Buffalo Grove Educator to Participate in Teacher Trek to Israel

Buffalo Grove resident Jessica Santini, an assistant teacher at the Jacob Duman JCC at Woodland Commons in Buffalo Grove, has been selected to travel alongside 30 educators on a trip to Israel.

For the first time, Jewish educators who work in complementary (part-time) Jewish education will spend 10 all-expenses-paid days in Israel, thanks to Taglit-Birthright Israel: Teacher Trek with the Partnership for Effective Learning and Innovative Education (PELIE), according to a press release from PELIE.

The trip is a gift of Taglit-Birthright Israel and a partnership between the people of Israel, Jewish philanthropic partners and the Jewish community. PELIE is a group of funders who are committed to improving the field of complementary education.

Their journey began on June 13. Educators will meet leaders who are shaping the country today. From a meeting with residents of the Golan, to Bedouin hospitality in the desert, from the liveliness of Tel Aviv, to the diversity and spirituality of Jerusalem, the group will experience the history, the vibrancy and the challenges of modern Israel, according to the press release.

They will engage in “green” community service projects and hike in historic areas. The goal is to infuse educators with a love for Israel, which they can share with their students, bringing them a more balanced and whole perspective of the country that is often seen primarily from a political perspective.

The trip was offered to American and Canadian educators ages 18 to 29 who have not yet been to Israel. Thirty teachers were selected to travel with a small group of Israeli counterparts.

Teacher Trek recognizes that young adults choose to teach in complementary settings while they are students, when they are looking for a gateway to the Jewish community, and when they are beginning their careers. The trip aims to foster the talent represented by these educators and hopes to encourage their continued involvement within the community and inspire them to serve as future Jewish leaders.

Teacher Trek is an effort to build a deep connection between Jewish educators and the State of Israel, by allowing educators to experience Israel’s geography, natural beauty and history first hand.

“We will work with the educators so they can transfer all they experienced and felt in Israel back into their classrooms,” said Adena Raub. “Educators will feel a connection and a sense of belonging with Israel as a country, its people and its traditions, which will shape and enrich their work.”

Raub was once a Jewish educator and is now the Information Manager at PELIE, a champion for complementary Jewish education, which advocates for successful educational experiences and invests in the replication of good programs.

Once back in the States, PELIE will work with the educators to form an online community among the teachers who traveled together and may hold events that will enable the teachers to share ways they have brought Israel to their students and their students’ reaction to the lessons.

“Teacher Trek will create a ripple effect,” Raub said. “Going to Israel transformed the way I taught everything – from lessons about the country to the Hebrew language, and even the Jewish calendar and holidays. Most importantly, being in the land of Israel brought a passion and purpose to my teaching that I couldn't have obtained in any other way.”