November 7, 2008
Two years ago, Hillel Yeshiva in Deal piloted a program to bring Israel to life in its curriculum.
Two Israeli girls came to Hillel elementary school for one year to fulfill half of a national service requirement, called Sherut Leumi in Hebrew, in lieu of serving in the Israeli Army. It also fulfilled a need in Hillel to truly bring the Israel experience into their school.
The two elements went together so well that Hillel Yeshiva decided to bring the program back this year, and this time, they expanded the program from two to four girls and also include the high school.
The four girls, Dana Shmila, Hila Markovich, Efrat Cohen, and Tali Shmila are all in their second year of national service and chose to spend it educating the students at Hillel in Hebrew, Jewish holidays, and current events pertaining to Israel.
"I think it's something really different," Cohen said through a translator. "It's like a challenge for us. It's very interesting to meet other kinds of people and to bring Israel to the people who don't live there, to bring that experience of what it's like to be in Israel, to bring the air, the atmosphere, and the spirit to the people - not only from the news or the television, but to actually try and experience it."
Cohen and Tali Shmila, who work in the elementary school, are responsible for creating educational programs for the children in several different areas of Jewish life. All the programming that Cohen and Tali Shmila create includes an element of Israel. One particularly popular program amongst the elementary age is the oneg Shabbat, a party on Friday in honor of Shabbat. Cohen, who plays guitar, collaborates with the school's music teacher to teach the children Israeli songs and dances.
"We do concepts of things that connect to Israel," Cohen said. "This Friday, we're doing something about the kibbutz, like what is kibbutz and what is special about this settlement."
Cohen and Tali Shmila also create projects related to Israel's geography. For example, in honor of the special prayer for rain inserted in the silent prayer, the girls created a weather vane and a device that measures rain, accompanied with a story and a song that has to do with rain.
In the high school, Hila and Dana Shmila do similar work. The activities revolve around the same topics as the elementary school, but they are crafted in a more mature fashion to appeal to high school students. Current events are also brought into the high school's programming.
Dr. Ruth Katz, head of school, admired the girls' ability to be role models to the high school class.
"These young ladies are 19 and high schoolers are 14 to 18," Katz said. "You have your adolescents who now aren't only relating to the material, but to the presenters as well. They're forming that kind of bond in high school. In the middle school, we see it too, but it's more in the high school. They serve more as role models in the high school."
Both groups of girls assist students in Hebrew classes who are lagging behind the rest of the class.
The four girls collaborate to make signs and bulletin boards throughout Hillel's hallways and update them frequently. They also labeled different objects around the school in Hebrew to help teach the students what everyday objects are in Hebrew.
"The girls really bring Israel here," Katz said. "It's in the air. I think it's nice for the girls that they have support with each other as well. Now, this provides them with a peer group and everything they do is times four. So, if they put up a Rosh Chodesh sign, it's a beautiful sign and it says 'From Hila, Tali, Dana, Efrat' - the whole group."
The girls live in a house near Deal and are supported by a network of community volunteers who host the girls for meals and anything else they may need. The four girls have become an integral part of the Deal community.