Volunteers teaching inspiring online classes

Everyone is aware of what happens when Israel goes to war. Thousands of volunteers give of their time to engage in activities to help our troops, provide them with necessities, and help house and feed those who are temporarily displaced. In addition, there is a huge cadre of professionals in multiple disciplines who give of their time to augment the gaps in education that develop during these periods.

The events of October 7 were a major shock to many Israeli government ministries, with most not knowing how to respond. The initial response of the Ministry of Education, for example, was to issue an order not to teach for at least two weeks. Their thought was that the horrific events of that day would prevent students from studying and make it difficult for them to focus on learning.

But in fact, many students, as well as parents, felt the need for that void to be filled and wanted to maintain some semblance of routine during this challenging time, especially having experienced the negative effects of the lack of a fixed routine during COVID.

A worrisome phenomenon that developed as a result of no scheduled classes during the war was that children and teenagers spent their time watching different social media outlets, which included non-stop news and horror videos of the Hamas attack.

To address this emergency, an assortment of volunteers, entrepreneurs, and groups, composed of hi-tech experts who love education, started to organize. Very soon, they were giving inspiring lessons online, drawn from the best academics in multiple fields, including computers, writing, the arts, cinema, the sciences, history, cooking, and more. Most of these volunteers were engaged professionally in their chosen fields but did not normally teach.

Coming together in times of crisis

The program was organized by Roni Zedek, community manager of the Tech4Ed program and former group facilitator for MASA Journey, who also established a school to deal with the emergency. “I established the school I always wanted in response to the attack, but I had planned it several years earlier,” she said.

On the terrible Shabbat of October 7, Zedek was in Mexico as part of a Jewish Agency project when someone announced, “There are sirens in the south of Israel.” Watching the incoming news, she understood that something very big was happening. Given the enormity of the attack, she went into mourning. She canceled all her plans for the week and headed back to Israel.

Zedek then contacted her colleagues and several leaders in the Tech4Ed community, and they agreed to lead a project to recruit famous performing artists who would appear in online shows to ease the pain of the Israeli people during this stressful time. Zedek manages the program, which includes many professionals who teach specialized courses on request outside their regular schedules. Their motto is: “The children’s interests are central, so the lessons must be fascinating for their minds, not just informative.”

Among these entrepreneurs is Dr. Yael Epstein, who founded “The Book Screen,” a start-up that specializes in improving literacy skills among elementary-school students. The technology encourages them to read books and engage in creative writing, using an updated digital model in both English and Hebrew.

“I FELT I needed to volunteer and teach creative writing in order to relieve the stress and panic that many children feel nowadays, because of the war, and make them understand that the power of creativity and imagination helps, in many situations, to make them feel better – thereby giving them the opportunity to stimulate their minds and generate hope as well,” Epstein said.

Epstein was flattered when a group of 30 students asked her to continue teaching the online creative workshop at the end of the course. She agreed to do it because she believes in the therapeutic value of having Israeli children write fantasy stories, which can help neutralize their feelings while living in a state of continual trauma. At the same time, the children and teens feel they can be optimistic.

In times of crisis and need, the many Israeli volunteers who contribute to society demonstrate the beautiful face of Israel. Statistics show that since the start of the war, 50 percent of the  population not in uniform have been engaged in volunteer activities supporting the war effort. In addition, 200,000 Israelis who were abroad when the war began have returned to Israel during the first two weeks, some even sitting on the floor of specially arranged EL AL flights. No other country can claim that kind of total commitment by its population.

Former US President Bill Clinton once said, “Volunteering is an act of heroism on a grand scale. And it matters profoundly. It does more than help people beat the odds; it changes the odds.” We here in Israel can be rightly proud of our volunteers and the value they bring to our country and our people. We are blessed by their efforts.

The writer has lived in Israel for 40 years. He is CEO of Atid EDI Ltd., an international business development consultancy. He is also founder and chair of the American State Offices Association, former national president of the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, and a past chairperson of the board of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies.