One of my favorite stories of tikkun olam involves one of the greatest rabbis of the middle ages, Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg. Rabbi Meir lived in the area of Ashkenaz (Franco-Germany) during a dark period of persecutions during the 13th century. At last he found life as a Jew untenable there, and he uprooted his family to attempt the long and dangerous journey to the Land of Israel. He did not make it far. Rabbi Meir was recognized by an apostate Jew was traveling with a church official. Denounced and arrested, he was held in a formidable fortress.

The light from the Channukah candles serves to remind those who see it of the miracle that occurred during the 2nd Temple period when the Macabees fought and defeated the Seleucid Greek Empire. The smaller and weaker Macabee forces defeated the mighty and well-armed Seleucid soldiers. Upon entering the Beit Hamikdash/Temple in Jerusalem, the Jews cleaned up the Temple and attempted to reinstate the Temple service. They found only one cruse of oil to light the Menorah, enough for just one day. It would take 8 days to produce pure oil under the watch of the Kohen Gadol/High Priest. As the story continues, Gd performed a miracle and the single cruse of oil lasted for eight days.

At the City of David, as I lead my students down a dark underground passageway through the streets of ancient Jerusalem, we often stop to marvel at the fact that the lessons of our forefathers are as relevant today as ever. One of the most important messages that can be taken away from this visit, one that is undoubtedly on all of our minds as November rolls around, is the importance of giving thanks.

About 2,500 years ago the leaders of the Jewish community stood in Jerusalem, waiting anxiously for Ezra the scribe to explain to them the words of the Torah. The Torah was complicated, long, and not every Jew had the ability to read. The result was confusion, a misunderstanding of Judaism, and an un-united Jewish community.

As summer turns to fall and we prepare for the new school year at Alexander Muss High School in Israel, my mind always turns to lesson planning and my goals for the new year. One of the first questions I ask my students the very first day is: “Where should we begin our study of Jewish history?” Does Judaism start with creation? With Abraham? With Moses and the 10 commandments? All of these answers are valid. I choose to start my year with Abraham.

At AMHSI-JNF, they gain the knowledge, experience, and conviction to know who they are and where they come from. Our enrollment numbers reflect and prove this trend.

Elie Wiesel taught “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.“

Crafted in response to the growing communal needs for Jewish teen engagement, Israel advocacy and community service, on this journey, teens learn how the history of the land and its people served as a catalyst for Israel becoming a global leader in innovative environmental approaches, and how these approaches are rooted in the mission and values of Judaism.

Most of us would agree that education is a life-long process. It is a part of living a full life, and a continuous trajectory of exploration and revelation. My focus is a bit more specific: Israel Education. It’s the field that explores the story and ongoing history of Israel that can be heard beating in the hearts of our people.

It is this horrific chapter of the Polish-Jewish experience that we most associate with, still fresh in our national psyche, still available are the first-hand accounts of survivors of the Holocaust, and still the ugliest side of humanity.

When I was growing up in New York I had all kinds of neighbors, all kinds of friends. There was my Russian-American friend, my Italian-American, Chinese-American, Polish-American, Irish-American and Afro-American, friends. They knew who they were and from where their ancestors came.

Transmission of Jewish continuity and Israel connectivity does not take place in the formal classroom setting on its own. Israel and Jewish education must include an experiential component; it is through experientialism that our children explore and discover meaning that they can connect to.