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| Fall 2006 | |
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I was born in Izmir, a city on the Aegean
Sea in Turkey where we were
forbidden to learn about Israel, advocate
Zionism, or do anything that
could be considered “espousing propaganda”
for another country. Today I
am principal of a religious school in
Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
So, when Sara Pardo, a family friend and Vice President for Education of the Jewish Community of Izmir, asked my advice about books for a new religious school she was starting in my home city, I couldn’t wait to help. I flew to Izmir with two suitcases packed not with clothes, but with textbooks and teaching materials donated by Behrman House. Every day for a week I led teachers’ workshops on Bible, history, and other Judaic subjects, as well as teaching skills. Each evening I presented information sessions in French, Spanish, or English (three of the languages in which I am fluent) to parents of the 130 students. The school focuses on Judaica; Hebrew is taught by the elders of the community to bar and bat mitzvah age students. |
I have visited Izmir every summer
since then, conducting seminars
for the teachers and sharing
new activities, books, and materials.
In the fall of 1999 my congregation
hosted ten teachers
from Izmir, who visited our
school, the community’s teacher
resource center, Gratz College,
and the Holocaust Museum in
Washington.
Jewish education should reach every corner of the world Today there are about 2,000 Jews in Izmir. Although small, it is the second largest Jewish community in Turkey, after Istanbul. Many of the graduates from our school in Izmir are active in the 150-member Liga Jewish cultural group. But, because the community is not growing, the school currently has just forty children ages five to eleven. I think the foremost reason I am a Jewish educator is that I believe Jewish education should reach every corner of the world, where there are often few resources. We are often so embedded in our own classes and schools that we forget that there’s a big world out there. That’s who we are as Jews— seeking those in need and helping everyone. Dina Eliezer is Educational Director at Temple Beth Sholom, Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She can be reached at dinae@tbsonline.org |
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