Israel

Israel (Eretz Yisrael) is our ancestral homeland. Our Israel Education program at Krieger Schechter Day School is designed to help students cultivate a meaningful relationship and connection with Israel, along with an understanding of the history of Israel, the land, and its people. We weave it into the curriculum not only in Judaics and Hebrew classes, but in social studies, geography and art. Additionally, from the fifth grade, our curriculum includes analyzing primary documents as students examine the challenges, successes, innovations, and struggles of the land of Israel and its various communities. In the eighth grade students learn about the decisions and activities of the State of Israel over the years, and survey the diversity and complexity of the land and its people. Every eighth grade student participates in an end-of-year Israel trip which serves to enhance their connection and knowledge of Israel before they graduate.

Grade 8 Israel Trip

The 8th grade year culminates in a two-week trip to Israel planned with Ramah Israel Programs. A capstone experience, the trip brings together years of Hebrew and Judaic study as it opens students to the living reality of the State of Israel. Students participate in an archaeological dig and get a chance to pray at the Western Wall (Kotel).

As a student you’ll also get to:

  • Make your own pita bread!
  • Plant trees in a JNF forest.
  • Look over the border into Lebanon and Syria from the Golan Heights
  • Explore a village from the era of the Talmud
  • Hike the Galil
  • Raft down the Jordan River
  • Visit mystical Tzfat
  • Take in the Bahai gardens in Haifa
  • View Jerusalem from Mt. Scopus
  • Visit Independence Hall and the Palmach Museum in Tel Aviv
  • Climb Masada
  • Take a dip in the Dead Sea
  • Ride Bedouin camels
  • Go caving
  • Explore Jerusalem’s Old City
  • Visit YadVashem
  • Tour the Knesset

Students come back exhausted and overwhelmed, with memories of a bonding experience that is a fantastic tribute to their time at KSDS.