shalom hartman institute - building for the future brochure... · 2020-02-02 · for girls,...

COMMITMENT TO GROWTH AND REVITALIZATION OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE

The Shalom Hartman Institute is a center of transformative thinking and teaching that addresses the major challenges facing the Jewish people and elevates the quality of Jewish life in Israel and around the world. A leader in sophisticated, ideas-based Jewish education for community leaders and change agents, the Institute is committed to the significance of Jewish ideas, the power of applied scholarship, and the conviction that great teaching contributes to the growth and continual revitalization of the Jewish people.

HARTMAN HIGH SCHOOLS: JERUSALEM LANDMARKS OF MODERN ORTHODOX EDUCATION

The Hartman Institute’s Charles E. Smith High School for Boys and Midrashiya High School for Girls, recognized as among the finest in the country, are nurturing and educating a generation of future leaders within Israel’s Orthodox community. The schools educate students to be committed to democratic values, open to new ideas, and respectful of the diversity in Israeli and Jewish life. They serve as one of the Institute’s vanguards into the Orthodox community.

With a total student body of approximately 700, the Hartman Institute’s high schools provide rigorous Jewish and general studies programs that promote critical thinking, tolerance, individual creativity, community leadership, social responsibility, and commitment to gender equality.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

CHARLES E. SMITH HIGH SCHOOL AT A GLANCE

Principal: Zvi YanaiJunior High Principal: Shaul DavidEducational Vision: • Provide academic excellence and social involvement through innovative modern Orthodox education • Engage students in study that connects Jewish tradition, contemporary culture, and science Notable Achievement: Recipient of prestigious Israel National Education AwardStudent body: Approximately 400 students from Jerusalem and surrounding areasGrade Levels: 7-12 Homeroom classes: 12Inclusivity: • Special education classes - Accommodation of students with communication challenges in integrated classes• Significant number of new immigrants from Canada, Ethiopia, France, United States

MIDRASHIYA HIGH SCHOOL MIDRASHIYA HIGH SCHOOL MIDRASHIYA HIGH SCHOOL MIDRASHIYA HIGH SCHOOL AT A GLANCEAT A GLANCE

Principal: Principal: Merav BadichiMerav BadichiHead of Beit Midrash: Head of Beit Midrash: Renana Ravitzky-PilzerRenana Ravitzky-PilzerEducational Vision: Educational Vision: • Provide a holistic environment in which • Provide a holistic environment in which Orthodox teenage girls can advance spiritually, Orthodox teenage girls can advance spiritually, physically, and intellectually physically, and intellectually• Empower students to become leaders through• Empower students to become leaders through educational programs that develop young educational programs that develop young women confident with their self-image and women confident with their self-image and intellect who have been trained to be at the intellect who have been trained to be at the forefront of changing the Israeli discourse forefront of changing the Israeli discourseNotable Achievement: Notable Achievement: Five-year Ministry of Five-year Ministry of Education mandate to independently develop a Education mandate to independently develop a model feminist curriculum for use in Orthodox model feminist curriculum for use in Orthodox girls’ high schools nationwidegirls’ high schools nationwideStudent Body: Student Body: Approximately 300 students from Approximately 300 students from Jerusalem and surrounding areasJerusalem and surrounding areasGrade levels:Grade levels: 7-12 7-12 Homeroom Classes: Homeroom Classes: 12 – The small student body 12 – The small student body enables the school to maintain a low student-to-enables the school to maintain a low student-to-teacher ratio. Each student receives the personal teacher ratio. Each student receives the personal attention and encouragement that she needs. attention and encouragement that she needs.

Shalom Hartman Institute High Schools — Educational Centers of Excellence

Midrashiya High SchoolRachel Imenu Jerusalem 93113 IsraelTel: +972-2-567-5407 Email: [email protected]

Shalom Hartman Institute Charles E. Smith High School7 Klein Street Jerusalem 93113 IsraelTel: +972-2-567-5400 Fax: +972-2-567-5402Email: [email protected]

The Charles E. Smith High School was founded in 1987 with the goal of educating students by engaging them in study based on a constant conversation with classical Jewish sources, modern culture, and academic content. This unique educational approach leads students and alumni to achieve academic excellence while demonstrating a commitment to social justice and Jewish tradition in the world of contemporary culture and science.

The 2009 recipient of the Israel National Education Award, one of the highest honors that can be conferred on a K–12 academic institution, the Charles E. Smith High School consistently ranks in the top percentile of Jerusalem high schools for student scores in science, math, Hebrew, and English.

In addition to providing the highest quality education in Ministry of Education-mandated secular and Jewish subjects, the boys’ high school offers intensive programs in Talmud and Jewish Thought. Students in grades 11 and 12 choose from a variety of majors, including art, biology, computer science, economics/political science, history, music, and theater.

Many students choose to submit matriculation projects on subjects of personal interest. Recent student matriculation projects of note were on the topics of the Holocaust and Christianity in Japan, biology, philosophy, and Zionism.

Emphasis is placed on competitive sports that teach teamwork and respect for physicality. The school has recently produced several notable athletes, including a world fencing champion and a member of Israel’s national student baseball team.

In 2012–2013, the Midrashiya ranked second out of all Jerusalem high schools for student scores in math, science, Hebrew, and English.

In addition to the Ministry of Education-mandated curriculum, the Midrashiya offers unique programs in Jewish thought, oral law, history, and life skills. Most graduates go on to elite pre-army academies, which train future community leaders. The school partners with the Boys’ High School and other local organizations to offer programs and extracurricular activities in film, debate, and advanced mathematics and science studies.

In an unprecedented move by the Israeli Ministry of Education, the Midrashiya was given a five-year mandate to independently develop its Orthodox feminist curriculum for use as the model for Orthodox girls’ high schools nationwide.

The success of the Midrashiya’s educational program and the resulting interest in it has been infectious. Academic teams from around the country are turning to the Midrashiya for training on how to use its innovative curriculum to empower the next generation of Orthodox women leaders.

Established in Jerusalem in 2007, the Midrashiya has successfully implemented an authentic and coherent educational vision that fuses respect for Jewish tradition and learning with an obligation to halakha and feminist ideology. The school curriculum is designed to nurture public and personal identity, encourage meaningful academic and community achievements, and develop a deep understanding of Judaism, Israel, and the world.

The curriculum dictates five educational areas of excellence, all of which are reinforced through experiential activities, such as dedicated days of study, workshops, seminars with guest speakers, and educational field trips:

• Beit Midrash studies that empower students to formulate and share their opinions while encouraging them to conquer male-dominated fields

• State-of-the-art science education that equips students with skills and confidence in this important field

• Unique physical education program

• Women’s evolving role in religious ritual

• Social action

Shalom Hartman Institute 11 Gedalyahu Alon Street, Jerusalem 93113 Israel Tel: +972-2-567-5320 Fax: +972-2-561-1913 Email: [email protected]

Shalom Hartman Institute of North America One Pennsylvania Plaza, Suite 1606, New York, NY 10119 Tel: +1 212-268-0300 Fax: +1-212-239-4550 Email: [email protected]

Canadian Friends of Shalom Hartman Institute 8888 Blvd Pie IX, Montreal QC H1Z4J5 Tel: +1 212-268-0300 Fax: +1-212-239-4550 Email: [email protected]

MIDRASHIYA HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

CHARLES E. SMITH HIGH SCHOOL FOR BOYS

• Social action

On the School’s Influence: I chose not to go to an elite army unit because I wanted to get to know people from all walks of Israeli society. As I became a commander, I really benefited from what I had learned at Hartman, especially from getting to know people from different backgrounds through my volunteer work.

Takeaway for Life: Hartman taught me how to reach beyond my comfort zone. There is always someone to help, something that can be done to make you feel good for the rest of the week. I learned this from my student advisor.

Name: Boaz Dei

Year Graduated: 2009

Current position: Second-year engineering student at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, following IDF service in a combat unit

On Social Involvement: The social justice program is the most important component of the school. While I was in school I volunteered with the elderly and with rehabilitated prisoners. I developed a close relationship with an ex-prisoner, and we stayed in touch even after I graduated. Now, four years later, I still volunteer delivering food baskets to the needy. After the army, people usually stop giving to society, but I want to do more. Hartman always has a project for me to be involved with. This is what makes us so special.

SPECIAL AREAS OF FOCUS

Gender Studies The Midrashiya aims to develop the personal feminist personality of each student through a variety of programs that encourage engagement with tradition from a place of knowledge and confidence. The Midrashiya’s focus on gender and women’s empowerment spills over into Beit Midrash study, prayer, physical education, and community involvement.

Like all Israeli religious girls’ high schools, the Midrashiya holds daily prayer services. The Midrashiya is unique, however, in that its students read from the Torah and regularly deliver sermons. By embracing these often male-dominated rituals, students gain skills that prepare them to become assertive leaders in their communities.

CommunityThe Charles E. Smith High School instills in its students a love for the land and people of Israel through educational programs and field trips that inspire a feeling of responsibility to serve their country and their community in military and civil life. Joint ventures with the Jerusalem Municipality, Hebrew University, and other local organizations produce unique curricula that use the biblical and modern state of Israel as a supplementary classroom that sheds light on school curricula from historical, social, and cultural perspectives.

Holistic EducationThe Midrashiya program empowers each student to face her community, family, and most importantly, herself, with confidence, acceptance, and respect. Emphasis is placed on physical well-being, self-awareness, and nutrition. Providing students with the tools to deal with the emotional, psychological, and physical development that they experience in their teen years enhances their awareness of their bodies, emotions, and the connection between them.

Run in partnership with a local dance and creative movement studio committed to physical and emotional health, the school offers a range of classes, from yoga to hip-hop to meditation, educating students in learning to appreciate their bodies, fostering self-esteem, and encouraging teamwork and discipline.

Teacher Recognition• Ministry of Education Award for Excellence in Physical Education

• Ministry of Education Award for Excellence in Informal Education

• Recanati-Chais-Rashi Entrepreneurial Teacher Prize Honorable Mention

Student RecognitionEach year, students are awarded national and municipal prizes for their achievements. Recent prizes include:

• Bloomfield Science Museum – 1st and 2nd place in municipal science competition; prize for matriculation project about the Holocaust

• French Embassy – Prize for work on French culture

• German Embassy – Johannes Rau Scholarship for matriculation project about the Holocaust

• Jerusalem Municipality Awards for Student Immigrants in sport, culture, and social involvement

• Ministry of Education prize for youth creativity in the religious educational school system for student film project

• Ministry of Science, Technology, and Space – Ilan and Asaf Ramon Prize for Quality, Excellence, and Leadership

• Municipal Science Fair (Jerusalem) – 3rd place for chemistry project

• Shai Agnon House – 1st place in creative writing competition

• Tel Aviv University – Dan David Youth Prize for nominating top scholar

• Yad Vashem Prize for Educational Enterprises for matriculation project about the Holocaust and for Theater Major project about the Holocaust

CHARLES E. SMITH HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI PROFILE

Name: Boaz Dei

Social JusticeOne of the central tenets of the Charles E. Smith High School’s educational vision is the importance of social involvement and volunteerism. Throughout all six years of school, students are required to dedicate several hours every week to projects that benefit the community. Hands-on work is augmented by lectures and textual learning of Jewish sources on values of social involvement and Israeli society.

The Midrashiya instills students with a profound sense of responsibility for the Jewish people and the State of Israel through year-long social action projects. From the distribution of food baskets to initiating social activities with underprivileged youth to computer instruction for the elderly, Midrashiya students learn about the challenges facing various segments of Israeli society and develop the skills to take an active role in developing and implementing innovative, entrepreneurial initiatives that contribute to others.

Social Justice Projects• Work with the elderly

• Distribution of food baskets to low-income families

• Schoolbook lending library

• Work with disadvantaged youth, including children of foreign workers

• Promotion of coexistence and peace

• Forest firefighting training

• Rehabilitation of ex-convicts

• Medical clowning

On Choosing the Midrashiya: I was interested in being in an environment that was religious yet open-minded and academically rigorous.

On Feminism: After studying at the Midrashiya for five years, I understand the school’s philosophical approach to feminism. Feminism is not just a slogan; it’s a way of life, it’s complicated, deep, and far-reaching. At the Midrashiya we have real role models for how we want to see ourselves.

Name: Nurit Muskat Barkan

Grade: 12 (Class of 2014)

Major: Theater

Matriculation Project: Jewish Thought

Extracurricular Activity: Counselor in Bnei Akiva youth movement

Next Year: Pre-army preparatory academy, year of yeshiva study, or National Service

On the Midrashiya: The Midrashiya provides an education in the widest sense, thinking about every detail in your life.

On the Teacher-Student Relationship: I feel that both students and staff move beyond the classic teacher-student relationship. We develop much deeper relationships. The staff really wants the best for us. This provides a strong personal model for me as a counselor.

On Prayer: I’m moved every time we take out the Torah. It’s a privilege to take part in the ancient tradition of holding the Sefer Torah, not only as woman but as a person. Many people believe that women should participate in prayer but not everyone is willing to take on the challenge. The Midrashiya has taken on this challenge and responsibility, which requires a lot of strength and energy to do.

MIDRASHIYA STUDENT PROFILE

On Teaching at the Midrashiya: The warm and inclusive atmosphere at the Midrashiya allows us to integrate emotion and personal experience in our teaching, based on a relationship with the material . The creation of cooperative learning opportunities, like havruta study, is indicative of the way the school approaches teaching.

On Educational Approach: I try to teach my students to listen to their hearts, to dare to ask themselves what they want, what is important

to them. I aspire to impart a love of learning, to see learning as a way to expand thought and understanding of the world and of themselves. I want them to view the Torah as a living source, the place we come from and return to.

On the Student-Teacher Relationship: I really believe in the school’s philosophy of creating relationships based on respect rather than hierarchy.

Name: Avital Cohen-Brenner

Position: Grade 12 Advisor, Spiritual Advisor for the Midrashiya, Jewish Thought and Bible Teacher

Began Working at the Midrashiya: 2007, as one of the school’s founding faculty

On the Midrashiya: The Midrashiya is blossoming—students, faculty, and staff. There is something in the atmosphere of the Midrashiya that creates an internal desire to devote oneself.

MIDRASHIYA TEACHER PROFILE

Major: Theater

Name: Boaz Dei

On Hartman High School: The atmosphere at the school encourages individual thought, allowing students to challenge preconceptions and think outside the box.

On Working at Hartman: There are few high schools that enable such a level of authenticity and freedom for teachers. The school supports our journeys as advisors.

On Academics: The students only fully comprehend the level of academic excellence at Hartman after they graduate.

On Educational Approach: My goal is to mentor students in deep thinking and in taking a stand for their view of reality. I believe that it is necessary to delve deeply into complicated topics and explore them from all viewpoints.

Name: Shai Gillis

Position: Advisor, Jewish Studies Teacher (Jewish Thought and Talmud)

Extracurricular Activity: Director of Model UN Club

Began Working at Hartman: 2008

CHARLES E. SMITH HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER PROFILE

• Social action

shalom hartman institute - building for the future brochure... · 2020-02-02 · for girls,...

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