22 BOSTON CELEBRATES ISRAEL
National
From Paula, Jimmy & Elliot Gould
and
Michael & Stephanie Fellerman
63 years
Congratulations on
And counting to infinity
“If you will it - it is no dream” – Herzel
Israel celebrates 63 years: We are filled with
pride, joy and yearnings for a secure peace.
TEMPLE EMETH
Rabbi Alan Turetz • Andrea W. Insoft, President
The Jewish Advocate
salutes Israel on her
63rd birthday.
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MAY 6, 2011 THE JEWISH ADVOCATE
Jewish Civil Service
I teach kids Hebrew;
Employees, Inc.
Boston Chapter
they teach me English
By Josh Dickinson
It was my first day of volun-
teering with Masa Israel’s Tikkun
Olam Tel Aviv-Jaffa, a five-month
volunteer program, and I was
spending my morning at an all-
We proudly boys’ religious school called
celebrate Israel Ironi Het in the Tel Aviv neigh-
now in its 63rd year! borhood of Yad Eliyahu. I had
just finished introducing myself
Officers when the questions started to
Executive Board pour in.
and Members “Do you like the Boston
Celtics?” (Of course.)
“Is it cold in Boston?” (Yes,
NA'AMAT very cold and very snowy.)
“Have you been to Israel be-
Wishes Israel a fore?” (Yes, I was here this sum-
Happy 63 Birthday
rd
mer on Taglit-Birthright.)
“Do you like Israel?” (Very
from the major
funding source of much so. That’s why I decided to
services for Israel's come back to volunteer.) Josh Dickinson teaches boys
children and women “Are you going to make English, and they teach him
Aliyah?” (Uh ... that’s a more seri- Hebrew.
ous conversation for another
time.)
“Do you live above the con-
venience store?”
This last question made me
laugh out loud. One of the apart-
NA’AMAT USA
formerly Pioneer Women
P.O. Box 590402
ments that houses volunteers
happens to be above a conven-
Newton Center, MA 02459
ience store. Apparently, it has be-
Email: tracynaamat@yahoo.com
617-795-1849 come known as the “American
apartment” in Kiryat Shalom, an
otherwise small, mostly Ortho-
dox, neighborhood in southern with a nice little kippah I bought
Tel Aviv. Many of the students I
work with at Ironi Het live in
at the market for a mere 10
shekels. Some of the boys have
Kiryat Shalom as well. asked me if I’ve been to syna-
Although I volunteer at three gogue since I came to Israel. I
other places, my experience at haven’t. I wonder if they would
Ironi Het has been the most in- have asked me this if I did not
teresting thus far. The best way I have to wear the kippah.
can describe the school is with
the Hebrew word “balagan,”
meaning chaotic. It is noisy, with
kids running around everywhere,
Like the other volunteers, one
of my broad goals for the year is
to “make a difference.” But we
have learned that the impact of
and no one listening to anyone our work probably will not be
else. While the teachers do not readily apparent to us. Though
seem fazed by any of this, it we all like to see results, this
seems impossible to get anything knowledge has helped us keep
done. As an English tutor, I usual- things in perspective. Then
ly am able to take a few students again, one of the students who
to a quieter room, where we can previously showed no interest in
work without distractions.
Because I’m not religious, I
English recently asked to work
with me. I look forward to help-
had to acclimate to the school’s ing him improve his English over
religious environment. Having the next few months, while he
only worn a kippah twice in my helps me improve my Hebrew.
life – once at my friend’s bar
mitzvah way back when and Josh Dickinson, 26, grew up in
again when I visited the Western Natick, received his undergradu-
Wall over the summer – I initially ate degree from Boston University
felt uncomfortable wearing one and his law degree from North-
every day. But here I am now, eastern University School of La w.
We honor
the State of Israel
on the
63rd anniversary
of its founding
Congregation Tifereth Israel
34 Malden St., Everett, MA 02149
617-387-0200
Gerry Shulman, President