Page 9 - HaMizrachi RH-YK 5784 - North America

In your current role, you are the Head of the Education What do you say to heads of school, to convince them that
Department at the World Zionist Organization. What does teaching Hebrew is important?
that entail?
First, it is the global language that connects Jews all around the
Since the foundation of the State of Israel, the concept of shlichut, world. Second, it helps give people the tools to be successful if
of sending representatives from Israel to Jewish communities they want to make Aliyah. And even for those who don’t make
around the world, has existed. I myself served as a shaliach in Aliyah, Hebrew allows them to connect to Israeli culture, music,
Belgium for Bnei Akiva. The Education Department sends hun- and literature. And finally, it helps the students learn Torah. We
dreds of qualified teachers from Israel to Jewish schools and don’t want our students to only learn Torah through translation
communities around the world. I have been in this role since their entire lives, and being able to learn Torah in the original
2020, following the most recent World Zionist Congress elections, lashon haKodesh is a real value.
and we have experienced tremendous growth in this field. Only How do you see shlichut developing in the coming years?
a few years ago, in 2015, there were maybe 60 or 70 shlichim
sent by our department, and today we have over 300! We have In addition to the growth in the numbers of shlichim, I think we
teachers in communities from the USA to New Zealand – and are now getting more and more ideological and highly motivated
there is so much room for growth. My dream is that every single shlichim. Twenty years ago, there were some shlichim who were
Jewish school in the world, from Charedi to Reform, will have a looking to make money by going abroad. But now, as salaries
representative of Israel, an Israeli shaliach there. and quality of life in Israel have risen dramatically, the gaps for
many of the shlichim between their opportunities in Israel and
How do you envision the role of the shaliach?
abroad have become smaller. Those going on shlichut are moti-
We talk about three circles of influence – classroom, school and vated by a genuine desire to be ambassadors of Israel and Torah
community. All our shlichim are qualified teachers in Israel, and to communities around the world – and we are excited to keep
their basic, formal role is to teach Jewish studies and Hebrew bringing these ambassadors to more and more communities!
in schools. However, many of them take on roles that are much It is also critical that the State of Israel invests in the Jewish and
broader than that. This year, our shaliach in Dublin, Ireland,
was like half of a Chief Rabbi! He taught Daf Yomi and Tzurba Zionist identity of Jews around the world. If until now, Diaspora
Jews have given so much to build and support the Jewish State,
M’Rabanan and was involved in kashrut and running communal it is now incumbent on the State of Israel to invest and support
events – and this was all above and beyond his teaching role in in Diaspora communities, and to take responsibility for Jews all
the school. I can’t tell you how many stories I know of young around the world. ◼
students who make Aliyah and say it was because of the impact
a shaliach had on them. Successful shlichim change lives!
You talked about the shaliach’s role in teaching Hebrew. Many
graduates of Jewish high schools around the world today can
barely speak any Hebrew. How can this be addressed?
You are correct. I am worried about the state of the Hebrew
language around the world. I still know of some schools such
as in Belgium and Canada that teach Ivrit b’Ivrit, but in many
schools this no longer exists. In fact, in Jewish schools in Brazil
and Argentina, where they used to teach Hebrew as a second
language, they now teach English instead. There are many dif-
ferent methods and approaches to teaching Hebrew as a second
language, which educational experts can discuss. However, I
think that ultimately all solutions start with a question of prior-
ities. Schools focus on what is important to them, and if Hebrew
is important to a school they will find their preferred method
of teaching it.

| 9