It is not the ocean that is between us,
It is not the abyss that is between us,
It is not the time that is between us,
It is the two of us, OURSELVES
that is between us.
(Leah Goldberg)
Welcome to Haifa! Welcome to our Blog! We wish to include you in a virtual Haifa encounter with us, as we experience our sister city, with a lens towards our Boston-Haifa elementary partnerships and the progression of our joint educational endeavors.
After almost a year of planning, we are excited to share the details, learnings and reflections of a unique delegation of Boston Area Jewish Elementary Educators- A group who have set off to Haifa to meet and work with their educational partners, in a week long Mifgash (face to face encounter). Our eight Boston educators, as well as three support professionals, all have dedicated themselves to a two year period of study of Jewish Identity and Peoplehood, to enable them to deepen their school to school dialogues as well as their understanding of their Haifa partners. Making this doubly meaningful is that our Haifa partners simultaneously have also committed to these actions of study, and have been planning to welcome us into their schools and lives with an open heart. Now our Boston- Haifa Elementary Educators, will embark together on a week filled with learning, planning, dreaming and visioning.
This Mifgash is an important “journey” for our educators. Each educator is working on their own site plan and addressing goals such as:
*Getting to know their partner students better to make the connection more meaningful.
*Understanding how the Haifaiim see us and discovering who we are for them.
*Building a vibrant life connection to the people of Haifa
*Seeking authentic ways to connect and engage our communities
*Developing joint goals together, face to face, through dialogue and mutual respect.
To follow our Mifgash further, feel free to like our facebook page.
Thank you for joining us as we weave our experiences this week, with our Haifa partners, into a communal narrative, drawing upon our many voices and perspectives.
B’shalom,
Marla Olsberg
BHC Project Manager
School to School Partnerships