Zviya's+Project

toc =Ifaces 2011 = educated women in israeli society.

=Rationale= Research question: Who is advancing the Israeli educational system? Educating the younger generation is one of the most important factors in creating the ideal Israeli society. Education is the link that transmits our knowledge, skills, and values from one generation to the next. Our educational system depends on the quality of our teachers. I hope to learn who is qualified to be a teacher? Who will transmit the right message to the students? Are our teachers role models for our students? I hope to learn what motivates our teachers to become educators, especially women today who have reached new goals in higher education. I have chosen to interview Dr. Lisa Fredman who has recently received a PhD in Tanach from Bar-Ilan University and she shares her knowledge by working as principal of Yerushalayim Torah Academy, a high school for new immigrants. She is a great example of an accomplished woman, using her knowledge to advance the educational system here in Israel and also abroad.

= Profile Lisa fredman = Jewish history does not have too many woman role models who are both scholars and have contributed to educating the younger generation. Lisa Fredman has always loved to learn and teach, especially Tanach. Lisa wrote her PhD on Rashi’s commentary to the book of Mishlai which no one has ever analyzed before. Lisa loves the Bible and learning about the people who commented on it, in particular Rashi. She is very happy with her accomplishment and what she learned from it. Lisa has encouraged women to study and go on to get their PhD in Jewish Studies, then take their knowledge and influence other people. She believes that if someone likes learning they should move forward with it. She says, “With Judaism you have to learn new things so you won’t turn stale.” “When you like your topic, you love doing it and want to finish it”, that’s what kept Lisa motivated while writing her PhD. Lisa found the material in the National Library in Jerusalem, where they have copies of manuscripts that Rashi has written. Lisa spent years analyzing Rashi’s commentary and today her work is a finished book. Lisa’s role model is Nechama Lebovitch, a famous Bible scholar. She was the first woman to write a series of books on the Bible. Lisa always thought Nechama was an amazing woman and it would be nice to do a little of what she managed to accomplish. Lisa loves teaching and taught in a high school for girls for many years. She was also an assistant director and teacher in a seminary program. Recently, Lisa was offered an amazing job in a new high school for immigrant girls, YTA (Yerushalayim Torah Acadamy) in Jerusalem. The school was founded in August 2010. Lisa never thought she was going to be a principal, but was offered the job by the school founder. Lisa says, "I believe that if life gives you an opportunity than you should go for it, it’s worth a try".

Lisa was born on January 4, 1964 in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. She learned at Frisch High School and is a graduate of Stern College. Lisa was a counselor in NCSY and ran their programs and activities. She loved being involved with kids even during her college years and spent most of her free time with them. Lisa's parents were honest people and were never impressed by money. They focused on education and the important aspects of life which influenced Lisa growing up and taught her not to get caught up in materialism and expensive things. Furthermore, Lisa’s father was a doctor and took great, loving care of his patients, which taught Lisa the importance of showing sensitivity to others and going out of your way for them. Lisa’s parents were Jewish-minded even though they weren’t Orthodox. Her mom always wanted Lisa to go to a Jewish school, so she could walk into a synagogue and feel comfortable knowing what is being said and its meaning. A special memory from Lisa’s childhood is visiting her grandparents in Florida every year for 15 years during winter break. They would do all kinds of fun things including going to Disney world. Family is very important to Lisa. Lisa got married in 1986 to Michael in Teaneck, New Jersey. Two years later they made Aliyah as a young couple with a six month old baby, Rachel. In 1991 Lisa and her family went on “shlichut” to Australia for 3 and one half years, where Lisa taught in Hebrew schools. When they returned to Israel, Lisa learned at Bar Ilan University and received her Masters in Tanach. She finished her PhD four years later. During her summers, Lisa kept busy as Youth Director in Camp Mesora in the US. Lisa feels that the Land of Israel is a gift for the Jewish nation because for thousands of years they craved to go back to Israel and now we finally got it. “My Love of Jewish history made me feel that if I am blessed with the land of Israel, how can I not live there?” Lisa is very happy with her decision of living in Israel. “It is the right thing to do, even though it might be easier to live in America/Australia but the most important things aren’t always easy.”

Work is very fulfilling for Lisa; she enjoys helping girls with the Aliyah process. “When YTA didn’t exist it was difficult for these girls to fit into the regular school system here in Israel. It is a great feeling to see these girls happy, smiling and feeling good about living in Israel.” Lisa is advancing the educational system here in Israel by helping kids that don’t fit in. They can feel comfortable and are more likely to succeed.

What does Lisa do as principal of YTA? She mainly runs the school, hires teachers, teaches Tanach, gets in touch with parents, takes attendance, etc. In short, she makes sure the girls are being taken care of. Lisa thinks that the skills teachers need are: experience in the field, knowing how to manage a class, a warm smile on their face, and be someone the girls will relate to. Lisa’s goals are to make her school succeed, make a 4 year program in YTA, and try to get the best teachers possible. Lisa loves working with teens. “I think they are old enough to have a high level conversation with, but still young enough and not yet set in their ways, in other words, still open to listen.” For Lisa, a high point and accomplishment is when the girls keep in touch with her after they finish school. It shows that she made an important connection with them and they want to keep it. Although Lisa is a full time educator, she feels that the most important things are what children learn from their family, and later on the school comes along and does what they can to strengthen that. On the other hand, kids from families that are not too strong can learn from the school environment and grow from there. Lisa says, “Education is definitely an important factor in creating an ideal society. It teaches children to think of the important things and values in life especially in the world we live in today with all the technology (ipods, TV, and internet). Education teaches the students that there are more important things in life than the materialistic things.” A message Lisa wants to pass on is to appreciate all that we have, that includes the Tanach and Israel that will last forever. That’s much more important than the materialistic and exciting things that come and go.

=Background research= This is the first century of Jewish women getting advanced degrees, writing doctorates, and writing commentaries on the Bible. In the history of the Jewish nation, women were never encouraged to become highly educated scholars. When you open any Bible, all commentators are men. The door is now open for women to influence the Torah world. Nechama Leibowitz led the way for all women to pursue advanced learning and reach high goals. She had tremendous impact on Jewish women of her generation and the next by changing perceptions of women’s capabilities. She served as role model of a scholar, a Bible commentator as well as a famous teacher. She wrote many books, and books have now been written about her amazing life. Dr. Lisa Fredman was highly influenced by Professor Leibowitz and followed in her footsteps. Professor Nehama Leibowitz lived from 1905 to 1997. She was a winner of the Israel Prize in Education and wrote a best-selling series, “Studies in the Weekly Torah Portion”. She also provided a correspondence course in the Bible for more than thirty years. She was known as being a brilliant teacher, a Bible scholar, and a warm and humorous person. Professor Leibowitz was a passionate Zionist. She would not leave Israel even when offered large sums of money to lecture abroad. She believed that Torah study should be taught in Hebrew and felt that Hebrew should be the language spoken by all Jews. Nehama Leibowitz opposed the ideas of feminism and the feminist movement. She believed in equal pay and equal rights for women but was against changing the balance of the women’s role in Jewish society. She believed in women studying Torah but rejected the idea of women taking on more commandments, such as putting on Tefillin. In an interview by Yael Unterman, Prof. Leibowitz remarked, “Torah study constitutes gratification for women, and to take away this intellectual enjoyment and activity is an injustice; but when it comes to keeping mitzvot, you just have to do what God says.” (2) commentary on the books of the Torah. “The depth and uniqueness of her approach makes her one of the greatest Jewish voices of our time.” As Dr. Zornberg writes in the introduction of her book, “What I did over the years was to share my own personal struggles for meaning, to discover the ways in which life and text inform each other.” (1) <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 120%; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Dr. Yael Ziegler teaches Bible and Jewish Thought in Jerusalem. She earned her doctorate in Tanakh at Bar Ilan University. She is known for her inspirational and exciting exploration of the text. We are proud that Dr. Ziegler lives in our community in Gush Etzion. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 120%; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Shani Taragin is another woman Bible scholar. She completed her B.A. and M.A. in Tanach and Talmud at Bar-Ilan University. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Tanach while teaching in various adult education institutions in Jerusalem. Mrs. Taragin lectures throughout Israel, and serves on the local religious council dealing with issued of Jewish law and education. She believes that woman should reach the highest goals they can, especially today that there is so many opportunities. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 120%; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">In an interview with Shani Taragin published in the Yeshiva University Commentator she expressed the following thoughts: “In terms of where women go from here, I think that the primary avenue should be that women continue to pursue learning Torah on the highest level possible. I think that with the conventions of modern society, women have more time and more opportunities to do so. There is an idea that there is a "glass ceiling" in the woman's beit midrash, that there is a limit. That is something that I was brought up with, but it is something that I honestly do not see or feel at all today. Barukh Hashem, there are so many midrashot teaching Gemara, Halakhah, Tanakh, and Mahashevet Yisrael on a high level, allowing women to be exposed to all areas of learning.” (2) <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 120%; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">In conclusion, all these women have pursued advanced learning and are considered Torah scholars of our day. They are truly an inspiration to the next generation of young Jewish women.

=Personal connection psalm chapter 137= **  By the rivers of Babylon,   ** ** there we sat, sat and wept,  ** ** as we thought of Zion. ** **  There on the poplars  ** ** we hung up our lyres,  ** ** for our captors  ** ** asked us there for songs,  ** ** our tormentors, for amusement,  ** ** "Sing us one of the songs of Zion." ** **  How can we sing a song of the Lord  ** ** on alien soil? ** **  I I forget you, O Jerusalem, ﻿  ** ** let my right hand wither;  ** ** let my tongue stick to my palate  ** ** if I cease to think of you,  ** ** if I do not keep Jerusalem in memory even  ** ** at my happiest hour. **
 * <span style="display: block; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> ** תהילים, פרק קלז **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;">  על נהרות בבל    שם ישבנו גם בכינו   **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> בזכרנו את ציון **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> על ערבים בתוכה **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> תלינו כינורתינו **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> כי שם שאלונו שובינו **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> דברי שיר ותוללנו שמחה **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> שירו לנו משיר ציון **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> איך נשיר את שיר ה' **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> על אדמת נכראם אשכחך ירושלים **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> תשכח ימיני **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> תדבק לשוני לחיכי **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> אם לא אזכרכי **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> אם לא אעלה את ירושלים **
 * <span style="color: #107f7f; display: block; font-family: Arial; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 3.6pt; padding-left: 7.2pt; padding-right: 7.2pt; padding-top: 3.6pt; text-align: right;"> על ראש שמחתי ** ||

This Psalm was written after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. The Israelite captives who were taken to Bavel are sitting by the Babylonian river and are weeping and crying over the destruction of Zion (Jerusalem and the 1st Beit Hamikdash). The Babylonians captors asked that the Israelites sing songs, but how could they sing songs in a foreign country about Zion? The captives made a pledge so that they would never forget Jerusalem. They pledged that they would lose the use of their right hand and their tongues would stick to their palates if they ever forgot Jerusalem, even on the happiest times. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 120%; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">I think that the main idea of this Psalm is to show how important Jerusalem and Zion is for Jews who are living in exile. This song teaches us and the next generations about loving Zion and the land Hashem gave us. This psalm gave hope to the Israelite captives that sat on the Babylonian river and it gives us hope as well. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 120%; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">I chose to include this piece in my Ifaces project because it portrays the love of Israel and Jerusalem in a strong and meaningful way. Today, people who don’t live in Israel dream of making Aliyah. When I hear this song I feel the pain of the Israelites when they weren’t in Israel. That teaches me that Israel is the land we should live in, contribute to, and unite as one Jewish nation. In my interview with Lisa Fredman, she said “the land of Israel is a gift for the Jewish nation. For thousands of years they craved to go back to Israel and now we finally got it. So how can we not live here?” (2) My favorite lines in this psalm are: "אם אשכחך ירושלים תשכח ימיני, תדבק לשוני לחיכי אם לא אזכרכי, אם לא אעלה את ירושלים על ראש שמחתי." Those lines are sung at weddings and other occasions to show that even on the happiest day of our lives we still have to remember that we didn’t get to a high enough level and we are always waiting for Beit Hamikdash to be rebuilt. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 120%; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Something that I like to add to this that makes it really special is the music. It makes me feel a deep connection to the land of Israel. I added pictures of Jerusalem today to show how we have the privilege to live here in the land of Israel.

= Reflection =

When I first heard about this project and it’s topic I knew it was going to be interesting. As I started working on it, I picked my research question and wrote my interview questions I started learning new things and all kinds of new skills. For example I learned how to write interview questions and how an interview works. That is something I had never really done before and it was great to get the chance to. While interviewing Lisa and later on writing up the profile of her I have really understood the meaning of an Israeli citizen who is contributing to Israeli society.

Lisa taught me new aspects of life, education, Tanach and the land of Israel. She was telling me how there are more important things in life than the materialistic and exciting things that come and go. Israel and Tanach take a major part in a Jews life. I understand that living in the land of Israel is a big privilege for me as an individual and as part of the Jewish nation. Women Learning Tanach, commenting on it and writing PhD’s is also a huge improvement in today’s society. Jewish history does not have too many woman role models who are both scholars and have contributed to educating the younger generation. After seeing that accomplishment I am definitely more motivated to fulfill my dreams. I now understand the importance of education and how it is an important factor in creating an ideal society. What really surprised me was the personal connection. The words of the psalm really made me think about my connection to Israel and how I see my life as a Jew. I feel that while writing this project my writing skills and researching skills improved. All the different parts of the project were so different and gave me a chance to gain new skills in different ways. That will definitely help me now and in the future. I am so grateful for Being born in Israel and living here most of my life. I hope Israel will continue to grow, there will be peace and messiah will come soon.

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Works Cited
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">Fredman, Lisa. Israel, Efrat. Zviya Beychok. 30 January,2011. Interview.

// Marmer, Jake. Avivah Zornberg and the ‘Biblical Unconscious’. March 17,2009. Web. //

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">Unterman, Yael. __“//Literary aspects of Nehama Leibowitz’s Reading of the Bible//.”__ published in conjunction with McGill University. Web.

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 110%; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 4.55pt;">Unterman, Yael. "Nehama Leibowitz__." //Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia”//__. 1 March 2009. Jewish Women's Archive. Web. February 22, 2011.

Zornberg, Avivah. “__The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis”__. Philadelphia: Jewish publication society, 1995. Print. February 21, 2011.

**Pictures:** standwithus.com [] zooloo.co.il [] [|http://www.orianit.edu-negev.gov.il] ** Lyrics: ** []

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