Dear Middle School Families,

Moments with students as a teacher or administrator stay with you forever. Yesterday, boarding a flight to Israel with our class of 2022 will forever be imprinted on my heart and soul as a teacher, leader, and member of the Jewish community. With each student and family we greeted at the airport, an energy and joy filled the air. The beaming smiles in each family snapshot were reminiscent of when these same students boarded a bus for their fifth grade Shabbaton at Camp Chi. The same butterflies fluttered among parents and students, but this time it represented so much more.

The Tiyul, a journey, at Bernard Zell represents our 8th graders’ culminating Jewish experience. Together with classmates they’ve known since some were three and four years old, they travel to Israel where all of their Jewish learning comes to life. All of the experiences they’ve shared led up to these two weeks; Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat lunches, Tefillah, Purim celebrations and holidays have all laid the foundation.

Yet it will be our Jewish values that will stand out on our trip. In the spirit of Kehillah, we’ll raft down the Jordan River, hike Masada, float on the Dead Sea and welcome Shabbat at the Western Wall. We’ll share some more serious moments, like visiting the graves of the righteous at Yad Vashem, seeing the grave of David Ben-Gurion and joining in prayer at different synagogues. And of course a giant dose of fun like swimming and sliding at the Aqua Kef, biking through Tel Aviv and camping in a Bedouin Tent!  

With the learning and fun comes a reminder of just how incredibly fortunate we are. At Bernard Zell, we make the impossible possible! After two years of not being able to take our Tiyul to Israel - we are back and could not be more grateful and excited. Be sure to keep up with our adventures by visiting the Tiyul 2022 blog.

With Gratitude,

Stephanie Bloom
Head of Middle School