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DevelopmentNews The AMIT Kfar Blatt Youth Village in Petach Tikva is distinguished by a number of characteristics. It is situated in a quiet, grassy area surrounded by trees. Within this idyllic backdrop are over 300 students in grades 9 to12. What might not be apparent to the casual visitor is that these are teenagers-at-risk living in a unique dormitory arrangement to provide them with a sense of family. In the mishpachtonim (family units), a married couple reside with 16 to18 girls or boys. Most of the students at this residential facility have not been able to succeed in any other school environment. Music plays an important role in the psychological and educational process at Kfar Blatt. The extensive extracurricular music program encourages children to work in musical ensembles. This in turn promotes teamwork, minimizing violence, and the elimination of cultural and economic boundaries. For some, music can become the means for breaking out of a cycle of despair and onto a path of success. For Kfar Blatt, a donation from the Daniel and Ethel Hamburger Music Fund was like manna from heaven for the student choir. The choir allows girls and boys to perform for other students and the community at large. Ronen Lan Reeder is the choir director, with experience not only in musical production, but in working with youth. “As educators we are most anxious to increase instruction hours. We believe that this will not only improve the choir’s musical ability and professionalism, but help those students for whom music is a critical part of their psychological therapy. An increase of only one hour daily would have enormous impact on the overall program,” explains Ronen. The Hamburger Fund is based in Cleveland. Ethel Hamburger, who was a cellist, wanted to honor her husband’s request to help 32 Music To Our Ears AMIT <strong>Summer</strong> 2006 preserve Israeli music. Bill Hartstein, a lawyer for the estate contacted Edna Landau, managing director in North America of IMG Artists, and manager of Itzhak Perlman. He thought Ms. Landau might know of Israeli institutions involved with music education. In addition to her experience dealing with arts institutions all over the world, Edna is an AMIT member and close friend of Senior Vice President Barbara Rascoff. The two discussed this opportunity which led to Ms. Landau’s recommendation to the Hamburger Fund of the choir at Kfar Blatt. The directors of the fund are Harold and Sandra Levine. “We learned that this was a good organization that was worthy of assistance. The music programs at AMIT schools are in keeping with our goals,” said Mr. Levine. The money from the Hamburger Foundation was used to buy a sound system for the music room where the choir practices. The choir members meet once a week for two to three hours. They work on music selected according to the educational theme the entire village is engaged in at the time. Choir members learn existing songs but also compose their own. Earlier in the year they studied three celebrated Israeli artists who all passed away during the prior 12 months: Ehud Manor, Naomi Shemer and Uzi Hitman. They studied about each artist and learned a song by each one. Everyone anxiously awaits the two times a year when the choir actually records and then performs for the entire village. AMIT Kfar Blatt is very interested in broadening the activities of the choir and is especially in need of additional recording equipment. With the help of interested parties, like the Hamburger Fund, more and more students will be uplifted by song. If you can help identify a foundation that has an interest in the goals of AMIT, please contact our Development Department at 212-477-4720 or 1-800-989-AMIT or email info@amitchildren.org.
Hands, Heads and Hearts Photos by Dubi Itamar AMIT Kiryat Malachi Junior and Senior High School was the scene of an exciting ceremony in March. Forty-five bar mitzvah aged boys were recipients of new tefillin and tallitot. Over 500 students, 60% of whom are Ethiopian immigrants and 5% of whom are from the Former Soviet Union, attend the school, which earned the President’s Prize in Education in 2002. The tefillin were a gift of AMIT donors, and the tallitot were a gift of Rabbi Yehuda Bohrer of Bet El, just north of Jerusalem, in memory of his daughter, Techiah, z”l. At the suggestion of First Senior Vice President Deanne Shapiro, the rabbi created a fund to facilitate and subsidize the purchase of the tefillin. The boys gathered in a beit knesset near the school where they excitedly davened in a service led by their peers and the school director, Rabbi Ofir Cohen (pictured). Prior to their tefilla, many of the boys put their tefillin on for the first time with the assistance of teachers, rabbis and more experienced friends. Many parents attended to participate in the service and observe this great mitzvah. Following davening, a group of boys shared their thoughts on this milestone in their lives and noted their appreciation for receiving the tefillin. Rabbi Bohrer inspired the boys by telling them they have a wonderful responsibility as new olim to fulfill their parents’ dream of redemption in Israel. Fundraising for The Tefillin Fund is headed by Barbara Wachspress in Israel, to ensure that AMIT students will have tefillin and tallitot that they otherwise could not afford. ~ Don’t think that the bat mitzvah girls were left out of the festivities! They participated in the tefilla and received beautiful gifts provided by Rabbi Bohrer. Hannah Cherlow, of the Israel Executive Committee and chair of the Allocations Committee, represented AMIT by blessing the girls. Rabbi Bohrer reminded them that they are bnei mitzvah, DevelopmentNews and they should be aware of the ways of bnei Yisroel. Rabbi Cohen and Rabbi Yehoshua Priel, the school rabbi, organized the day’s events. And their remarks emphasized the importance of tefillin, and how proud they were of all their students. In one final act of generosity, Rabbi Bohrer gave Rabbi Priel a number of kosher mezuzot scrolls and promised to send batim as well. To learn more about the Tefillin Fund and other giving opportunities that provide AMIT students with the basic necessities for the fulfillment of the mitzvot, contact our Development Department at 1-800-989-AMIT or 212-477-4720. You can email info@amitchildren.org or make a contribution online with a major credit card. Visit our award-winning, secure website at www.amitchildren.org. uWxa, .he ,Whnt 33
Page 1 and 2: Summer 2006 | Kayitz 5766 | Vol. LX
Page 3 and 4: HONORARY ADVISORY BOARD* David Berg
Page 5 and 6: When we think of AMIT, what comes t
Page 7 and 8: “Knowledge has power. It controls
Page 9 and 10: cate, and most of these did so with
Page 11 and 12: The Journey of Professor Jacob Klei
Page 13 and 14: Assyriology, Klein now had to find
Page 15 and 16: next stage. To all you young people
Page 17 and 18: “Mediation is not just a way to f
Page 19 and 20: Signs of Intelligent Life in the Un
Page 21 and 22: Science Prodigy Tenth Grader Doron
Page 23 and 24: Affair,” by Nidra Poller (Comment
Page 25 and 26: Looseleaf Anna Olswanger, a Life Me
Page 27 and 28: A Different Mind Set The lessons fr
Page 29 and 30: THE 80 th ANNIVERSARY YEAR: WE’VE
Page 31: DevelopmentNews After School Progra
Page 35 and 36: Davids’s Playground: The Gift of
Page 37 and 38: Queens, NY: AMIT members in the Tri
Page 39 and 40: $100,000+ Ellen and Meyer Koplow

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