Partnership 2000

The Clore Tikva Primary School in London hosted their second delegation of teachers from the Ma'ale Hagalil Kerner School in Meona July 2-8, 2007.

The two schools have completed their first year in the Schools to Schools project of Partnership 2000 Confrontation Line - Great Britain.

Head teachers Lenna Rosenberg and Gila Mickel led the planning meetings with delegates and members of the Clore Tikva staff to plan the coming year's activities between the two schools.

It was decided to base activities for the year on the theme of "Families", with the aim to enhance the project by making meaningful links between families of the two schools.

For Rosh Hashana families from the two schools will be matched and holiday greeting cards will be sent from family to family.

The next project will involve family "books", with each pupil and his family creating a leaflet on his family, which will be compiled in a class book for the home class and a book for the twinned class in the partner school.

The Israeli pupils will plant trees for Clore Tikva families on Tu B'Shvat.

"Family Day" in February will be observed in each school by workshops creating gifts for their own families and for the partner school.

The schools have also planned shared activities on Israel's celebration of 60 years that will be recorded on a CD and sent to the twinned school.

The Israeli visitors gave a presentation on their school to Class 6 pupils, answered the questions they had prepared in Hebrew and worked in small groups with Hebrew songs and conversation.

The teachers also took part in a special Jerusalem Day held in the school to celebrate 40 years of the liberation of Jerusalem.

Each class presented the special studies they had done on Jerusalem and sang a song in Hebrew.

In order to become better acquainted with the wider Jewish community in the region, the group also visited Sinclair House in Redbridge where they met with Director Daniel Carmel, "schlicha" Revital Shloman, and three FZY young people preparing for their Gap Year in Israel.

Topics of discussion were the activities in the Centre and in the community, Jewish education, the importance of a connection with Israel to awareness of Jewish heritage, and the philosophical question of "What is the future of the Jewish people?" The teachers also visited the Simon Marks Primary School to see another Jewish primary school, and met with Mr. Bill Gent, a representative of the Local Authority to learn more about the community.

The personal friendships developed during these delegations provide the strong basis for the continued working relationship between the two schools.

The Clore Tikva staff met with the Israeli teachers at a typical British "pub" to enjoy an informal evening together.

Teachers were also hosted for Shabbat by Clore Tikva staff members and participated in the Friday evening Siddur ceremony with Class 2 pupils and their families.

On Shabbat they attended "shul" at the South West Essex Synagogue and were graciously hosted by Mrs. Maureen Garth, British chair of the Partnership 2000 Education Subcommittee.

The twinned Meona school bears the name of Mr.

Brian Kerner and the teachers were honoured to enjoy the company of Mr. And Mrs. Kerner at dinner on one of their evenings in London.