For the past several year's Kadima has partnered with the Ort Yad Singalovski school in Tel Aviv as part of this program. This week we welcome 11 delegates and their chaperones who are staying in Kadima homes and celebrating Hanukkah with us, in addition to having an educational and cultural exploration of Los Angeles. This program is being hosted by the Kadima 8th grade with involvement by all of the middle school faculty and administrators, and coordinated by our very own Rabbi Chaim Singer-Frankes and Yardena Shamir.
This week alone, all students - including Kadima's 8th grade and the delegates, met in Santa Monica upon the arrival of our guests and enjoyed breakfast at Mishon Tephilo, a historic synagogue located in Venice and enjoyed the sights and sounds of one of our local beach communities.
On Monday, students began their day on campus and departed on a field trip to the California Science Center. Tuesday brought opportunities for tzedekah work with delegates volunteering their time at SOVA, one of the local food pantries providing free groceries and services to local individuals in need, regardless of age, ethnicity or religion. Yesterday, all 8th grade students and delegates traveled to the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Museum of Tolerance. Today, students are on campus participating in Middle School morning services and then are learning about the diversity within the Los Angeles Community. Later in the day, they will be visiting historical downtown Los Angeles, Chinatown, Hollywood, and other communities of the city.
If you have not yet had the chance to meet the delegates, and you are on the Kadima campus, please be sure to say hello.
Connection to Israel, the language and the culture of Israel, and of the Jewish people, is an important part of Kadima's educational mission as we grow students who become leaders in the Jewish community for years to come.