Schoolchildren in Arad are looking for friends in America. The Israeli youngsters want to exchange information and ideas on a personal level with children from another culture. Particularly during this time of crisis, "they need support," said Cheryl Freeman, an English teacher at Arad's Chalamish Community School. "They need to hear from American kids that they care. They want to care about the American kids too."
Freeman together with computer consultant Berta Pistrov were on a one-week trip to the United States to promote Netfriends, a program designed to match American and Israeli youngsters in a pen-pal program -- but with communication carried out through e-mail. Pistrov, who is coordinating the program in Arad, and Freeman want to see Netfriends adopted by day schools in the regions of the Partnership 2000 cluster group of 11 federations in New Jersey and Delaware. They spent two days last week visiting the Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union lower school in Cranford, the religious school of Temple Emanu-El in Westfield and the Jewish Educational Center in Elizabeth. The two visitors were hosted by Heidi Weinberg of Scotch Plains, chair of the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey's Partnership 2000, during their time in the area. Arad is the federation's sister city in Israel as part of the Partnership 2000 Cluster.
Weinberg said she thinks Netfriends is a great way for American and Israeli kids to form ties, especially since "the younger generation of American Jewish kids don't have that same connection with Israeli kids" as do adults, who visit Israel more regularly.
On Dec. 14, fourth- and fifth-grade teacher Revital Wellisch escorted Freeman, Pistrov and Weinberg around the Solomon Schechter school in Cranford, which encompasses nursery school through fifth grade. The two Arad visitors found enthusiastic support from, among others, Irit Malinsky, a second-grade Hebrew teacher, whose class recently sent artwork to a school in Israel. Malinsky said that the Netfriends program would be a great way to expand on the connection with Israeli kids. Undertaking projects that connect the American students with Israeli kids "is like a little baby," she said. "It's a new one, so we're very excited."
After Freeman explained the idea to a class of fifth graders, they seemed particularly excited. They told Freeman and Pistrov, however, that they had been disappointed when, through a similar program with Jewish kids in Russia, they didn't receive responses to their e-mails. Freeman assured the students that the Arad kids would answer their messages. Alex Feldman of Springfield was willing to give it a shot "only if I get their e-mail first," he said. His classmate Jennifer Brotman of Westfield said she'd like to exchange ideas "and talk about everyday life" in Israel with the kids in Arad.
The Netfriends program is in its third year, said Freeman, a native Australian who has been living in Arad for 11 years. The only way the program can really work, Pistrov said is with the teachers' commitment. Two of Arad's schools are already linked with five schools from the Partnership 2000 cluster -- two in Wilmington, Del., two in Ocean County and the Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union lower school in West Orange.
And what information do kids exchange through Netfriends? Mostly they discuss rock stars and sports, with some politics from both countries thrown in, Freeman said. An added benefit to the program, she said, is that her students' command of the English language has been steadily improving. "They eat it up. It's the only way to go," she said.
At the end of the visit, Wellisch was sold on the Netfriends idea and promised to discuss it with principal Patti Kahn and other teachers in the school. "It's a great project," Wellisch concluded.
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Shvat 5761 - February 2001