Stephanie Leen’s VisitPart C

“Hatmarim” preschool- Religious class -Akko

The teacher: Efrat Sigaron

“If you have a guest in your gate” Dancing and honoring Stephanie

A special card was made for Stephanie with different pictures from the class’s activities

Watching the Class’s Rabbi telling the children a Jewish

story for ShabbatThe Rabbi participated in Stephanie’s activity

“Who is a wise person”- reading a story

The class’s Rabi was very pleased with Stephanie’s activity about friendship, wisdom and Pirkey Avot

Meeting with Bney Hamenashe- The Jewish children who made Alia from India to Akko

The activity with the thumb’s print

The children baked 2 Challa for Stephanie

Visiting “Hadkalim” kindergarten-AkkoA religious class

The teacher: Eti Gimani

“Pirkey Avot” activityArt work with the children thumb printing

Honoring Stephanie with a dance

Activity about” Kne Lecha Chaver”

Getting a memory card

Friday night dinner at Margalit’s home with the other partnership delegation from Des moines

Margalit summarizes the visit to her class

• It was a short , meaningful and experimental visit• The minute Stephanie entered the class we felt her great personality and with the

singing, playing in an orchestra and dancing we had a great time• The topic of friendship strengthen the values which we teach through the whole

school year and we found out that in is a human universal topic which concern each and every one of us!

• When we asked the children at the end to say which part of Stephanie’s activity they liked the most- they loved it all!

• Finally and personally speaking, you are the one and only! I enjoyed being with you, you taught me a lot in spite the short time that we spent together! I found a lot in common with you and I feel like we have been knowing each other for a long time!

• Miss you already and I am looking forwards for our mutual activities next year• The children of Austin are lucky to have a teacher like you!With love, Margalit

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Summery:

• The children who met with Stephanie finally saw the “face” behind the great power point that they got from Austin this year

• Stephanie brought her “Pirkey Avot” topic to the Israeli children in her own unique and interesting way and helped us in connecting the Israeli children to our own mutual heritage.

• The idea of bringing every Israeli’s child thumb print to Austin, is great as it is really the unique thing that each and every one of us have.

• The Israeli teachers were very proud to host Stephanie in their class and all of the parents knew about that visit

• Around 300 children met Stephanie during her visit and for all of them and for their families, the partnership became more meaningful!

• While planning Stephanie's visit I tried to expose her to the different styles of teaching which we have in our Western Galilee. I think that now she knows us better and that will make it easy for her to plan mutual activities in the future.

• We took time to Brainstorm about next year and agreed that” Dor to Dor” topic will be about songs and folk dancing that we can learn from the old generation

• I explained to Stephanie the basic idea of “Music that counts” (which can be done only face to face) and I am sure that next year we will be able to implement that knowledge in our mutual activities.

• Finally I want to tell Stephanie that it was my great pleasure to host such a pleasant personality with such a great passion for teaching and for connecting her students to Israel and to their Jewish roots.

• I think Stephanie that your visit to Israel gave you another perspective of our life in Israel, about your Jewish identity and even connected you to your own family roots!

Thanks:

• I want to thank Dalia and the Jewish community of Austin for sending Stephanie to Israel and I wish it will become a tradition every year!

• I want to thank Heidi and our Western Galilee partnership for helping in organizing her visit!

• I want to thank Orit Assayag from Akko municipality.• I want to thank Ethan Horovitz for taking a meaningful part in that

visit.• I want to thank the Sisi and “The treasure in the wall “museum. • I want to thank all of the teachers who cared so much and made this

visit a great experience for Stephanie and for their Israeli children!

With love, Efrat SrebroHava Nagila Gan Coordinator