Page 19 - HaMizrachi #26 Tu Bishvat USA 2021

As Menachem Guttman of Toronto said, activities, meaningful volunteering, While the majority of Naale students at
“No matter where you came from, we all Shabbat excursions, and more serve to Amana and Sha’alvim hail from English-
know we belong here in Israel.” round out a truly authentic Israeli high speaking countries, students come

Sending a Religious Child school experience. from all around the world, making for a
culturally diverse learning experience.
to Boarding School? Fluent Hebrew is not a prerequisite Reishit, a dorm counselor at Amana,
“My mother sent me an email that for acceptance into the program. Each shares her experiences: “I’m very Israeli,
contained an ad for Naale. My instinct school provides intensive Hebrew classes and I never really had the opportunity to
was to dismiss it because I assumed during the first year, allowing students meet people who moved to Israel from
it wouldn’t include religious school to acquire the language with confidence. other countries. A main aspect of my
options,” recalls Yaakova Pollack, mother job is to help bridge the gap between
of Chana and Sruli Pollack, who both Israeli culture and the other cultures
attended Naale. The best part about at the school. I learned so much from
sending our children to
Naale Elite Academy does indeed have Naale was seeing how the Naale students about what it means
programs for religious students. Girls much they grew in so not to give up, and to persist even when
can attend Ulpanat Amana in Kfar Saba, many ways. They left as your chosen path is a challenging one.
while boys can go to Yeshivat Sha’alvim, These girls left everything they knew to
just outside of Modi’in in Nof Ayalon. children and graduated come study in a different country, in a
Both are well-established, sought-after as self-confident, compe- new language and culture. They are so
high schools in Israel, having earned tent young adults. They inspiring.”
awards for excellence in education. are now bilingual and Recalling a discussion he had with the
have a love for Eretz Yis-
Dedicated teachers, counselors and rael and Medinat Yisrael Naale students, Sha’alvim counselor
support staff give each student the that would have other- Elisha Gruberman explained, “We
best possible chance of success on an wise been impossible. spoke about what it means to be Israeli.
academic as well as a social level. Naale One of the boys said hummus, one said
parent Alisa Chessler raves, “Your kids Yaakova and balagan, a third said Judaism. In my
will be loved by the staff and receive great opinion, Naale is the most Israeli thing
guidance. You will take so much pride Simmy Pollack in the world. Uniting Jews from different
in watching them thrive.” Trips, special cultures around the world is what our
Continued on page 20

| 19