Diaspora Affairs minister conducts virtual tour of Jewish schools
During the tours, Yankelevich emphasized that the ministry is committed to assisting financially with Jewish education in the Diaspora.
By JEREMY SHARONOmer Yankelevich(photo credit: WIKIPEDIA)
Diaspora Affairs Minister Omer Yankelevich conducted a whistle-stop virtual tour of three European Jewish schools on Tuesday to better understand their situation.Yankelevich was given virtual guided tours via video conference of the Jewish School in Helsinki, Finland, a Jewish school in Paris, France and the Yitzhak Rabin Shule and the Albert Einstein Gymnasium, both in Dusseldorf.During the tours, Yankelevich emphasized that the ministry is committed to assisting financially with Jewish education in the Diaspora, saying that it was a critical component of fostering Jewish identity and investing in the next generation of the Jewish people.“This will be a unique but exciting school year, it will be challenging and complicated, but I hope it will be full of new growth, new friendship and especially new knowledge,” she told pupils at the Jewish School in Helsinki in reference to the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.“I’m looking forward to working together with you, and having a good connection, and we are committed to extending the advancement of Jewish education throughout the world,” she told staff and administrators at the school.The principal said during the tour that the school has some 100 pupils at present, but faces difficulties finding qualified Jewish studies teachers because the small size of the community makes it difficult to attract such staff.The minister joined the pupils in a rendition of the “Modeh Ani” prayer, and listened to the exposition by one school girl of a famous segment of the Talmud about different types of students.And in the guided tour of the French school, Yankelevich also participated in a joint singing session, and spoke in Hebrew with some of the pupils about the challenges of the new school year, while again speaking of the ministry’s commitment to assisting with Jewish education abroad.“This is the next generation of future leaders. We will massively increase our investment in Jewish education [in the Diaspora],” she said.A strategic plan to bolster Jewish identity in the Diaspora being drawn up by the ministry will focus heavily on providing support for both formal and informal Jewish education which is seen by experts advising the ministry as a key to strengthening attachment to Jewish life and community.
