Welcome to the Program

This past week we have been on a seminar discussing and learning about Zionism. What is Zionism? How has Zionism changed from the pre-founding of Israel to now? We also were welcoming a new group of people from the Kiryat Shmona volunteering group affiliated with our provider. I was asked to welcome them to the program and help them learn a bit about what it is we do in Israel Teaching Fellows. This is the speech I delivered for them:


"Each and every one of us in this room has been given an opportunity—an amazing chance to live in an extraordinary place. Some of us have been on this journey for over half a year, while for others it is just beginning. But the most important thing to know is that your time here is what you make of it.


My name is Josh. I am here representing the Beer Sheva Israel Teaching Fellows group and would like to start by welcoming the new Kyriat Shmona group. It is very exciting to see so many new faces and I am eager to meet each of you in person. Over the next five months here in the Holy Land you will travel, volunteer, and explore—and you will be challenged each step of the way. The language and culture are obstacles that impede even the most basic transactions at first; there is no such thing as a line, and arguing is a way of life. But we came here to take on a new venture, and each day proves to be just that.

Both the Beer Sheva and Netanya group members volunteer in elementary schools teaching English—or at least attempting to. I think I speak for most of us by saying that Israeli schools are a world apart from those we grew up in; fighting, swearing, and blatant disrespect for teachers are commonplace. Teaching English here has been one of the hardest challenges in my life—and simultaneously one of the most rewarding. For the first few months it seemed impossible to actually improve the English level at my school, but I soon began taking pride in the little victories that have become more and more prevalent.One of my happiest moments so far happened just yesterday, when a group of my 5^th and 6^th graders performed a short play at our English Purim Day celebration. After weeks of stress and worry, they blew me away and the performance was  “mamash mammash tov!”—and even though many of the younger students may not have understood all of the lines, their enjoyment was plain to see.

I also feel that I have become a member of the Beer Sheva community. The city is an eclectic mix of Sephardic and North African Jews fused with Ethiopian, Russian, and Arab cultures. At this point it would seem odd not to hear Mizrahi music blasting at all hours of the night on Shabbat, and I have a wonderful orthodox Sephardic host family. They have fed me more spicy Moroccan fish and Tunisian meatballs than a human being should consume in his entire lifetime—yet no matter how much I eat, the dishes keep piling up around me.

When we are not toiling to make English fun or stuffing our faces with host families, we are working directly in the community. My school is a religious elementary located in one of Beer Sheva’s worst neighborhoods, so I volunteer with a local organization that establishes gardens in low-income communities. Others help out with the elderly and handicapped, and some even teach in Bedouin and Ethiopian villages—and EVERYONE comes away with extraordinary stories.

Since arriving here in August we have formed bonds with the local university students, and found hidden gems nestled away in our respective cities—in Beer Sheva we boast a top notch schnitzel shop and I dare you to find a better one. We know shuk vendors by name, and I even have a pita guy in the old city who knows me as his number one customer. And despite all of these amazing memories I have made, there remains so much to delve into. It is impossible to see and do everything that Israel has to offer in a few short months, a year, or maybe even in a lifetime, but that should not stop you from embarking on the adventure. I encourage you to learn about new cultures, eat strange foods, and put yourself in uncomfortable situations. This country is small but it has so much to offer; so seize this opportunity and take control of your journey."