Israel Non Profit News » Teacher Training

Menifa Launches New Initiative for Drop-Out Prevention

Pamela Deutsch — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:40:58 +0000

On January 10^th MENIFA inaugurated a new municipal initiative to train specialized drop out prevention teachers. This initiative is in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Municipality of Mateh Binyamin.

In many places around Israel various drop out prevention programs and models are operated by multiple players – the Ministry of Education, the local municipality and non-profit organizations. MENIFA’s unique initiative emphasizes the importance of coordinating all these different programs and solutions. The main goal is to train agents of change within the educational system. These agents can then focus on the teen and his or her needs and on how to better use the resources of the educational system and municipality to help the specific needs of each teen. The training program meets once a week for 12 weeks and offers participants a full and rich program including group work (in small groups) and practical work with a teen. More detailed information can be found on our website in Hebrew and will soon be found in English as well.

Yes To Protest, No To Violence – Rabin Memorial Day in Israeli Religious Schools

Pamela Deutsch — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:36:02 +0000

Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin was assassinated by a Jew 14 years ago. Could it happen again?

Despite the passage of 14 years since the Rabin assassination, Yesodot’s work continues to be vital. A recent YNET Survey found that 40% of the Israeli public does not commemorate Rabin Memorial Day and of the religious Zionist population 33% commemorates the death of the Matriarch Rachel on Rabin Memorial Day!

51% of the religious Zionist population believes that their sector — not the peace camp and not all of society– but they alone, were hurt the most by the political assassination since they are the ones continually accused of encouraging violence for political gain. Shoshi Becker, Yesodot’s Educational Director, points out that these results make one question whether the religious Zionist population is attuned to the pain of the other segments of society.

When asked how to improve matters, most of those questioned said that we must educate non-stop for tolerance and against violence toward the different sectors of Israeli society. This is the exact message that Yesodot continues to spread through its in-service training programs for religious teachers on Judaism and democracy and through its innovative curricula in Talmud, Jewish Thought and social studies for religious elementary and high school students.

With the help of skilled facilitators, religious elementary and high schools throughout Israel made Yom Rabin Memorial Day a day to focus on the importance of democracy and the rule of law. The central message of the day was “Yes To Protest, No To Violence,” even when the government makes decisions that conflict with your deeply held beliefs.

To watch the video about Yesodot’s programming click here!

In Kfar Saba They Don’t Teach Pupils to Hate

Pamela Deutsch — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:05:08 +0000

“An interesting continuing education program, one that teaches us new approaches”, says Rabbi Yossi Kahane, Head of the Bnai Akiva Ulpana, Amana in Kfar Saba regarding the Yesodot continuing education program for teaching civics. “The teachers, religious women from the Shomron, encountered new and important texts. This is the first time we have had a continuing education program that unites all of us. We had lots of sessions that dealt with human dignity. The differences between different kinds of respect were clarified, and had an immediate impact on our work with the students.
During one of the sessions there was a furious discussion regarding relationships with the Arab population. The discussion really had us thinking, and not in a rebellious fashion, even though the relationships with the Arab population is a very loaded issue for us. We have staff who were terror victims; we had to have the insight to understand that we don’t hate Arabs but rather we suspect and our suspicious of them – until proven otherwise. We clarified for ourselves that we are not teaching our pupils to hate; because if you teach hatred there is no knowing where this will lead.
“The sensitive content brought by Yesodot is expressed in an insightful fashion and awakens in us deep thinking regarding the reality currently facing the State of Israel.”