Audio Shiur from Rav Prebor: Nevi'im Achronim, Then and Now

Audio Shiur:
Rav Sinai Prebor: Nevi'im Achronim, Then and Now
If you could not join us in person, (or just want to give the shiur another listen), feel free to listen to Rav Prebor's shiur.

Click here for the audio link, or listen in the handy audio player supplied below.

Being a School Principal

By David Shavit,
Rechovot Campus

2010 was the third year that Orot Israel College Israel offered an educational management training course for future school principals at the Moreshet Yaacov Campus in Rehovot, and the second year at the Elkana Campus. The following are excerpts from the speakers at the Orot Israel College Rehovot Campus 2010 graduation ceremony.

"He who is all kindness risks anarchy
He who is all wisdom risks skepticism
He who is all faith risks extremism
One needs kindness, wisdom and faith." (Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa)
- This is the essence of being a school principal.

Orot's Educational Management training course prepares a cadre of candidates for elementary and secondary school principal positions for the near and distant future. 64 men and women are presently studying in this course.
When we started planning the course curriculum, we started with three basic assumptions, following developing trends in the education system:
• The school principal, as the central figure leading an educational institution, must possess the image of a professional educator.
• The job of a school principal is very complex and requires extensive knowledge of management and leadership skills, as well as an ability to initiate and lead change as the head of the staff.
• The school principal must be an educational leader with a clear educational-ethical philosophy, and must possess the ability to design and implement complex educational processes.

The course exposes students to the theory of educational management so that they are ready to deal with the real world – actual management. The course continuously stresses the connection between theory and practice by exposing the students to actual situations that school principals must address. Students meet with experienced teachers, leading school principals, senior figures in the education system, and more.
Students devote many hours to practical field work. In the first year students visit schools and meet with seasoned principals, observing and learning according to a pre-designed curriculum. In the second year the students' field work experience involves leading a task independently under professional supervision, as assigned in conjunction with the school principal.
As a result of the two-year course of study, our graduates have come to use a different lexicon when discussing education, fully incorporating prominent concepts from the fields of education and management. Students experienced a personal transformation as well, from an apprehension of management and leadership to an eagerness to take responsibility and be on the cutting edge of Israel's educational system. Many of our graduates already serve as school principals and still maintain contact with the college.
We expect that studies in a religious educational college like Orot Israel will help the students formulate a worldview based on faith, and help them develop a personal and educational identity on both a theoretical and practical level. We expect our students to develop as professionals and leaders who know how to listen to and involve others, while leading them to create an educational environment with a creative vision. We expect our graduates to know how to inspire their colleagues to take responsibility for the implementation and results of their school's curriculum development.
We pray that this task that the college has taken upon itself, to prepare Israel's next generation of educational leadership, will serve as a catalyst for the enhancement of the entire educational system in the years to come.

"Being There"

By Avia Sonnenfeld,
Fourth year Informal and Community Education major

Six students in the college's Informal and Community Education track specializing in youth work volunteered to join the "Coffee on the Beach" project last summer as part of their field work assignments. The project, run each summer by Elem, a non-profit organization that works with "youth at risk", provides a first response to youth camping out at the Dugit Beach on Lake Kinneret. Orot's third and fourth year students were supervised by Sally Gov (Director of the Kiryat Shmuel Municipality's Youth Advancement Department and lecturer at Orot College) and spent each evening reaching out to youth on the beach, engaging them in conversation. Avia Sonnenfeld, a fourth year student, reports on their experiences.

I spent last summer on the beach together with many Israeli religious Zionist teens. I saw many sights, talked into the wee hours and discovered that to get to know our youth better and to really gain their confidence you have to be with them where they are, even if it is in places you don't want to be.
At the Orot's Informal and Community Education Youth Advocacy Unit, we deal with individual therapy for alienated and at-risk youth. "Youth at-risk" include boys or girls in danger of dropping out of school due to behavioral, scholastic or other difficulties. Boys or girls who are not in a school framework are more likely to become involved in dangerous or self-destructive behavior.
During our field work assignments we met with teenagers in youth clubs, community centers, boarding schools and regular schools. When summer begins and schools go on vacation, teenagers don't just disappear. They look for work, hang out, or "let loose", sometimes straying into places where they put themselves at risk.
So a group of us students went to meet them there.
Of course, not all cases are the same and not all youth are drawn toward risky situations, but the potential for danger looms large.
One of the places where teens often choose to hang out at is the beach. Israel has many beaches and there are many alternatives venues for youth. During the summer the beaches on the Mediterranean coast, in Eilat and the shores of Lake Kinneret are filled with teenage boys and girls. What do they do at the beach all day? Swim, hang out with the guys, sunbath, but most importantly, the agenda is to be out on your own – staying as far away and out of touch from the adult world as possible.
What about at night? At night things really start to get interesting: music, bottles of booze (and sometimes more) suddenly appear, boy-girl interactions become more alluring, and the youth just let the night set its own pace.
So what's the problem? Many youth spend days or even weeks alone on the beach. Sometimes they leave from there to go trekking, often neglecting to get organized in terms of water, food and hygiene, which can lead to situations of dehydration. Moreover, boys often end up in situations of drunkenness, violence, drugs, and occasionally in danger of drowning from reckless behavior. Apart from the physical dangers there are also, of course, problems of spiritual confusion and personality disorders associated with these situations. Some teens, even those who are not dragged into extreme risk situations, will have many questions about themselves, about coming of age and about what is happening around them.
For this reason, the "ELEM" Association, together with the "Say No to Drugs" Authority and other youth advocacy organizations, has, through a grant from the Ministry of Education, sponsored an "open tent," offering hot drinks, light, food, and especially adults who want to be there for and with the youth, to provide information, conversation and guidance. The tent is open from 9:00pm until 2:00am.
Most of the volunteers who came to the tent were amazing, and it was wonderful to work with them, but they were not from religious backgrounds. However, many of the teens found on the beaches are from "our public" – from the religious community. The teens need to talk with an adult, but an adult who doesn't come from the same background as the youth cannot give an ideal response because he doesn't understand his world. That's why there is such a great need for volunteers who come from a religious background. For that reason we – religious students studying youth work – were "drafted" as a group combining talent for working with at-risk youth and a religious background and education.
Our group, supervised by Ms. Sally Gov, worked with the youth at the Dugit Beach over the course of two nights. We saw a little of what they were seeking at the beach, and discovered how important it is to give the youth a chance to engage with a non-judgmental adult, even though they are supposedly running away from the adult world.
We received much positive feedback from the boys and girls we met. We met many of "our" youth there, even some who we knew personally. There were some difficult moments, such as when we saw girls practically unconsciousness from excessive alcohol, or when we saw a boy or girl from the community where we live. Our conversations with the youth were interesting and we were quite surprised to learn that the youth actually wanted us to be there. This important experience taught us a great deal both about ourselves and about the youth.
Finally, we gained a great deal from the experience of working together as a team under the professional supervision of Ms. Gov, who conducted serious workshops during the day we spent together.
I'm very happy that I had this experience and recommend that anyone who wants to better understand the world of our precious youth should volunteer for ELEM's beach activities next year.

Judaism or Democracy: What Would You Choose?

By Rabbi Reuven Spolter Judaic Director of Recruiting and Judaic Studies Instructor

In the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, signed on the eve of Israel's War of Independence, the founders of the State tiptoed around a fundamental paradox. Their attempt to evade this glaring issue, probably because they could see no ready solution to the problem, has been the root of many, if not most of the major debates in Israel and across the Jewish world.
It's worthwhile to spend time studying the document in its entirety, but I'll focus on two small sections for now.

השואה שנתחוללה על עם ישראל בזמן האחרון, בה הוכרעו לטבח מיליונים יהודים באירופה, הוכיחה מחדש בעליל את ההכרח בפתרון בעיית העם היהודי מחוסר המולדת והעצמאות על-ידי חידוש המדינה היהודית בארץ-ישראל, אשר תפתח לרווחה את שערי המולדת לכל יהודי ותעניק לעם היהודי מעמד של אומה שוות-זכויות בתוך משפחת העמים.

The catastrophe which recently befell the Jewish people - the massacre of millions of Jews in Europe - was another clear demonstration of the urgency of solving the problem of its homelessness by re-establishing in Eretz-Israel the Jewish State, which would open the gates of the homeland wide to every Jew and confer upon the Jewish people the status of a fully privileged member of the comity of nations.
Survivors of the Nazi holocaust in Europe, as well as Jews from other parts of the world, continued to migrate to Eretz-Israel, undaunted by difficulties, restrictions and dangers, and never ceased to assert their right to a life of dignity, freedom and honest toil in their national homeland.

I need to make a small but critical point here: there's a problem with the translation in the text. I didn't translate here. The Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did. Notice the section that I've highlighted in bold and red: "the problem of its homelessness", which is a paraphrasing of the words, בעיית העם היהודי. While technically correct, it's missing the critical nuance of the language that the framers clearly intended. When we translate the words בעיית העם היהודי literally, we find that this phrase means "the problem of the Jewish nation." This is clearly a reference to the "Jewish Problem" articulated by Nazi Germany. See also here. As we all well know, the Nazis came up with a rather ingenious solution to the problem. I see this minor translation (or the lack of nuance) as critical, because it highlights how strong a role the Holocaust played in the creation of the State of Israel, not only in the minds of the members of the international community, but also in the minds of the founders of the Jewish State.
With this is mind, we can begin to get a sense of the urgency of creating a Jewish State. Jews were slaughtered by the millions, with nowhere to run for refuge. The founders of the State declared openly that this would never happen again. Israel would stand ready to accept any Jew running from persecution. It would be a haven for Jews fleeing from the rampages of antisemitism. It would do so, by definition, by creating itself as a Jewish State: by the Jews, and for the Jews.
But then, later on in the document, the framers make another important statement:

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

In other words, Israel would be a democracy, granting full rights to all of its citizens. Sounds great. But there's only problem. How do you ensure that the State remains Jewish if it truly adheres to the principles of democracy fully? If you grant "complete equality" to all citizens, what do you do if a minority grows to the point that it threatens to overtake the Jewish minority?
Let's leave the territories of out the equation. What do you do when you see secular Israelis fleeing the country, while the Israeli Arab population explodes? Would the State of Israel still be a Jewish State if its Arab majority voted for an Arab Prime Minister? How then do you guarantee that the State remains both Jewish, and a democracy?
In a word, you can't.
Until now, we've been avoiding this internal contradiction. We haven't had to confront the truth: a Jewish State and true democratic values might not be completely compatible. Something has to give.
So you've got to choose. Which are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to risk Israel's status as a Jewish State for the sake of the principles of democracy, equality and fairness, hallowed and sacred and important values? Or, will you sacrifice that equality for all to ensure that Israel remains a Jewish country?
That's the choice. Which would you choose?

Special Education Certification Course for Paramedical Professionals

By Dr. Avia Gutman

Chair, Department of Special Education

Orot Israel College became the first religious college in Israel's history to offer a course in continuing education for professional working in fields related to paramedical therapies.
The program began in October with more than twenty students who hold bachelor's degrees – and some even master's degrees – in the fields of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and the creative therapies (art, movement, music, drama, and psychodrama). Successful completion of the course will qualify the participants for a special education teacher's license in the school system.
The course will teach the theoretical principles and practical aspects of special education, in order to help promote the careers of paraprofessional staff already working within the education system. In addition, Orot's religious outlook adds special value to the program by providing a spiritual and religious perspective on special education to complement the therapeutic training.
For example, instructors often insert examples from Tanach and stories from Talmudic sources to illustrate how tradition teaches us to relate to children with special needs.
The continuing education course was designed according to the Ministry of Education requirements in coordination with the ministry's Special Education Division for those seeking to advance their careers in the education system. The course offers the best lecturers in an interdisciplinary approach combining special education with the therapeutic professions. The curriculum includes:
• Therapeutic intervention with children of special needs (learning disabilities, autism, mental retardation, etc.)
• Lesson plans in special education
• Learning environment design
• Working with parents
• Dealing with discipline problems
Students who complete the course will receive a certificate from the Orot Israel College of Education, recognized by the Ministry of Education for credit toward achieving a teacher's license, tenure or career advancement in the educational system.
Orot is extremely proud of this exciting new program, which furthers its mission to train qualified and dedicated educators devoted to the values of Torah and the Land of Israel, ready to develop the next generation of Israel's youth.

Training Better Teachers with Technology

New on the Rehovot Campus: Virtual Fieldwork Instruction

By Nathan Fried and Adiel Brodman
Orot Israel College, Rechovot Campus

Of the many challenges administrators faced in helping students complete their training, the most common obstacle was distance. Student teachers found positions in schools quite far from the college campus – most often in or near their home town – and these student teachers found themselves having the travel often up to four hours at their own expense each week in order to participate in a 2-hour seminar at the college. Thus, they were tempted to ignore the seminar requirement and save themselves precious time and money, while gaining an additional day of work per week.
Fieldwork instructors at the Rehovot campus put their heads together with the Distance Learning Unit's staff and came up with a novel solution for student teachers in the periphery – a virtual fieldwork instruction seminar. The students no longer have to spend hours commuting to the Rehovot campus to meet with their fieldwork supervisor. Armed with the tools of advanced computer networking, the fieldwork seminar comes to their computer anytime, anyplace.

The final year of academic training in the teaching profession is traditionally a year of field work for the student teacher. The year is comprised of three components:
1. Work as a classroom teacher (of at least 1/3 position) in a recognized school
2. On-site supervision from an experienced teacher from the school staff
3. Participation in a 56-hour fieldwork seminar at the college
While all three components are of equal importance, it is imperative that they be coordinated to maximize the value of the fieldwork experience during the student's first teaching year.

Since the Ministry of Education and the college see the fieldwork experience as an integral part of the professional training process, a solution had to we found for the well-meaning student teachers who found it too difficult to attend the seminars. It should be noted that this problem could lead to the delay of receiving one's teaching certificate and any further professional specialization certification as well, especially for elementary school teachers in the "Ofek Chadash" (New Horizon) framework.

To solve this problem, Orot administration established an Internet communication framework that interfaces the student teachers and their seminar instructor via a virtual platform. About 20 participants were chosen (with their agreement) according to their distance from the Rehovot campus. Using the HighLearn computer software application as an Internet platform, the Distant Learning Unit at the Rehovot campus set up a virtual seminar classroom with each of the participants.

How does it work? The semester is divided into sections of 10 workdays, with each section assigned to one student. During each 10-day period one student is expected to post an actual dilemma from his experience in the classroom for feedback from the other students. The chat room discussion that follows examines the problem and alternative solutions offered by the group. The student is expected to answer each comment posted by the group members, thus sharpening his didactic judgment. The seminar instructor monitors the discussion, posts links to salient academic papers and carries on a private email dialogue with the student offering insight and supervision. The student is then expected to produce a term paper based on what was learned in the process of the group discussion on his chosen dilemma.

Orot staff sees this program as an important step in improving teacher training, especially in light of the positive initial reactions to the innovative new system. While a complete evaluation will be conducted at the end of the year, Orot sees this new program as another important tool in the training of Israel's future leaders.

In the Wake of the Independence War Fighters: A Campus Wide Tiyyul

By Dr. Yossi Spanier

Chair, Department of Eretz Yisrael Studies

Orot's first campus-wide tiyyul - required of all Orot students to instill in them a love for the Land of Israel - concentrated on the story of Jerusalem in the War of Independence, with emphasis on the route into the city. This year's topic on which Orot focuses - "הנני שלחני" ("Here I am. Send me"), which emphasizes contribution to society and volunteering for the country, received a special meaning by learning about the contributions of the fighters on their way to Jerusalem.
Guided by students of Orot's Department of Eretz Yisrael Studies, who prepared intensely over the three weeks leading up to the trip, Orot's student body learned first-hand about the challenges that Jerusalem's 100,000 faced during the city's siege and how the Palmach and other fighters risked their lives in order to save the city from hunger.
Orot's student guides also prepared a theoretical research in the library as well as aids in the pedagogical center to clarify the subject matter. Students appreciated their considerable investment, excellent guidance and mastery of both the material and the field as they utilized a variety of sources and training methods,
The field trip included a visit to the "Masrek" nature reserve, where we climbed to the ridge of the convoys with its stunning view on the Sha'ar Ha'Gay and on the main road to Jerusalem (Route 1). Only when looking at this angle from the top of the ridge can one understand the importance of the main artery of Jerusalem then and today. Students reconstructed the events that took place at the beginning of the Independence War along the various stations, some of which were positions from the war.
The preparations for the field trip also included a preliminary lecture given by Yehuda Ziv, a Palmach fighter who shared with us his experiences the way he felt them as a fighter in those days. To listen to Mr. Ziv's talk to the students (in Hebrew) click here.
A tour in the center of our developing country reminds us how difficult it was at the beginning and that the generation of the Independence War who fought for us gave us the independence from which we enjoy to this day.
Yasher Koach to the students of the Eretz Yisrael Studies Department and to the teachers Dr. Yitzhak Sapir and Naama Bindiger whose considerable investment yielded an interesting and enjoyable tour.