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Tarbut Israel - A Cultural Immersion

You don't need a plane ticket to visit Israel - just stop by WFHA on a Tuesday afternoon and you will find students engaged in a cultural exploration of Israel right here in their own backyard.

In a unique class called Tarbut Israel, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders meet weekly throughout the year, and rotate through subject areas considered paramount to the cultural backbone of Israeli society.

"They experience - first-hand - authentic Israel, using all their senses
so it becomes second-nature, it becomes part of who they are," said Middle School Judaics teacher Irit Kornblit.

Each cultural topic offers a retrospective of Israel's growth as a Jewish state. For example, when the students study song they learn the verses from "Shir HaPalmach," the rallying cry of the early Israeli fighters who helped create the state. But they also learn popular songs through the decades, such as the 1970's ballad, "Ayn makom k'mo Eretz Yisrael," which means "There is No Place Like the Land of Israel." And when the eighth grade travels to Israel later this month they can sing along to the radio when they hear "Yachad," a modern-day song about unity.

As they study dance, the students learn the steps and music of rikudei am, or Israeli folk dance. By the time the unit is complete, they can all participate in traditional line and circle dances, as well as general simcha dancing, Kornblit said.

Further, the students have participated in creating choreography to bring to life the history of Israel. For example, the sixth grade, which is dancing in various community-wide Israel at 60 celebrations, has learned about the history of immigration to Israel through interpretive dance. Their dance gives them an experiential perspective of what it was like to be a refugee coming to the Holy Land.

Another rotation allows the students to explore the Israeli Scouts movement, or Tzofim. WFHA students participate in outdoor and indoor activities, discussions and games that their Israeli peers do as part of this national youth movement. This popular rotation is headed by the Israeli shlichim, who are visiting the school this year as emissaries.

"These are the very games Israeli kids play. These are the values that Israeli kids grow up learning," said Amy Erani, Director of Judaic Studies.

Each grade spends several weeks participating in these cultural immersions, which also incorporates Israeli geography, art and food.

The impetus for exploring Israeli culture in such a concentrated way began as preparation for Israel's 60th birthday next month. But the class has become an integral part of the Middle School Hebrew and Judaic studies curriculum, and will continue to evolve, Erani said.

"Learning about Israel is something woven into the fabric of what we do throughout all the grades," she said. "This new program that we've developed for the middle school is a way to expand their connection to Israel so when they are walking in the streets of Israel they are not merely tourists, but feel part of the country and culture."