Newsletter Category

Shorashim Continues Special-Needs Offerings for Taglit-Birthright Israel

Posted Wed, 01/04/2012 - 15:57 by Naomi Shapiro

During the last three years, Shorashim has expanded its Israel programming reach to young adults with special needs.

Shorashim started by working with KOACH to run a Taglit-Birthright Israel group for 18 to 26 year olds with Asperger’s Syndrome in 2008.  The trip is now in its third year and is being spearheaded by KOACH’s Associate Director Elyse Winick and Shorashim alum Darin Argentar. For the first year, this group has soared in popularity, and drew a waitlist. 
The 20 young adults (the most we have ever sent!) are currently in Israel having an amazing time. You can follow their journey on their blog at http://israelwithisraelis.com/blogs/sh-25-151 .


The Asperger’s Group has been so successful, that Shorashim was contacted by a group of parents from Los Angeles who wanted their 18 to 26 year olds with special needs to experience a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip.
 

Shorashim Offers a Wide-Range of Taglit-Birthright Israel Trips

Posted Wed, 01/04/2012 - 15:50 by Becky Kupchan

Shorashim is in the middle of its 2011-12 Taglit-Birthright Israel winter season.  What are the trips like? You can find out by reading the participants' blogs and viewing their pictures which are featured on our web site: http://israelwithisraelis.com/blog. 

Summer registration for Taglit-Birthright Israel trips opens on February 15, 2012 at 10:00 am ET. If you applied in the past, you will have access to early registration on February 14, 2012 at noon ET. 

To sign up on our mailing list to receive a reminder that registration is opening go to http://israelwithisraelis.com/signup-mailing-list. 

See you in Israel!

 

The Israel Challenge

Posted Wed, 09/08/2010 - 10:30 by Sharna Marcus

Any Shorashim Israel experience facilitates participants to excel educationally and physically. However, this summer Shorashim created an exceptional opportunity for participants who chose to be a part of the Israel Challenge.

Inspired by both the Amazing Race and the Biggest Loser, Shorashim provided a competitive and challenge-based trip throughout Israel. In teams with Israeli peers, participants completed both intellectual and physical challenges that helped them to explore the beauty of Israel, its history and even its political and environmental challenges
The Israel Challenge garnered tremendous attention from participants, Taglit-Birthright Israel, and even the press. Shorashim was featured in the Jerusalem Post.
 

Third Annual Aspergers Syndrome Trip

Posted Wed, 09/08/2010 - 10:00 by Sharna Marcus

Shorashim will once again be partnering with KOACH to offer a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip for Jewish 18 to 26 year olds with Aspergers Syndrome winter 2010/11.

This ten-day Israel adventure features a smaller group of participants and a high staff to participant ratio. Our specialized itinerary is created in partnership with experienced, specially trained staff and is carefully structured to be enjoyable and informative for this population. The program includes a multi-day mifgash (encounter) with Israeli peers, a less intense rhythm of the day than most other Taglit-Birthright Israel trips, visits to ancient and modern sites of interest and an incomparable Shabbat. 
 
To read about the 2008 trip: http://www.shorashim.org/newsletter/?p=129 and http://www.uscj.org/The_Highest_Example_7972.html

 

Shorashim Enters the Blogoshpere

Posted Wed, 09/08/2010 - 08:37 by Adam Stewart

Shorashim has entered the blogosphere and our published articles and photographs are making a splash internationally. This summer, the CCP and Taglit-Birthright Israel groups frequently posted blogs created by participants to offer their friends and family a glimpse into life on Shorashim program. In addition, Shorashim staff members are contributing writers to blogs in the Jewish blogosphere including OyChicago and Project Incite.

Check out the blogs:

 

Shorashim Offers Special Interest Taglit-Birthright Israel Trips

Posted Fri, 01/15/2010 - 08:07 by Sharna Marcus

Taglit-Birthright Israel offers trip providers the opportunity to compete for additional allocations by submitting proposals for special-interest trips. Shorashim applied for and was awarded two such programs. As a result, this summer Shorashim will be offering the “You Can Dance!” and “Get Fit Frenzy.” Taglit-Birthright Israel trips.

“You can Dance!” is the brainchild of Shorashim Co-Founder and Educational Manager Yossi Nameri. Yossi is an Israeli folk dance enthusiast and teaches Rikudei Am (folk dancing), sometimes for hours on Taglit-Birthright Israel trips. On this unique experience, participants will learn not only Israeli folk dance, but also genres based on the diverse population of Israel including Russian and Latin Ballroom and Traditional Ethiopian Dance. Participants on the trip will attend and participate in the internationally renowned Karmiel Israeli Folk Dance Festival. You don't have to be a professional dancer to participate in this trip - you just have to be enthusiastic and energetic. Please let anyone you know who might be interested in this trip to apply when registration opens on Feb. 17 at www.israelwithisraelis.com.

Second Annual Asperger's Syndrome Trip in Israel

Posted Fri, 01/15/2010 - 06:30 by Sharna Marcus

Shorashim completed its second Taglit-Birthright Israel trip for 18 to 26 year olds with Asperger’s Syndrome last month. The trip was an incredible success thanks to the participants, the Israelis who joined the group, and of course, the staff.

Such a trip requires a tremendous amount of screening, and for the third year, Rose Sharon, a special education teacher in the Chicago Public Schools and Director of Camp Tikva’s Vocation Program, spoke to every participant, their parents, and at least one medical professional to ensure that they were fit for a 10 day program. She also hired a stellar staff which included Tikva camp counselors Syd Berkman and Kashmir Kustanowitz. Although participants on the Aspergers trip experience everything that a typical Taglit-Birthright Israel trip has to offer, there are also special considerations to make the trip accommodating. The planning of the trip took place in Israel by the tour educator Dror Kidron.

In addition, every Shorashim trip has Israelis. Lior Baruch interviewed every Israeli to ensure that they were happy to spend 10 days with an alternative trip. The participants had such a great time that Mark Fleischer created a Facebook group so that they could all keep in touch. Many of the participants joined Facebook for the first time to keep contact with friends that they had made on the trip.

“The trip was great,” participant Will Safran wrote on the group’s wall.

Chag Sameach - Happy Passover

Posted Wed, 04/08/2009 - 09:00 by Adam Stewart

We wish you a very happy Passover holiday and hope that you have an enjoyable and relaxing Seder tonight. May the meaning of freedom bring you joy and give you strength in all that you do! Drawing by a kindergarten student at Temple Chai in Long Grove as part of an activity with Gilad Shalit's "When the Shark and the Fish First Met."

These past couple of months have been busy ones here at Shorashim, as we finished up our Taglit-Birthright Israel season by bringing over 700 participants on their first trip to Israel. Although allocations are somewhat down for the summer, we enjoyed record registration for our summer groups, and look forward to bringing many more people on this amazing experience.

We were proud to partner again with the Jewish National Fund (JNF) on their fourth annual Alternative Spring Break to Israel. College students and young adults engaged in awesome and meaningful projects like "Earth's Promise" in which they helped Ethiopian immigrants in Beer Sheva build sustainable urban gardens on neglected city land. Many of the participants attended the opening of the new indoor playground in Sderot - a reinforced structure that gives children in the area a safe place to play.

A Story of Two Noahs

Posted Wed, 04/08/2009 - 08:50 by Sharna Marcus

Noah Bronfeld participated in one of Shorashim's Chicago Community Taglit-Birthright Israel trip this past winter. Below is a letter from his parents which is excerpted from the latest print issue of JUF News and is also available Noah & Noah on their way up Masada.

We are the proud parents of two wonderful sons, Jordan, who is almost 25, and Noah, who is almost 23.
Several years ago, our son Jordan went on Taglit-Birthright Israel with Shorashim. He had a memorable trip, and it was then that I began to seriously think about how we could provide such an experience for our son Noah.
Our son Noah has autism. He has had a wonderful Jewish education through Keshet. He has attended the Sunday school and the summer programs since he was 5. Keshet has very much been instrumental in helping Noah to develop a sense of his Jewish identity.
In spite of the fact that Noah's friends participate in many Friday evening social activities, Noah is quite insistent about going to Friday night minyan and celebrating Shabbat at home, as a family. As we began to have discussions with Noah about whether he would like to go to Israel on Birthright, it became clear that not only was he interested in going, he was excited about it. Making a trip to Israel happen for Noah became a mission for us.

Continued at JUF News...

A Shorashim Family Affair

Posted Wed, 04/08/2009 - 08:10 by Sharna Marcus

The JohnstonsTaglit-Birthright Israel: Shorashim trips are frequently family affairs. During our nineteenth Taglit-Birthright Israel season many siblings and cousins decided to experience Israel with Israelis and with their family members. The trip allows them not only to see Israel for the first time, but to spend 10 days with siblings and cousins who live in other cities or attend different universities.

On one Shorashim trip there were three sibling groups including a set of triplets! One sibling group were Mifgash siblings: Earl Rich is an Israeli soldier and Mandy Rich, a Taglit-Birthright Israel participant.

How does having so many sibling participants affect group dynamics? According to madricha and JNF Administrative Assistant Becky Palley, the experience is enhanced. “As a trip leader, I thought the siblings in my group were a great asset,” Palley said. “The siblings in my group looked out for each other, and found a nice balance of comfort and excitement in their Israel experiences.  On one hand, they had people who they felt comfortable talking to and who they knew, but on the other hand they were able to go out and make new friends and broaden their social horizons. The siblings in my group enjoyed seeing Israel for the first time together, and broadening their Jewish identities as a family. Coming to Israel with a family member, or in some cases two, is something special and I think it's great that Shorashim was able to provide that for these young Jewish adults.”