Orot Israel College Students Visit Zichron Yaakov

by Luzit Odesser

Early Childhood Education Department

Students from Orot Israel College’s early education department had the privilege of visiting Zichron Yaakov and its environs. The magical trip served a dual purpose: It gave us a chance to bond while learning in a manner that will help our future students. Our first stop was Zichron’s cemetery and original street, where our talented guide told us about the first settlers in what was then a moshava (agricultural settlement), the difficulties and challenges they overcame, and the moshava’s early years. Outside the synagogue, we heard about Baron Rothschild and all that he did for Zichron and its inhabitants. We discussed the complex situation whereby the Baron’s contributions enabled the moshava to exist and develop, but his clerks made the farmers’ lives miserable. Next, we proceeded on to Ramat Hanadiv.

When we were planning our trip, the Ramat Hanadiv staff suggested that we sign up for an activity in their educational garden. Initially, we turned down the offer, because we thought it would not be appropriate for shmitah. However, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the Ramat Hanadiv gardens observe shmitah! Thus, we decided to book a tour that was geared for the early childhood years and that focused on observing shmitah in gardens and preschools. According to Ramat Hanadiv’s website:
“The Talmudic sages construed [the relevant psukim from Vayikra 25] to mean that during the Sabbatical Year, the Jewish people should refrain from planting. The prohibition against pruning vineyards was extended to include all activities that might significantly improve or spur the growth of plants; pruning and other maintenance jobs were permitted only if they were deemed absolutely necessary to keep plants alive. All this was geared towards a single purpose: to give the land a rest, an opportunity to renew and strengthen itself, so that it would yield new fruits for the six years following Shmitta. At Ramat Hanadiv, we are marking the Sabbatical Year in its agricultural sense as well as in social and environmental terms.”

And in fact, when we arrived at the beautiful and well-maintained Ramat Hanadiv gardens, we noticed many signs of shmitah-observance. Instead of the usual beds of seasonal flowers at the entrance to the memorial garden, we were greeted by thousands (!!) of lovely, colorful, and unique clay flowers, which were assembled by senior citizens across the country. And as we strolled along the garden’s paths, we saw that the topiaries had not been pruned. Even in the aroma garden geared for the visually impaired – the strong scent of the herbs growing in the garden invites the visitor to pick them, to rub them between one’s fingertips, to recite the “borei issvei besamim” blessing, and to fill one’s lungs with their fragrance – we observed further evidence of shmitah-observance: Some of the flowerbeds were empty, and small signs with the missing herbs’ names were the only indication of their absence. Another sign referred to the Baron’s connection to shmitah and sparked a discussion about the so-called Shmitah Dispute of 1889.

Ramat Hanadiv also comprises additional gardens, such as a therapeutic garden, a sustainability garden, and more. In a garden filled with butterflies, we learned about the concept of “ecological footprint” and saw an extremely giving tree. We also talked about gardening with preschool children in general and during shmitah in particular.

The Orot Israel College students said that they had a wonderful time, and we all look forward to implementing the many ideas we learned during the course of our visit to Zichron.

“To Lie In Your Shadow, Carmel”

Na'ama Bindiger,
Land of Israel studies department

“The mountain is green throughout the year.

I still dream and ask

To breathe your winds as at first,

To lie in your shadow, Carmel.”

With songwriter Yoram Taharlev’s beautiful words on our lips, Orot Israel College headed out on a tiyul of Nachal Rakefet in the Carmel on 14 Iyar (May 18). As we hiked the lovely trail, we discussed geography, history, and current events. And a surprise awaited us…

Our tiyul to Nachal Rakefet was part of Orot’s series of trips - each one to a different location and with a different theme. The ultimate goal is to show the students – the teachers of the future – how tiyulim can be a valuable tool for forging an unbreakable bond with Eretz Yisrael.

We were privileged to have students from Orot’s Land of Israel studies department as our guides, and they taught us about the Carmel’s unique topography, geology, and botany – including the lush Mediterranean vegetation, which covers its slopes and keeps the mountain “green throughout the year.”

Our excellent guides also focused on the human element. They told us about Jewish settlement in the region, and as we overlooked Daliat-El-Carmel, a Druze village, we heard about the Druze, their religion, and their warm ties with the State of Israel. In addition, we spoke at length about this past Chanukah’s devastating forest fire – its deadly course and the slow rehabilitation process. And lastly, we concentrated on Eliyahu HaNavi’s famous clash with the nevi’ei haBaal on the Carmel, which apparently took place at Muchrakah – our final stop.

During our hike, we also had an unexpected encounter with the animal kingdom: an “attack” of pine processionary caterpillars! Apparently, we had arrived just before the pupation period, and the caterpillars were everywhere – climbing on our skirts, and falling from the trees onto our knapsacks. An unforgettable experience… and thanks to the caterpillars, we all walked much faster than usual…

But without a doubt, the highlight of our trip was the gorgeous scenery and the delightfully-pastoral trail.

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.