/ articles for review

 

An integral part of Shalom Hartman Institute’s Be’eri program for enriching Judaic Studies for secular Israeli high school students is the Student Leadership Group, which encourages and enables students to take an active role in the school’s programming, specifically regarding Jewish and Israeli topics.

 

The highlight of the Student Leadership program was surely May 22, 2008, when 150 students from Be’eri schools all across Israel came together for a day filled with enrichment. The youth leaders convened at the WIZO Youth Village, Nahlat Yehuda. They came to hear, learn and discuss questions of leadership, social problems and the vision of a Jewish Israeli society.

 

The students learned in havruta style sources from the Talmud that touch upon current questions of leadership. They also heard lectures from influential figures in Israeli society, such as Brigadier-General Ram Shmueli, head of the Intelligence Squadron and previous commander of an Air Force Base.

 

Shmueli, who has dedicated his post-army years to education, has called the Be’eri program the most important program he has yet witnessed, connecting students to their roots, history and Jewish identity, while taking responsibility for the future.

 

At the end of a day packed with discussions and questions, the students enjoyed a performance of the Nahlat Yehuda music and dance group. One student summed up what she had learned from her participation in the program, that in order to be a leader, you just need to take one small step and start making a change.