades 5 and 6).
- Studying common Torah stories such as the Book of Esther and rabbinic midrash (stories) (grade 6).
Education Bridge curriculum highlights from the 2004-2005 school year included an increased calendar of video conferences for all grades, joint study of Israeli musicians and poets, shared geography units, and combined studies of butterflies and their metamorphosis.
It is MJDS’s belief that these curricular highlights will reinforce the importance of Israel through the Education Bridge . This collaboration has the amazing power to deepen relationships among American and Israeli students, their families and educators in Minneapolis and the Sov Kinneret region.
Many MJDS families have been fortunate to visit our partner schools on recent trips to Israel . These family visits provide face to face connections for children that have been corresponding over the last few years. According to one MJDS parent, “Our visit to Mul Gilad was very powerful and meaningful. The Israeli students ran up to all members of our family and greeted us so warmly. It was clear that they already felt a connection to the students from MJDS through the video conferences and other exchanges that have occurred over the past few years. Thanks to Education Bridge , and the work of MJDS, we could really feel the reciprocal connections with the children and faculty at Mul Gilad and see how strong relationships and idea-sharing between the children and the schools will benefit both communities. The day at Mul Gilad was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Israel.“
Check back soon for Education Bridge exhibitions of American and Israeli student work.
For more information on Education Bridge go to http://www2.yarden.ac.il/p2keb/ and http://www.jewishminnesota.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=123425&page=4.
