See What's Happening at AMHSI!
Check out our calendar and join us for any upcoming events in your area.
Throughout the year we host a number of alumni events, informational sessions, and visiting teachers from AMHSI. These provide an excellent venue for people to learn more about AMHSI, make new friends, reconnect with old friends, and have fun! CALENDAR
2nd Campus Opens in the Negev
AMHSI has expanded to a second campus! Located in the Negev near Be'er Sheva, AMHSI has constructed a brand new dormitory at the Eshel Hanassi Youth Village. READ MORE...
AMHSI Dances for a Cause
In March 2010, nearly 250 AMHSI students from all over the United States and Israeli high school students from the Mosenson School coordinated a flash mob at the Port in Tel Aviv. Ten days before Passover, the flash mob was done in the hope to raise awareness for captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit's safe return home, with the timely message of "Let my people go".
The song "One Day" is by AMHSI alum, Matisyahu, and remixed by Israeli trance band Infected Mushroom.
Hot off the Presses - Yossi Katz' first book is published!
Some of you may know Yossi Katz as a renowned AMHSI educator for nearly 30 years; others may recall him as the former Israeli National Boxing Champion. Now, Yossi has just added "author" to his impressive resume. A Voice Called– Stories of Jewish Heroism, published by Gefen Publishing House Ltd., is a collection of articles about some of the great Jewish heroes of modern times. A collage of role-models and inspiring makers of Jewish history, the book features 32 chapters of Jewish heroism, some famous like Theodor Herzl, Rachel the Poetess, Hannah Senesh, and Menachem Begin, but also stories of unsung heroes, 4 of which are related to AMHSI – alumni Brian Bebchick, Adam Bier, and Michael Levin, and AMHSI educator David Sprung. The stories are written to shed light on Jewish history and to inspire the reader to live in the present with pride and dignity and to help build a better future.
AMHSI talks with Yossi Katz to find out more:
AMHSI: What inspired you to write a book?
YK: I have been teaching Jewish History at AMHSI since 1980 and have always focused on the stories of the heroes and heroines who have made Jewish history. I believe that a people that knows its past will have the courage and strength to meet life's challenges today and build a solid future. Along with my teachings, I have been writing articles about the heroes I have taught about in the classroom for over 30 years. This past year I decided to sit down, collect those stories and add ones about my favorite heroes and heroines and put them together in my first book.
AMHSI: What author or book has influenced you?
YK: As a young teenager, I read a most inspiring book called The Deed, by Gerold Frank, about two Jewish freedom fighters named Eliahu Hakim and Eliahu Bet Zuri. The two young men were hanged by the British in 1945 and I was greatly moved by their heroic deeds and actions. It was the first book that really changed my beliefs and helped me see a new light. It helped me become a Zionist and a proud Jew. Since those days, there have been many books that have had a great influence on me. In 1978 when I made aliyah to Israel, I was given a gift- the book Self Portrait of a Hero- The Letters of Yonaton Netanyahu. It was the most inspiring book I ever read in my life and gave me strength and direction. Till this day, I keep it beside my bed and reread it constantly. I have always felt that books are important tools in building one's character and for many years I dreamt of writing an inspiring book for today's generation.
AMHSI: How did you come up with the title “A Voice Called”?
YK: The title
“A Voice Called” is from a line in a poem by Hannah Senesh, where she writes
"a voice called and I went". She wrote about hearing an inner calling & finding the strength to answer the call. Those words are inscribed on the Paratroopers Monument near Rehovot where today Hannah Senesh's name is joined by that of a former AMHSI student and great hero Michael Levin, to whom my book is dedicated. Michael fell in the 2nd War in Lebanon in 2006. I wanted to do something to help keep Michael's memory alive and felt that this book would be the perfect vehicle. I hope that these 32 chapters of modern Jewish heroism will help inspire the readers to answer their own inner callings with courage & conviction.