MM: How was Israel Education Week organized this year?
Rabbi Avi Hochman: Every day had a specific theme relating to Israel, every day there were different videos playing on the screens in hallways, and various programs throughout the week to educate our students.
David Ostrofsky ('14): This year IEW was organized thematically each day. From threats Israel faces to IDF support, each day was met with great excitement from the student population.
MM: Why were these specific themes chosen for IEW?
RAVH: These themes cover the many facets of Israel. We wanted to cover as much in one week as possible. There are so many things that we need to learn about Israel, between the themes and the creative education filled bulletin boards we packed it in!
Elyse Tripp ('14): We really tried to encompass the different aspects of our connection to Israel in ways that we can educate our students.
DO: We chose these specific themes for IEW because we believe that they encompass the vast spectrum of Israel education that our students deserve.
MM: What were your goals for IEW this year?
RAVH: We wanted to educate our students with basic knowledge of our homeland, and give them the ability and the confidence to know the TRUE facts about Israel. College campuses around the world and rallies calling for the expulsion of Jews from France are a wake-up call for each and every one of us. We need to educate ourselves so that we can educate others about the TRUTH regarding the state of Israel.
ET: Our goal for Israel Week, as for WIPAC as a whole, is for our students to gain fundamental knowledge about Israel and skills in order to advocate for her.
DO: Our goal this year for IEW was to not only educate WYHS's students about Israel and it challenges, but also to enhance our school's pride for our homeland.
MM: Have the events of this week lived up to your expectations?
RAVH: More than expected! Its hard trying to stick a lot of information into a small window of time! My hats go off to our great WIPAC committee and to David and Elyse for putting in 110% and making this a success.
DO: Absolutely! The response we got has been astounding. From decorating the bulletin boards on Saturday night to the daily Israel trivia questions, IEW has exceeded all of my expectations.
MM: How was IEW this year different from last year?
RAVH: It is amazing that this is our third year doing this and yet it is different every year. We had different educational bulletin boards, different information taught in the Hebrew classes, and a lot more student involvement!!!!
ET: This year, we had a new focus on the IDF that we've never had before.
DO: This year we added an IDF-pride day where all students are encouraged to wear "army green" to show their support!
MM: What did you enjoy most this week?
RAVH: I enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm, passion, and love from so many students regarding learning more about Israel. I was also impressed by how much it pained some of them that they didn't know some basic facts! I loved watching how engaged, curious, and involved all the students were!
ET: I really enjoyed all the bulletin boards that our committee worked so hard to create and put together. They transformed our school into the perfect environment for learning about Israel.
DO: I enjoyed the movie "Uranium" the most this week. I believe it had a great impact on our students and properly showed them the threats we face today.
MM: What is some important information that you shared with the student body?
RAVH: (1) The realization that in campuses around this country students are trying to paint an ugly picture about Israel.
(2) How to respond to accusations against Israel using the ARM method.
(3) How Iran is a serious threat for the world at large and not just Israel.
ET: We taught the students how to debunk myths about Israel and how to respond to anti-Israel claims.
DO: Through our ARM program we provided the right tools for our student body to adequately defend the state of Israel in a debate setting, whether on college campuses or beyond.
MM: What do you hope will occur as a result of IEW? Specifically, what do you believe the students will have gained from this week and will use in the future?
RAVH: I hope they realize that education is half the battle. The more they know, the more they can confidently support the State of Israel. I hope they find an aspect(s) regarding Israel that speaks to them and go learn more about it. That both the spiritual and physical aspects of Israel are crucial to its survival and it is our job to learn as much as we can and do our part to keep it strong and safe!
Click here to watch the Israel Education Week videos!
