As a long time educator at Adat Ari El Day School and Partnership Coordinator between AAE and Nitzanim since our schools were paired by the Jewish Federation, I demonstrate my commitment to Judaism, Israel, the Jewish people and Synagogue life every day. This commitment is renewed through my participation in professional development workshops. However, no experience was ever more meaningful than this summer’s Joint Teachers Seminar sponsored by the Los Angeles Jewish Federation School Twinning Program. One moment that stood out was when the 50 participants of the program sat together at dusk to hold “Council” and share stories about our own connection to the delegation’s theme “Zionism Today-The Evolution Of A Dream”. When Deborah Engel Kollin (from Pressman Academy) asked for a volunteer to open the session and dedicate the seminar to someone in our life, I knew I had to do it! My week of learning had to be dedicated to my 23 year old son, who after graduating college in just 3 years, made Aliyah at the age of 21. On June 21st, he received his “Kumta Adoomah”-the paratrooper’s red beret and is on the road to fulfilling his Zionistic dream.
My trip for the Seminar coincided with my son’s graduation from basic training. In perfect parallel, I spent my time following his ceremony learning from celebrated Israeli thinkers, touring significant sites to Israel’s history and participating in creative activities and brainstorming sessions with my colleagues. Yet, there seemed to be some excitement all week long concerning our last day’s activities where we were to visit an army base. All the teachers were trying to figure out what army base we would be visiting, what we’ll be doing there, what will the program be, who were the speakers, etc. Upon arriving to the base Bahad 7 (the base for telecommunications and computers), we sat down in a lovely auditorium and were introduced to a very friendly, warm, good looking commander who talked about himself, the base, the soldiers’ responsibilities, etc. The commander explained that it was now time to hear directly from a special, young soldier about what it means to be a soldier in the Israeli army. At that moment my colleague from Tel Aviv said to me do you think it could be Gilad Shalit? I responded, “Oh my, do you think so?” I bent down to get my camera out of my purse and when I sat back up as the door opened, in walked my son. I literally froze in complete shock. After I finally got my feet moving, I got up and ran over to kiss and hug my tall, dark and handsome…..and of course strong and smart son! My son was also in complete shock and trying to calm me, as everyone was snapping pictures. In between my crying and shaking, I tried to piece it all together and find out how the LA Jewish Federation School Twinning staff had worked this all out and when the plan was hatched.
Apparently at 6:30 AM that morning my son’s commander instructed him to get on a bus and travel to a meeting of high ranking commanders. He was told that he was going to talk about what it is like being a “lone soldier” in the army. Needless to say, he was not happy due to only sleeping one hour the night before and surely did not want to sit on a bus for more than 3 hours. When he walked through the door and did not see any uniformed commanders in the room, he thought was in the wrong place until he looked around and saw me. My son did talk that day about being a lone soldier and his commitment to defending the state of Israel. He shared that while the army is tough and it’s hard work, he feels a sense of joy in serving in the Jewish homeland and he is proud to share the experience with his buddies in arms, particularly the fellow Lone Soldiers who he has grown so close with. He spoke, not to a group of commanders but rather to his mother and teachers. He explained to us- those who love the land and people of Israel and pray for a strong and peaceful Jewish State- that while he misses his family and home in Los Angeles, he is proud of being raised as a Zionist and living those values. It was a discussion that I will never forget.
When the shock wore off and I asked how this all came to be, I was informed that it was “in the works” for over a month and that the Federation’s School Twinning staff in Tel Aviv spoke to a commander who spoke to commander who spoke to a commander. I am still talking about this wonderful surprise and sharing pictures with family and friends. I do not know how to express how thankful I am to the Los Angeles Jewish Federation’s School Twinning Program for giving me a moment that I will always treasure of my son sharing his story with a group of Israeli and American educators and demonstrating that the dream of Zionism is very much alive and real.
Adat Ari El is partnered with Nitzanim in Tel Aviv through the Tel Aviv-Los Angeles School Twinning Program. Once a year, the Twinning Program hosts a Joint Teachers’ Seminar for the 50 teachers in the program. The Twinning program has made an impact on the lives of 60,000 students, parents, and faculty through jointly prepared curricula, teacher training, and delegation exchanges. The program strengthens our shared Jewish identity and destiny, while fulfilling our Federation’s mission of ensuring the Jewish future. For more information, contact Ahuva Ron at (323) 761-8332 or ARon@JewishLA.org
