Experience Shauvot at the Terry Schwarzfeld Ottawa Daycare Centre
Shavuot is a holiday that across Israel is celebrated with ridiculous amounts of cheese. Every family gathers together to celebrate the harvest, but over the years the harvest manifests itself through cheese and cheese alone- cheese cakes, cheese quiches, cheese blitzes, cheese platters and more. Not too many years ago Shavuot was a holiday that celebrated fruits and vegetables as well but with time cheese has been the main focus of the holiday. That said, there are a few places where Shavuot is still celebrated in its pure form- at CHW’s many daycares. At The Terry Schwarzfeld Ottawa Daycare Centre. I was happy to learn that the kids spent the week learning about different types of fruits and vegetables. They learned how they smelled, how they tasted, their different colours and textures.
It was a sensory week for the kids who also learned how the fruits and vegetables are grown, whether they grow from the ground or are picked off trees. The kids also got to learn festive songs, because no holiday can be celebrated in Israel without music and singing. The manager reminds me that holidays are always fun to celebrate but they are also a great opportunity for the kids to learn, and learning through play and fun is the best way to learn. She also explains that her favourite part of these holidays is to see how much the kids remember from the previous year, she is always impressed by how much they succeed in retaining and she loves to see how they get excited every year for Shavuot to come.
4,300 students receive quality education through CHW’s four schools; with 416 of these students calling Hadassim and Nahalal Youth Villages their home.
The grade ten students at the CHW Netanya Technological High School had an evening in their honor Tuesday, May 15th to celebrate a new right of passage, to receive their Israeli ID cards, their Teudat Zehut . Read more here.
Photo credits: Nurit Peled.
Netanya Grade 10 Students Receive Teudat Zehut
The grade ten students at the CHW Netanya Technological High School had an evening in their honor Tuesday, May 15th to celebrate a new right of passage. All of the students were invited to the school along with their parents to attend a ceremony where they would finally receive their Israeli ID cards, their Teudat Zehut. This formal identification piece is given to sixteen year olds and in Israel, it is considered a special occasion.
Yom Ha’atzmaut Treat
One of my favourite days of the year, Yom Ha’atzmaut, was celebrated nationwide in Israel through countless gatherings, roof top parties, fireworks, barbeques, and like every year, with the official ceremony held at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. On the evening of Yom Ha’atzmaut, the annual ceremony marks the transition between Yom Hazikaron to Yom Ha’atzmaut. The evening includes a speech by the Speaker of the Knesset, an impressive artistic program, as well as a march of flags and creative flag formations. One of the more moving parts of the evening is the ceremonial lighting of twelve torches which symbolizes the twelve Tribes of Israel. Every year, the great honour of lighting a torch at this ceremony is bestowed upon twelve Israeli citizens who have made a significant social contribution to the State of Israel.
Israel’s the Voice Ends with a Surprising Victory
A couple of months back, we shared a story about CHW Hadassim School and Youth Village graduates, Yahel Doron and Guy Mentash, who auditioned and made it through round one of Israel’s The Voice. Unfortunately, for many hopeful fans across the country that watched them week after week, Yahel and Guy did not make it to the final stage of the competition. That didn’t stop the talented graduates from paying a visit to their old home and giving all of the current students at Hadassim a big treat!
Passover with CHW Netanya Technological High School
Students and staff of the Patisserie Stream at CHW Netanya Technological High School cleaned high and low to get rid of all the chametz in preparation for Passover. Cleaning provided plenty of time to come up with a great new Kosher for Passover dish which was featured on major Israeli website “White Chef” and so what kind of Jew would I be if I didn’t share the recipe with all of you?
Here is a unique recipe to welcome the spring and maybe even grace your Seder tables. May you all have a Happy Passover full of the tastes and smells from the Patisserie students at CHW Netanya Technological High School. Enjoy!
Witnessing history at the new Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower
Monday morning, I drove into Ein Kerem and there was a heavy, white haze looming over the hilltops surrounding Hadassah Hospital, as if the village was still asleep, or more accurately- dreaming. I entered the high ceilinged atrium connecting the old with the new (the Mother and Child center with the SWDT) to find a sea of different people: Israelis, Americans, donors, doctors, nurses, public figures, religious figures, and even some of the workers who were completing the finishing touches of the tower. Despite the motley group of people, there was only one feeling in the air; excitement abounded. Today was the day the ribbon would be cut and the first time visitors, hospital staff, and most importantly, patients would enter the new, incredibly impressive, Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower.
A Surprise on a Rainy Day
One of the best parts of working for CHW in Israel is realizing that CHW is everywhere. By this, I don’t just mean that our projects are disbursed throughout the country, but rather that CHW has touched so many people and so many places in Israel, you never know when you are going to turn the corner and run into something CHW. This happened on my trip to Ben Gurion’s old home in Sde Boker, it happened while watching prime time TV in the comfort of my own home, and it continues to happen without fail. As long as you keep your eyes open, you will find something CHW.
Within the past few weeks, this fact couldn’t have been more evident for me. As students at the Neri Bloomfield Academy of Design were cramming for finals and staying up all night completing numerous projects, the academic institution was also promoting itself for the coming year. The school was holding an open house for prospective students to come and see what all the fuss was about. To promote the event they advertised on, what seemed to be, every bus shelter I passed by in Tel Aviv. Everywhere I looked- CHW; even on the bus stop right outside my apartment.
Soon, things went a step further. As I was walking home from a friend’s place this week, it began to rain. I quickly looked for shelter and happily found myself in an art gallery that I had always been meaning to check out but never really had time for. My timing couldn’t have been better! I began reading the bio of the young artist whose work was plastered on the walls and, before I knew it, I was smiling awkwardly at myself as I read “recent graduate of the Neri Bloomfield Academy of Design”.
Born in Haifa, Tamar Moshkovitz has been drawing from the minute she learned how to hold a pencil. She completed her studies in Graphic Design at the prestigious academic institution in 2003, and has gone on to display her works in festivals in Berlin, Tokyo, and San Diego. Tamar describes her colourful and imaginative work as “stuff she makes for a living, or to distract herself from reality”. Her bright animated designs made for a fitting contrast on such a dark and drab day. Tamar’s work will be displayed for the rest of the month and I am secretly hoping for another rainy day.
Former CHW Hadassim students have “the voice”.
A typical evening at home, like many other Israelis I found myself plopped on the couch watching TV, unwinding from the day that was. I flipped channels until I came across “The Voice” Israel.
Four hugely successful recording artists, all from different genres were sitting with their backs to the singer and would turn around in the event that they thought the performer was truly talented and showed potential.
All of a sudden I notice two young men walk on to the stage, one with a guitar in hand. They begin signing together Idan Raichel’s song; Sheriyot Shel Hachayim in beautiful harmony. Just as I begin to notice how exquisitely they were singing, the judges start slamming down on their buttons in order to turn their chairs around and who these talented guys were. All four judges turned around to see them, and guess who they saw? Two graduates from CHW Hadassim School and Youth Village: Yahel Doron and Guy Mentash!
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