This is the third year 50 early childhood educators from Haifa and Boston are meeting almost on a weekly basis on the Internet, video conferences, and mutual visits.
In the kindergartens, both in Haifa and Boston, you can find the Haifa-Boston corners, with pictures, paintings, and songs.
The Educators Connection created special curriculum activities special for the Jewish holidays but also a very serious discussion on how to react to the children when a terror act appears in the neighborhood. This is one of the most successful P2P programs within the Haifa-Boston connection.
Lisa Kritz, from Hertz Nursery School, Sharon, Mass describes:
"It is the first full day of school, kids have been crying, papers are all over my desk and the phone rings AGAIN! I pass it off to a staff person to avoid a sales call and she says to me, 'I think it is someone from Haifa?!'. I grab the phone, barely leaving the poor teacher's hand intact and hear the sweet SHALOM LISA from Ronit! 'Shana Tovah', she says. I sigh and say Ronit, 'shalom, shalom'.
We scurry through so much information, including the magnificent sunset she just witnessed and her yelling to a group of children 'Shana Tovah and hello from Haifa, Israel!' They look at me dazed and think I am silly to be chatting with a friend in Israel! This is Boston-Haifa Early Childhood. Our initial connection was immediate and natural. The laughter, friendship and caring is natural. Our curriculum is natural! Israel is REAL!
As we begin another school year we are excited to explore the theme of Mayim. Our staff has begun their exploration via text study. Ronit promises to send some ideas via email after the chagim. Last spring Ronit called with one magical idea regarding Shavuot and Yom Yirushalim. It transformed our space and was a continuation of Ronit's visit to our gan. Rachel calls and emails things she is doing each day in her Gan as we send ideas to her too. We are blessed to have this support and connection.
Our synagogue community is very involved in integrated Boston-Haifa projects. Because of our various connections we have decided to purchase a large floor map of Israel to invite integrated learning opportunities for the synagogue. The following will be on our map in addition to a flag marking Haifa as our sister city:
Genesis 13:17 when God speaks to Abraham and tells him to traverse the land. The words are "Kum Hithalekh ba-aretz..." Just those three words which loosely translated mean, 'Arise, go walk about the land'. That is exactly what our kids will be doing with this map. We are very excited to have Israel come alive for us all!
Boston-Haifa has given us all a renewed connection and love for Eretz Yisrael."
Todah Rabah
Lisa Kritz
Hertz Nursery School
Sharon, Mass.
Cheshvan 5765 - October 2004