On 22 Iyar 5772 (May 14, 2012), Orot Israel College held its annual commencement ceremony at the Elkana campus. One hundred and seventy graduates – from Orot’s secondary education, special education, early childhood education, movement and dance, and continuing education tracks – were awarded B.Ed. degrees and received teaching certificates at the gala ceremony.
Rav Professor Neria Guttel, president of Orot Israel College; Rav Chaim Druckman, Israel Prize laureate and head of Merkaz Yeshivot Bnei Akiva; Professor Yosef Rivlin, chairman of the academic council; and a representative of the graduates each addressed the graduates and their families.
Professor Rav Gutel spoke about the graduates’ responsibilities and obligations, as educators, to Am Yisrael, and Professor Rivlin discussed the teacher’s role, according to the Vilna Gaon. Rav Druckman, the keynote speaker, talked about the current era of miracles and redemption, which includes the establishment and development of the State of Israel. He also focused on the State’s myriad achievements and accomplishments in general and the education system in particular. Finally, one of the graduates reflected on the importance of the bond and communication between a teacher and his or her students – especially those who do not necessarily stand out in the classroom.
Congratulations and best wishes to all the graduates as they embark on the next stage of their lives!
Click here to view pictures from the conference.
Every year, Orot Israel College organizes assorted conferences devoted to the intersection of Torah, private and public life, and the educational system.
In Tishrei, Orot held one such symposium at our Rechovot campus, entitled “Halachic, Philosophical, and Educational Approaches to Social Justice.”
The first speaker was Rav Yaakov Ariel shlit”a, Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan, who described the ideal State of Israel, which must be based on the values of justice and tzedakah (charity). He explained that he was not referring to tzedakah as a voluntary matter but rather as a public responsibility. Indeed, this form of tzedakah was practiced in Jewish communities throughout the generations and has clear manifestations in Jewish law - including the matanot kehunah (the tithes and other gifts given to the kohanim), the matanot aniyim (the various gifts given to the poor), the communal tzedakah funds, and more.
Rav Ariel encouraged the audience to join the social protests and insisted that they need not be concerned about the foreign motives which may perhaps be behind some of the protests. Furthermore, he declared that we must allow our well-defined, ideological, and Torah-based voices to be heard and that we must demonstrate a willingness to improve society and not merely make demands on the State.
After Rav Ariel completed his talk, Rav Shlomo Ishon shlit”a, head of the Keter Institute for Economy According to Torah, discussed the State’s social justice obligations, such as regulating the prices of essential goods, combatting profiteering, and so on. Rav Ishon contrasted the poverty line, as defined by the Western world and Israel’s bituach leumi (literally, national insurance – i.e. social security), with the Jewish alternative, which requires society to ensure that every person’s basic needs are met in a dignified and respectful manner.
Professor Rav Neriah Gutel, President of Orot Israel College, delivered the next lecture. He observed that the Torah deliberately refrained from establishing a categorical social-economic doctrine, because according to the Torah, social-economic policies must conform to each generation’s specific circumstances, location, and era. Yet, at the same time, Jewish law delineates a value system which must serve as the foundation for society’s social-economic principles. Halachah endorses neither predatory capitalism nor radical Marxist collectivism. Instead, the Torah advocates a measured, moderate approach, which accounts for a particular generation’s needs and concerns.
Finally, Rav Yaakov Margalit, the conference’s organizer, focused on the protests’ educational aspects. Are there any red lines which cannot be crossed? If so, what are they? Is the demand for social justice based on a sense that individual people are being mistreated, or does the protest stem from a feeling of social responsibility? How does this impact the type of protest involved? Must those who head the protests serve as role models?
In conclusion, the conference goers walked away with much food for thought, and all agreed that they are looking forward to our next conference, which is scheduled to take place during the month of Nissan.
Rabbi Dr. Moshe Rachimi
Dean of Students, Elkana Campus
Orot Israel College and Bar Ilan University’s Tanach Department recently cohosted an international academic conference devoted to the Rashbam’s commentary on the Tanach - in memory of distinguished educator and researcher Professor Elazar Touitou z”l, who was affiliated with both institutions. One of the world’s foremost experts on the Rashbam, Professor Touitou, who passed away last year, was renowned for his textual and historical analyses of the Rashbam’s exegetical philosophy.
Held at Bar Ilan, the highly-anticipated and widely-acclaimed conference attracted an overflow crowd - including Professor Touitou’s family, friends, and admirers, as well as leading Tanach scholars and researchers from Israel and around the world. Professor Rav Neriah Gutel, President of Orot Israel College, and Professor Moshe Kaveh, President of Bar Ilan University, greeted the attendees and spoke warmly about Professor Touitou. They alluded to his dignified graciousness and discussed his significant contributions to the State of Israel’s development and defense.
Each of the conference’s four sessions shed light on a different aspect of the Rashbam’s teachings. The first session pertained to the Rashbam’s commentary on the Torah; the second session dealt with the Rashbam’s commentary on Tehilim, Kohelet, and Shir HaShirim; the third session focused on the reciprocal nature of the relationship between Rashi, the Ibn Ezra and the Rashbam; and the final session examined the Rashbam’s influence on subsequent generations.
All of the lectures were recorded and are available on Orot’s website. In addition, the talks are set to be compiled into an academic journal, which will be published jointly by Orot Israel College and Bar Ilan University.
On Tuesday, the 25th of Cheshvan, 5771 (October 2, 2010), Orot Israel College officers and lecturers, Ministry of Education officials, graduating students and their family members and guests gathered in the Elkana Campus auditorium for the Bachelors of Education graduation ceremony.
The degree candidates marched into the hall to the sound of musical accompaniment and ecstatic applause from the excited audience after which Rabbi Chaim Fogel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Dr. Shraga Fishman, College Provost offered greetings.
President of the College, Rabbi Prof. Neria Guttel, welcomed MK Zevulun Orlev, Chairman of the Knesset Education, Culture and Sport Committee, former MK Nissan Slomiansky, Mr. David Buskila, representative of the Ministry of Education Teacher Training Department, Rabbi Chaim Fogel, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Rabbi Chaim Saban, Vice President of the College, lecturers, guests and graduates. His address was seasoned with insights to the week's Torah reading, and underscored the graduating class's commitment to the teaching profession as a personal mission. Rabbi Guttel wished them much success in their important careers as educators for the entire Jewish people.
MK Zevulun Orlev's keynote address, "Official and Recognized Education – Hand in Hand," traced the history of religious Zionist private schools, their constituent population and the difficulties faced by the official State Religious School system throughout the years. He pointed to problems, offered critical analysis and suggested possible solutions, concluding with his best wishes to the graduates for successful careers as educators in the religious Zionist educational system.
Valedictorian Rinat Avraham, representing her classmates, impressively articulated her educational philosophy, freely quoting from Rabbinic literature.
As always, Master of Ceremonies Zion Sasson conducted the proceedings with style and grace, accompanied by the serene musical piano interludes by Eviatar Lieberman.
On Monday, the 10th of Cheshvan, 5771 (October 18, 2010), Orot Israel College dedicated a new student residence wing in the name of Bina and Josef Cymberknopf.
Mrs. Shumacher-Cymberknopf was joined for the ceremony by her family and friends, as well as by College officials and students residents of the new dorm. The honored guests sat on lawn chairs under white shade umbrellas outside the new building as Mrs. Shumacher-Cymberknopf began the ceremony by unveiling the dedication plaque at the building's entrance.
Mr. Joel Koschitzky, Chairman of the College Board of Directors, read the plaque's inscription and briefly described the College and its divisions offering B.Ed. and M.Ed. degrees, as well as the wide array of activities on both the Elkana and Rehovot campuses for the benefit of the guests visiting Orot Israel College for the first time.
Mr. Kurt Rothschild, President of World Mizrachi, was honored with the affixing of the mezuzah on the new building. Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Felix, founder and original head of the College, praised Mr. Irving Cymberknopf z"l for his determination to promote the construction of the dormitory, recalling the difficulties encountered in finishing the project.
Mr. Michael Shumacher, representing the family, described Mr. Irving Cymberknopf z"l, his unwavering dedication to his parents and family and his life story until he made aliyah to Israel. He pointed out that Mr. Cymberknopf passed away only months before the completion of the building, and regretted that he did not live to see the opening of the new facility in all its glory.
The second half of the ceremony took place in the graduate school's main lecture hall where dozens of students joined the guests. Mr. Jerry Rosenfield, a friend of Orot College and of the family from Toronto, mentioned the many families of the Toronto community who helped in building the Elkana campus: Koschitzky, Weinbaum, Sokol, Maierovitz, Khan, Schwartz, Rosenfield and others. He singled out the important work of Mr. Kurt Rothschild, who invested much time and effort into ensuring that the building became a reality.
Rabbi Prof. Neria Guttel, President of the College, warmly thanked Mrs. Shumacher-Cymberknopf and her family, and Mr. Kurt Rothschild, who has worked day and night for decades to strengthen education and promote religious Zionism in Israel and abroad. His address focused on the religious injunction to show appreciation for good deeds, sharing insights into passages from the weekly Torah reading.
The ceremony concluded with words of gratitude to the family from Hagit Rimon, representing the students already living in the new dormitory. The ceremony was MC'ed by Mrs. Nomi Spanglet, Director of Development and Alumni Relations. The dormitory is the first of 19 planned to be built on the land currently occupied by caravan trailers.
By Dr. Yossi Spanier Head of the Department of Land of Israel Studies
In the framework of the Rosh Chodesh forum for first-year students, Orot conducted a seminar on the subject of “Judaism and the Environment”. Organized to develop awareness of the issue of the environment and its relationship to the Jewish world, the seminar encouraged students to lead an attitude change towards environmental issues in the educational system. A team from the organization "Teva Ivri" (Jewish Nature) led the seminar. Among the coordinators was Hadas Yelnick (Zagury), an Orot graduate who studied in Orot’s Department of the Land of Israel Studies and later earned her Master's Degree in Environmental Studies . Hadas returned to Orot as an active member of “Teva Ivri” in order to help promote the importance of environmental issues in educational institutions. Following an opening lecture by Rabbi Prof. Neria Guttel, Hadas described what she called a “global environmental crisis.” After the lectures, the students split into two rounds of Beit Midrash study on the subjects of “birkat ha'ilanot” – “Blessing of the Trees,” and “Preservation and the Value of Nature.” At the same time, there were two workshops: the first highlighted the importance of producing compost and recycling. The second presented numerous products in daily use and contrasted many products which contain dangerous toxins and should be avoided, with others made from healthy components that are safe to use. This interesting and informative day concluded with a call to students to join the framework of Israeli environmental activism.
Each year, Orot's student and faculty gather together for a lunch celebration called "Bein Cheirut L'charut" which connects the freedom (Cheirut) that we achieved when we recaptured the city of Jerusalem celebrated by Yom Yerushalayim, and the gift of the Torah, symbolized by the words that were hewn (Charut) into the Tablets given to Moshe on Har Sinai.
At Orot, we emphasize the proximity between these two seemingly unrelated holidays to highlight our strong belief that our return to Yerushalayim directly relates to the Jewish nation's continued connection to the Torah. Without the continued revelation that Shavuot represents, there would have been no Yom Yerushalayim. And because of Yom Yerushalayim, we now connect to the Torah in profound and powerful ways. The yearly program begins with a festive lunch on the lawns of Orot's campus, followed by scholarship presentations in the auditorium as well as the awarding of honors for student academic achievement. This year following the presentations, the students enjoyed a concert by the popular Vach family, whose beautiful musical arrangements and multiple harmonies have wowed audiences across Israel. The second half of the concert provided a special treat for Orot's students who enjoyed a women-only program that featured both the men and women of the Vach family. This unique, yearly celebration of both the holiness of Matan Torah as well as the miracle of Yom Yerushlayim and the scholarship of Orot's capable students, underscores Orot's special mission of combining Torah, academics, scholarship and a love for Eretz Yisrael to educate Israel's next generation of teachers.
Orot awarded B.Ed. (Bachelor of Education) degrees to over one hundred students at a recent graduation ceremony held in mid November. The graduates, who entered the auditorium to the sounds of a Turkish Marsh, were welcomed excitedly by excited parents, husbands, extended families, as well as Orot faculty members who came to honor the graduates. Guest of honor Prof. Amos Altschuler, chairman of the Council for Higher Education in Judea and Samaria, delivered a talk on the subject of "What Can be Done with a Triangle that Doesn't Exist?" Orot President Rabbi Prof. Neria Gutel welcomed the graduates, their guests and families, and congratulated the graduates, wishing them success in the field of teaching. The graduates also received congratulations from Rabbi Noah Greenfeld, director of the teacher training department in the Ministry of Education, Rabbi Haim Fogel, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Prof. Elazar Tuitou, Vice-Chairman of the Academic Committee. A graduate representative delivered a dvar Torah and expressed her thanks on behalf of the graduates, after which the graduates received their diplomas.
Orot Israel College is getting ready for its third annual Amadot Conference which will take place at Orot onכ"ד אייר תשס"ט (18-05-09).
The Amadot Conferences – Am, MeDina, Torah – deal with the complex intersection between the three components of the Zionist-Religious world – the Jewish nation, the State of Israel and the Torah. This complex intersection requires multidisciplinary analysis: scientific, religious, educational, cultural and interdisciplinary. These annual conferences, organized by the Orot Israel College of Education, are accompanied and supervised by a senior academic steering committee which chooses the topics of the conference and the lectures.
The first Amadot conference, (2007) "The Kippah and the Beret" dealt with the reciprocal relationship and tensions between the values of military service and religious obligation that long identified the Zionist-Religious community.
The second Amadot conference (2008) – "Ve'Hai Ahiha Imach" (Love thy neighbor) dealt with the attitude towards people with special needs and their integration into society, in various aspects: educational, halachic, philosophical, psychological, social, historical, legal, communication and artistic.
This year's Amadot conference – The World of Communication - will deal with the challenges and aims of the world of modern communication in society – press, radio, T.V. and internet. It will address issues from the numerous vantage points of education, halachah, sociaty, law, gender, youth and consumerism.
For more information about the conference, click here.
The Conference is free and open to the pubic. For more information about attending, contact Nomi Spanglet, Director of Development and Alumni Relations.
Orot takes great pride in the fact that its students not only identify with the Land of Israel, but spend time and energy learning about and traveling the Land. Because Eretz Yisrael is part of their identity and their college curriculum, they are able to transmit their love for the Land to their students in classrooms across Israel.
Each year, students studying in Orot's "Eretz Yisrael Studies" Department lead the entire student body of special tiyyulim across Israel. On this year's second field trip they took the students to the Shefelah (coastal plain) and south to Beth-Shemesh to acquaint Orot students - the future teachers of Israel - with the area around Emek Ha'Elah where the famous battle of David and Goliath took place.
The students also visited the site where the war between the people of Judaea and the Romans took place in the second century, where there are remnants of caves in which Jews hid from the Romans. Approximately 250 students as well as 10 teachers participated in the field trip. The guides were students from the department of Land of Israel Studies, who were trained by the teaching staff. In the pictures you can see the students in Tel-Azakka learning about the combat of David and Goliath.
On Monday Feb 23rd, Orot Israel College held a scholarship fundraising event co-sponsored by Leelah and Joseph Gittler and Tamar and Jonathan Koschitzky at the Gittler home in Raanana. Both Leelah Gittler (a former Bat Zion Bogeret) and Nomi Spanglet, the director of development and alumni relations made brief introductions. Rimona Sharvit, an Orot graduate and homeroom teacher and Limudei Kodesh elementary school co-ordinator at Beit Sefer Noam in Raanana, expressed her gratitude to Orot for helping her become the dedicated, passionate and well trained teacher that she is today. The guest speaker of the evening was Rabbi Yona Goodman, director of the Advanced Institute for Contemporary Education and Jewish Values. The topic of the lecture was: Parenting in Crisis, and included a multimedia presentation addressing the challenges of raising religious teenagers in the modern world. Orot would like to thank the Gittler and Koschitzky families for their very gracious hospitality as well as for their continued support to the College. We look forward to having several additional scholarship events during the coming year.
Michlelet Orot held recently a yom iyyun on the subject of "Our Relationship to Religious Zionism." This Yom Iyun was part of Orot's many planned year-round activities focusing on Religious Zionism. Guided by both President Rabbi Prof. Neria Guttel and Dean of Students Rabbi Dr. Moshe Rachimi, Orot has developed this thematic program with the knowledge that our students will soon become the educators that influence and shape the next generation of Israeli youth. During the Yom Iyun, Rabbi Yona Goodman, Director of the Advanced Institute for Contemporary Education and Jewish Values, discussed "Religious Zionism as Identity", describing the challenges that we face as a larger religious community that does not adequately define itself, and directions for improvement. Dr. Vitela Arzi, head of the English department and Dr. Keren Goldfard exposed to the audience a unique joint project between Michlelet Orot and Yeshiva University. In addition, students in the dance department performed a dance they had developed on the topic of Religious Zionism under the guidance of Mrs. Talia Perlstein, head of the dance department. Rabbi Elyashiv Avihail clarified the positions of the great rabbis towards Zionism with a presentation edited by his son, Segev Paniel Avihail הי"ד. Segev was one of the eight young students tragically gunned down at Yeshivat Mercaz Harav in Jerusalem over a year ago. He had created his digital presentation during the year before his death. Watching his love for Israel on the screen demonstrated the power that love for Eretz Yisrael can have, especially from our youth. His presentation remains a living testimony to the purity of his heart and soul. May his soul rest in peace, and be a source of strength for his family and klal yisrael.
On Wednesday, January 14, 09 (18 Tevet 5769) Orot held a Yom Iyyun for over 300 girls who serve during their Sherut Le'umi (Bat-Ami) in the field of educational on the topic of "Coping with Different Situations". Rabbi Yona Goodman began the program with a lecture on "A Spiritual Look at the War in the South". Afterwards, the girls split into several workshops in the varied fields of studies: Bible, Oral Law, Communications, Dance, and Educational Counseling in Informal Education. Each workshop addressed the subject: How am I coping with…" The workshops, while very interesting, ended too quickly, revealing the need for additional days of study. After lunch was served, the girls were invited to hear the fascinating one-man show of Mrs. Liat Stern that dealt with her way of coping with her difficult life. The purpose of the study day, which was the second of ten designated study days for girls serving in National Service, is to break the routine of these young women who work so hard in daily life. These conferences give them the opportunity to reflect on issues that are close to their hearts, while exposing them to the skills that the Michlalah can offer them.
A decade – a space of time and place, a decade of performance, search and growth. The right time to celebrate this exciting event was Hannukah, a time of thanksgiving, renewal, clarification – light from darkness, Greek culture against Beit Hashmonai. We all gathered in the auditorium - the academic faculty, graduates of the program, students and guests, for a moment of sharing the fruits and remembering the common path - a path that started with a group of young women, some of them from the world of dance and part of them from the world of Torah and education, who joined together in order to answer the yearn for dance in the world of Torah. Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Felix, Dr. Moshe Kedem ז"ל, Rabbi Tuviah Katz and Mrs. Talia Perlstein, everyone in his field, held meetings, deliberated, and created the department of Dance and Movement at Orot Israel College. The program began ten years ago with a handful of worried girls, not knowing what they should expect; teachers who had never before passed the green line; a meeting between worlds – religious and secular, modern and classic dance, a spiritual world, etc. Since then, the department has continuously developed and grown. The day started with performances of the students, each year with its special performance showing the religious artistic development that the students are undergoing through their training in all the fields – expression, technical accuracy, refinement, awareness, control, creativity, spiritual maturity etc. The compositions included both classic and modern repertoires, carefully chosen and faithful to the spiritual world of the girls. The composer, Prof. Andre Hajdu was invited to introduce his compositions that express musical reading in the Bible, and thus exposed us to his philosophy regarding the relationship between art and religion. During the day, there were several workshops on the subjects of movement, religion and art which enabled exchanges of views between the graduates, students and guests. The day closed with the performances of graduates from all the years. They produced 10 first fruit works, after a long time of intense personal work and artistic guidance. The performances emphasized the need of these young women to find a sincere way for personal expression. Producing these performance in itself is a breakthrough to the possibility of combining family responsibilities, livelihood and fulfillment of personal creation in dancing of religious women. The enthusiasm and commitment that characterized the creative process of the graduates toward the decade celebration, were an incentive for Orot's administration to create (will already start אי"ה next month) a continued framework for the graduates of the dance department, which will enable their artistic development in the field of creation and performance.
