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• we have found the Heller HS to be an exemplary educational family, community, and facility
• The high level of continuity in staffing and leadership results in a high standard for planning and executing classes and activities, including half and full-day field trips, daily classes and the journey to Poland.  The commitment and passion of the faculty, counselors, and staff that the VT met were exemplary.  During our visit, we heard many remarks from students about their positive interaction with the counselors and other staff who often accompany them on field trips and spend time with them at all hours of the day which gives them an additional level of support.
• Classes are designed to reinforce and strengthen students’ critical thinking skills and their Jewish identity. Through class discussion, essay-based assessments, and projects, students are challenged not to accept things at face value but to investigate, challenge and formulate additional possible ideas and explanations.  In addition, students develop life skills such as time management, self-advocacy, leadership skills, and independent problem solving.  These skills will be of great value in their personal and professional lives.

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All of this culminated on February 5, 1985, when I boarded a flight to Israel and exercised my right under the Law of Return to make Israel my home. I made Aliyah (immigration to Israel) together with eighteen other members of Habonim, and we spent the first 5 months together doing an ulpan to learn Hebrew. From there it was down (up?) to Jerusalem to continue my education. I attended the Hebrew University where I majored in English and History and did a two-year teaching certificate course. Probably the hardest part was learning Hebrew, with some memorably embarrassing moments, including one incident on a bus when the bell wasn’t working and instead of yelling to the driver that I wanted to get off, I shouted that I wanted to give birth!!! (In Hebrew the words are almost identical – “laredet” and “laledet”.) That set back my willingness to speak Hebrew by about three months, but I got over it.It was during my studies that I first got involved with the Reform Movement. I wanted to work during the summer as a counselor with visiting teen groups, but the main employer – the Jewish Agency – was hiring only after army duty, and I had not yet served. I was sharing an apartment with an American student, and when I told him the story, he asked “Why don’t you try NFTY?”. I said “OK! What’s that?” The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

After working for NFTY Summer in Israel for a number of years, in 1996 I heard about Heller High (then EIE) and started as a general studies teacher. At that time I was teaching mornings in an Israeli High school. As time passed, I added more and more courses and responsibilities at Heller High, until in 2005 the then principal asked me to become full-time. I didn’t need to be asked twice! I really enjoyed  my work at the Israeli school, but that was work. Heller High is a mission!

This school is a transformative experience for the students, and it is truly a privilege to be part of the team that makes that change happen. Most of our students come with at best a tenuous connection to Israel. It’s incredibly rewarding to see that bond grow, as they learn that they are part of a People, witha shared history and a common future; even if we don’t all live in the land. It’s not always an easy process, and there are definitely challenges involved, but the reward is seeing the students at the end of the process, and in many cases when they come back (whether to tour, to study or to live). There is nothing quite like hearing them talk about the impact that the school has had on their lives.

I truly feel that I am privileged not only to be a part of Heller High, but also to do so while participating in the greatest experiment in Jewish self-determination in nearly 2000 years.

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Why the opening paragraph about Talmud? Because it is precisely this style that we aim to instill in the students. From the first day of Jewish History, we let it be known that our kitot (classrooms) are safe spaces. They also simultaneously exist to challenge the preconceptions of the students and encourage them to see their Jewish identity and history in a new light. We seek to educate by exposing the students to multiple sides of an issue, playing devil’s advocate in discussions and pushing the students to form their own opinions. Often, we utilize the Chevruta method, having them learn from each other and struggle with a concept together.

Since 2015, I’ve had the privilege of being a Jewish educator at URJ Heller High. Without a doubt, my favorite parts of the job are the students, the staff, the kibbutz and the tiyulim. As a collective, we learn from and challenge each other on a daily basis, all while exploring and engaging with our diverse and beautiful homeland, Eretz Yisrael. Already in the first month, it is abundantly clear what a bright, inquisitive, interesting and good-natured group of students we have. I can’t wait to see what the next three months have in store!

 וְהַיְינוּ דְּאָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: הַרְבֵּה לָמַדְתִּי מֵרַבּוֹתַי, וּמֵחֲבֵירַי יוֹתֵר מֵרַבּוֹתַי, וּמִתַּלְמִידַי יוֹתֵר מִכּוּלָּן.

-תענית ז׳ א:י״ב

And this is what Rabbi Ḥanina said: I have learned much from my teachers and even more from my friends, but from my students I have learned more than from all of them.

–Taanit 7a:12

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We have just officially completed the third full week of classes at Heller High! Last week ended with a bang for me. Right before another jam-packed week ended and the fun weekend started for the group in Eilat, we had a tiyul, a trip, to the site of Masada. On Thursday I climbed up the mountain of Masada with the whole school and guided my class, ‘Kitat Gefen’, up to the top. On the way up, we saw Israeli soldiers hiking up with us as part of their army training. They struggled on the ascent with all of their military gear on them – it looked brutal.

Hiking up this place brought me back to my own army service… I made Aliyah right out of high school at the age of 17 from San Diego, California. I came to Israel with a program called Garin Tzabar, which grouped me with other young adults who wanted to enlist in the Israeli Defense Forces (I.D.F.). I went to live on a wonderful Kibbutz in the north and every week I would commute for four hours to my base in the south. There, I served as a physical fitness instructor for infantry soldiers of the Nachal Brigade during their basic training. My job was to give workouts and fitness tests throughout the week, run injury prevention sessions or provide

advice/tips about their physical training. Among other things, I was also in charge of going out on masaot, marches, with the soldiers. What does this mean? For the first three months of an infantry soldier’s army career and then for another four months of advanced training, the army builds up its soldiers’ stamina to have the ability to walk up to some 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) depending on what unit the army places the soldier in. In The Nachal Brigade, and all infantry units, start with three or four kilometer marches and can get to around 50 or 60 kilometer (30 or 37 mile) marches.

The last masa, march, after about seven long months of a Nachal soldier’s training is a 50 kilometer masa, march, from the Nachal infantry base outside the city of Arad to Masada, called Masa Kumpta, which translates to, ‘the march of the beret’. After completing this march, the Nachal soldiers earn their light green berets. The soldiers walk all night long, with me beside them, running up and down the two rows of marching soldiers, making sure that the head commander is walking at the right pace, that the group has enough breaks during the march and that the soldiers are taking care of themselves – doing stretches, drinking and eating. The soldiers carry water, their weapon, magazines and more – a substantial amount of weight. They wear their dark green uniform and their uncomfortable boots that only come off when they go to sleep (sometimes). They paint black stripes on their faces before they head out and by the end of the masa it’s almost all smeared off from sweat.

After walking for 50 kilometers, the entire brigade of about 120 soldiers must climb Masada, which is about 434 meters (1,424 feet) above the Dead Sea level. The soldiers are completely exhausted, but they make it to the top of Masada at sunrise just like we did on Thursday morning with Heller High.

Once on top of the mountain, we heard the story of the remaining Jewish people who kept the last stronghold in Judaea under the Roman rule in 73 CE, after the Second Temple fell in 70 CE. Although there are different historical narratives about what happened at Masada, one of the most famous and retold stories is that of Masada as one of the last Jewish strongholds in Judea after the Roman conquest, and Masada has traditionally served as an inspiration for early Zionist thinkers and the founders of the newly established Jewish State. In a way, climbing up Masada this past week and having marched up Masada with the Nachal Brigade always makes me think about the famous Masada story and the message it tells – that of the self-determination of the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael.

After 2000 years, the Jewish people have a State, a Jewish Democracy. It is by no means perfect, but it exists with countless of people inside and out of it that constantly work for this country to improve and succeed – whether it be in high tech, education or politics. Today Israel has a military that can defend itself, and we, the Jewish people have a country that we can all call home.

This is the very reason I made Aliyah in 2008. I came to contribute to the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of a State that represents me as a Jew. When I made Aliyah, I constantly thought, I am so lucky and will always work to improve this special place and be part of the community of people who has hope to make Israel the best Jewish and Democratic State it can to live in a time in history where the Jewish people have a Jewish State. I have

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Almost two decades later, reflecting on why I am still here, my reasons are somewhat different. There are three key reasons why I live in Israel: Jewish heritage, Hebrew culture and Jewish geography.

I continue to live here because of the choice of synagogues and shiurim (Jewish text study classes) which enrich my Jewish life. The general community in which I live, with institutions like the Hartman Institute, Yakar, Pardes, the Begin Center (which also offers Jewish programming), Shira Hadasha, and Beit Shmuel provides a Jewish framework which is both intensely Jewish, while at the same time being moderate and deeply humanistic.

I am in Israel because this is the center of a new modern Hebrew culture. Instead of waiting with bated breath for the next Israeli performer to come to town, here I can see movies like Footnote as soon as they are released, watch Prisoners of War (Hatufim) on a weekly basis, without worrying about Internet streaming or subtitles, enjoy original Hebrew theater, such as Alma Ve’Rut, and walk into any bookstore and buy Asaf Inbari’s Ha’Bayta (which to be honest, I have not managed to finish reading)! Here, I am immersed in Hebrew culture each and every day.

Finally, my life here is about Jewish geography – not in the sense of familiar faces but rather in terms of Jewish history. I live up the road from the Temple Mount, the City of David and the Jerusalem Archaeological Park. And I live only a short drive away from Emek Ha’Ela, Bar Kochba caves such as at Hirbet Midras, and even Masada. The cradle of the Jewish people is in my backyard. I love this land.

With that said, being in Israel has given me a greater appreciation for Jewish history and life in the Diaspora. The longer I am here, the prouder I am of my Diaspora roots, and the more I understand the beauty of the heterogenous nature of Diaspora Jewish living during more than two millennia of history. Living here, the idea of Shelilat Ha’Galut (Negation of the Exile) not only seems anachronistic to me – it is downright offensive.

Also, being here has made me more secure in my Jewish identity. Without the fear of assimilation, Christianity and other religions and cultures can now be beautiful phenomena, which I can truly appreciate. Instead of shying away from any connection with things like Christmas, I can now value that which is external to Judaism, recognize its beauty, and not fear it as a threat to my own identity.

Almost 20 years on I am still in Israel. Even though my reasons for staying here have changed dramatically since coming, I am still thankful that I made the decision to move here.

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I came to Israel on a trip for college students in 1998, and they decided to play a memorable trick on us.  We were all invited to orthodox families in Jerusalem for Shabbat dinner, and each group of students was given the address of the host which was within walking distance.  When I knocked on the door, the father of the host family opened up and immediately looked at me in surprise.

“Oh, I know you!  I remember you!  It’s been so long, it’s great to see you again!” he said

I was puzzled since I was sure that we had never met before, and I responded that he had mistaken me for someone else perhaps.

“No, I’m certain that we know each other.  Think back to when we met before.” he said.

“You and I stood next to each other at Mt. Sinai!” he continued with a smile on his face.

“I’m Yehuda.” he said  “Shabbat shalom, welcome, come on in.”

I got the joke right away and laughed too, but the story has stayed with me to this day.  Yehuda and I came from very different Jewish upbringings, and we certainly differed in our Jewish identities.  However, on that night destiny had brought us together to share a Shabbat meal in the holiest city and capital of the modern Jewish state which was then a few months shy of its fiftieth birthday.  I realized that Jews were drawn to this land and this country for so many different reasons.  For the first time it dawned on me that not all Israelis were like the 22 year old, secular-right-out-of-the-army counselors, life-guards, and scouts that I had met when I was a camper at Camp Harlam in Pennsylvania.  Never-the-less, it wasn’t until I made aliyah and lived in Israel that I truly understood this.

Even before that trip, I had already thought seriously about aliyah, but after this experience, I could not stop thinking about it.  The challenge for me back then was that I couldn’t really articulate it, I just couldn’t put into words why I wanted to move to Israel.  I just knew that it felt right.  I always had a strong Jewish identity, but it was not something that came out of religious observance.  It was more of a connection to Am Yisrael  עם ישראל, the Jewish people.  Yes I went to Hebrew school and my synagogue, and had a bar mitzvah, but I also remember attending the march for Soviet Jews in Washington in 1987, and my rabbi talking to the congregation about his visit to Russia and meeting with Soviet Jews.  I distinctly remember celebrating Israel’s fortieth birthday in 1988 at the local JCC, and I will never forget being at Hebrew school in 1991 and hearing the alarming news that Saddam Hussein had fired SCUD missiles at Tel Aviv.  These things all had a profound impact on me, and that’s before I ever visited Israel!

When I visited Israel for the first time on a NFTY trip in 1993, we were lucky enough to meet then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.  I was excited to see the prime minister, but I didn’t appreciate it enough at the time.  (In fact, I thought that Yitzhak Shamir was still the prime minister, and I was surprised when they introduced Yitzhak…Rabin!)  Rabin didn’t speak for long, but I do remember him saying to us clearly that Israel is our home too, it’s the home of all the Jewish people, and he encouraged us do whatever we could to have a relationship with Medinat Yisrael and to fulfill the Zionist dream in anyway that we can.

Although I wasn’t saying it out loud back then, the aliyah spark within me had been lit, however it would take another ten years before I understood clearly that I was going to move to Israel.  When I arrived “home” as a brand new Israeli citizen in 2003, it was both the realization of a dream, and also a rude awakening.  As an oleh chadash עולה חדש my biggest challenge was not only becoming fluent in Hebrew, but becoming proficient in being “Israeli”.  I had to learn the humor, the culture, the bureaucracy, and even the food (I didn’t even know what bourekas or kubeh or sabich were!).  There was no better place for me to get acclimated than the merkaz klita (immigrant absorption center) in the desert city of Arad where I spent my first ten months.  I was living alongside other young olim chadashim from Russia, Ethiopia, Argentina, France, Australia, the UK, and North America.  I had no choice but to speak in Hebrew!

Similarly, the six months that I spent in the Israeli army in 2004-2005 was no less eye-opening.  I was twenty-eight years old, and my commanders in basic training were all eighteen/nineteen year old girl soldiers just out of high school.  Once again, I was mixed in with a large group of Russian, Ethiopian, Argentine, French, and North American lone soldiers, all of us a lot older than the commanders.  None of this was easy, but it did wonders for my spoken Hebrew, even learning vulgar curse words and expressions that I didn’t know existed in modern Hebrew.  In fact, it’s safe to say that my six months in Tzahal was my real entrance ticket into Israeli society.

After the first few years of ulpan, army, and teaching English in middle school, I knew that I wanted to do something to share with others my passion for Zionism and Israel, that’s when I found my calling at URJ Heller High (formerly NFTY-EIE).  In my first week on staff at Heller High in the fall of 2006, I found myself in a 2700 year old Judean burial cave, on top of Masada, and hiking the spectacular Nahal Arugot in the Judean Desert.  The next week we had a class where we all had to show up in togas, and by the end of the first month, I was helping the students write their own version of the Talmud and re-enacting gladiator games in a Roman amphitheater in Beit Guvrin. This was a high school like no other!  The students weren’t just learning about Jewish history, they were living it!

For the first time in my life, I could truly articulate what I felt about Israel, Zionism, and Jewish identity.  I finally understood that Judaism is a triangle made up of Am עם, Torah תורה, and Eretz ארץ.  Am עם: The Jewish People.  Torah תורה: The entirety of Jewish texts and learning.  Eretz ארץ: The Land of Israel.  

The Am עם–Torah תורה–Eretz ארץ paradigm is very much the center of Jewish education at Heller High.  It is the foundation of every lesson plan and field trip.  Once this Am עם–Torah תורה–Eretz ארץ foundation is set in place, it allows us to devote considerable time and energy to comprehending Medinat Yisarel מדינת ישראל, the modern State of Israel.  Medinat Yisrael is a spectacular expression of Am עם–Torah תורה–Eretz ארץ at all times in all places!  At Heller High we passionately teach Ahavat Yisrael אהבת ישראל, love of Israel and the Jewish people.  We understand that true love and devotion is accepting that Israel has its challenges and flaws, and we don’t ignore them.  Yes we teach about the conflict with our Arab neighbors, yes we teach about tension and senseless hatred among different streams of Jews, yes we explain about the efforts to promote equality and tolerance in the Jewish state.   These are difficult issues to discuss, but how could we not focus on them?  I’m grateful that Heller High continues to invite a diverse set of speakers throughout the semester to present their views on Israeli society and politics.  We want our talmidot v’talmidim to hear these ideas, we want them to ask the speakers questions and challenge them.  This is the essence of learning, and through it all the Am עם–Torah תורה–Eretz ארץ is there guiding us.

Looking back at my eighteen years in Israel, I can see that the Am עם–Torah תורה–Eretz ארץ triangle has been with me all along, even when I wasn’t aware of it.  At different moments, one of these elements rises to the apex of the triangle and becomes a focal point, but it changes from time to time.  Maybe it took me eighteen years to completely understand that we need   Am עם–Torah תורה–Eretz ארץ to exist in harmony in order to build a healthy and functional society in the Jewish state?  We all have a part to play, and it’s not always easy, but embracing the  Am עם–Torah תורה–Eretz ארץ triangle is truly the way forwards.

A semester at Heller High lasts four months, maybe not a long time in the grand scheme of things, but still an enormous opportunity for our students to begin to see their Jewish identity through the lense of Am עם–Torah תורה–Eretz ארץ.  I’m glad that I get to play a part in this endeavor and accompany them on their journey.  Truth be told, they are also accompanying me on my journey.  We all have a lot to offer each other when we open our minds and eyes and ears.

I still think about what Yehuda said to me so long ago, ““You and I stood next to each other at Mt. Sinai!”   It opened me up to so many possibilities, and set me on a path that I’m still walking on today.  I experience this mission everyday at Heller High.

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Teacher: “Class, what’s the definition of Zionism?”

Students, in unison: “Zionism is the aspiration of the Jewish people to build a Jewish democratic state in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel)!”

By now we have a good understanding that Zionism is the founding ideology of the State of Israel, but it’s time that we take class outside and see this in action. Going on tiyulim (trips) to understand Zionism allows us to see that the goal of having a Jewish state is actually reflected in the differing beliefs of the main Zionist leaders going back to the late 19th century.

The big highlight of this part of the curriculum is our cultural Zionism tiyul in Tel Aviv. Founded in 1909 by 60 families who left overcrowded Jaffa to build the first modern Hebrew city, today Tel Aviv is the beating cultural and economic heart of the Jewish state. Everything from the street talk to the cafes to the graffiti is imbued with the modern Hebrew language.

Our day in Tel Aviv is a great opportunity to take the language that we’ve learned in the classroom and put it to use. Each student is handed a slip of paper with the slogan עברי דבר עברית “Ivri daber Ivrit!” (Jew, speak Hebrew!). This is a re-enactment of the early days of Tel Aviv when “Hebrew cops” would go around rudely handing out these slips to anyone who was overheard speaking in anything but the holy tongue.

One of the newest additions to this tiyul is a graffiti tour of the Florentin neighborhood in south Tel Aviv. The street art is different every time we show up for another go-round. Tel Aviv, it turns out, is one of the hottest cities for international street art since its enforcement of anti-graffiti law is laxer than in other places. In fact, street artists from all over the world have added their works to the urban landscape. It’s interesting to consider that Theodor Herzl envisioned that Israel would be a nation-like-all-nations, where Jewish graffiti artists would draw on the walls of Jewish buildings in a Jewish neighborhood, in Jewish cities, and be fined by Jewish police. One of the murals in Florentin is of Herzl himself with the Hebrew words לא רוצים, לא צריך Lo Rotzim, Lo Tzarikh (Don’t want it, don’t need it), which is a commentary on Herzl’s famous Zionist slogan אם תרצו אין זו אגדה Im Tirzu Ain Zo Agada (if you will it, it is no dream). Another captivating mural we encountered is depiction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem (Beit HaMikdash) painted onto the side the old neighborhood synagogue. Finally, we stood across from a large mural that was painted back in the 1990s depicting the real security camera footage that captured the tragic moment of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on Nov. 4, 1995.

The most important names that we hear over and over this day are Ahad Ha’am and Haim Nachman Bialik, both leading figures in cultural Zionism. Ahad Ha’am was actually named Asher Zvi Ginsberg, who came from a traditional Russian Jewish family. He agreed with Herzl that the creation of a Jewish state was essential for the future of the Jewish people, but he came to it from a different angle. While Herzl believed anti-Semitism to be our biggest problem, Ahad Ha’am actually asserted that assimilation and a loss of peoplehood is what challenged us. He insisted that first the Jewish people must have a national rebirth in Eretz Yisrael based on the revival of Hebrew. Chaim Nachman Bialik took Ahad Ha’am’s vision to the next level. Often referred to as the national poet, Bialik believed that Hebrew should be the language of literature, theater, and song.

We concluded this day by debating whether Tel Aviv is a Jewish city or a city of Jews, and wether Israel is a Jewish state or a state of Jews. Up until now in the semester, we haven’t really discussed in detail what it means to be a secular Jew in Israel, which is quite different than being a secular Jew in the diaspora. Although a large segment of the population of Tel Aviv is made up of Jews who are not religiously observant, what does it mean for their Jewish identity to speak Hebrew as one’s native language and to live in a country where Judaism is constantly a part of public life and is the backbone of the national culture? These are the questions that we hope our students will be thinking about after spending the day Tel Aviv.

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Classes in Heller High are truly unique. In one day of class, we conquer a 12th-century Crusader castle in the morning and move into the spiritual realms of Tzfat and Kabbalah of the 16th-century by the afternoon.

We storm the 800-year-old Belvoir castle, discovering hidden passageways that soldiers would use to sneak out during a siege. While sitting in the inner sanctuaries of the castle, we use primary source documents from Medieval Europe to better understand the classical roots of anti-Semitism. By explaining where classic anti-Semitism stems from, we’re better able to help the students understand how it manifests itself throughout the centuries and in their lives today.

Before leaving Belvoir, we stop to take in the magnificent views of the Jordan Valley, Kinneret, and Golan Heights, all while learning about the area’s complicated geography. After breaking for lunch in Kibbutz Afikim, we continue on for the afternoon portion to the mystical city of Tzfat.

In Tzfat, we focus our studies on the development of the Jewish world in the 16th century. We look at modern graffiti in the city to paint the tale of the 2nd century sage, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi) and the development of Kabbalah. We visit Rabbi Yosef Karo’s synagogue and learn about his work, the Shulchan Aruch and how it is still the definitive text used for Halakhic decisions to this day. While taking in a spectacular view of Mt. Meron (where the Rashbi is supposedly buried), we sing the modern Hebrew song Kol Galgal, which uses the ancient Kabbalah text as its words. We learn how our modern practice of Kabbalat Shabbat has its roots in the practices developed in Tzfat. During the afternoon lesson, we teach the story of the PaRDeS (Pshat, Remez, Drash, Sod – approaches to interpreting biblical text) and how texts often have more to reveal than meets the eye. We take the opportunity to reinforce the idea of lifelong Jewish learning and how Kabbalah is a level you built towards to try and learn the secrets in the writings.

After two meaningful lessons and as the sun sets, our students use their free time to explore the windy alleyways of majestic Tzfat, visiting the artist colony, and discovering local culinary delights.

Evan Wertheim is the coordinator of the Jewish History Department at URJ Heller High. Evan grew up at Temple Emanu-El in Atlanta, Georgia and made Aliyah in 2007. He and his wife, Ya’ara, and their children live in Modi’in, Israel.

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