Dear Friends,

Israel's 60th anniversary is a historic event for all of us in Israel, as well as for our Jewish brethren around the world. The commemorations of Holocaust Day and Memorial Day which precede the celebrations of our independence are moments for introspection, sadness and togetherness.

Ibim students at the former Atlit transit camp, presenting the stories of ships with illegal immigrants making their way to the shores of pre-State Palestine.

Our new immigrants experience over the period of a week much of what led us to where we are today. They participated in a moving torchlighting ceremony in Kibbutz Yad Mordechai mourning the millions killed in the Holocaust and honoring the brave Jewish resistance to Hitler. Within a week, they stand with the nation as it mourns the soldiers killed in the defense of the State, then celebrate the miracle of our 60 years of independence

Together Be'seder

Forty of Ibim's Kedma students received tefillin from the Jewish Agency to assist them in their conversion process.

Ibim students celebrated Seder night and the ensuing holiday in a variety of venues across Israel. Some made their way down to Eilat and gained hands-on work experience in any number of the bustling hotels. Living on a limited stipend, this extra income provided them some spending money for treats, as well as a better base for the near future when they will be on their own.

Other students were welcomed by Israeli families as part of the "At Home, Together" program. For some, this was not only their first seder in Israel, but their first seder ever. Some spent the holiday with their families, either living in Absorption Centers or already settled in permanent homes around the country. Still others were hosted by Kibbutz Beeri which opened its doors in the Passover spirit to students with no family in Israel. All the students returned from the holiday refreshed and ready to resume their studies.

Symbolic Salute

Following their studies at Ibim or at the University, almost all the current students at Ibim will serve in the IDF. A three-day taste of the army at a base in the north was an unforgettable experience for the Selah and Kedma students. They returned with a heartfelt motivation to serve the country and a renewed sense of being part of this new/old place which they now call home.

On April 29th, all the Selah and Kedma students reported for duty at the army induction station in Beer Sheva. An Ibim tradition has developed wherein all the students go together to their first meeting with the army. Pre-army testing begins for all Israelis in the second to last year of high school during which a physical and mental profile is determined for each individual. This profile, outlining abilities, talents and limitations, prescribes the types of units in which the individual will be invited to serve – technical, infantry, paramedical, support, intelligence, etc. The Ibim students undergo these initial tests together, and while some will join the army soon after they complete the program at Ibim, others will defer their service until after university studies.

Good Luck and Thank You to Anat: After seven years of dedicated service, our social worker Anat Avni Savyon, will be leaving Ibim. Anat recently bore her second daughter, and has decided to stay at home with the children. We wish her the best and thank her for seven years or listening, caring, advising and fixing.

Remembering the Brave

At Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, Ibim students listened solemnly to one of Israel's hundreds of Holocaust Day memorial and commemoration services.

Attendees get seated at Kibbutz Yad Mordechai's Holocaust memorial and commemoration service.

The Kibbutz is named after Mordechai Anielewicz, a martyred hero of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Anielewicz, an activist in the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement spearheaded Jewish resistance in Nazi-occupied Poland. He established cells and youth groups, oversaw underground publications, organized meetings and seminars. As soon as he heard of the extermination of the Jews, Anielewicz began organizing self-defense groups in the Warsaw Ghetto, eventually becoming commander of the uprising. In May of 1943, at the age of 24, Anielewicz was killed in a bunker, together with some of his fellow resisters.

For more information about Ibim-San Diego Student Village:
Contact Soni Singer, Director, SoniS@jafi.org