Israelis*In*America

Metuka Benjamin, Educational Director and Philanthropical Activist:
Independent Fundraising and Professional Insights

“If I am not living there, I feel, I need to do what I'm doing for Israel. It's not only money––it's educating people.”

Metuka Benjamin was born in Tel Aviv and came to the United States as a teen, then attending Forest Hills High School in New York. She attended Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she received her Masters in Education.

Philanthropy

My passion and my love for Israel and my work for Israel is really unlimited. But I do it in different ways, not with the [Israeli only] organizational groups [but] I'm involved in a number of organizations that are a mixture of Israelis and Americans as well. I am out of that “box.” Yeah, I'm different, yes …

I am the international president of a hospital in Israel, Assaf Harofeh, and I organize a board, in other places in the United States and in England. We work with volunteers, very little professionals work with us because I don't believe in spending money on high salaries because its very difficult to raise the money and I want every penny to get to the hospital. So that's my philosophy.

I do work with the Air Force. I find out things that they need for the pilots to make their life easier, their families' lives easier.

Then on a professional level I have two schools in Tel Aviv that we're partnering with. One is Shevach Mofet School, where 90 percent of the youngsters are Russian olim (immigrants.) And I came to that school because once on a mission they took us to Ichilov Hospital to see youngsters who were wounded during the terror attack on the Dolphinarium … I saw these kids there and being an educator I questioned where do they go to school, and I was told Shevach Mofet was the school of nine of these kids. And they lost seven students at the attacks. So, I went to visit the school on my own.

I was very impressed with the education that was taking place with the passion that the kids had to learn. They all came from very difficult, I mean, low socio-economic, homes. As I walked around, I felt this is the future of Israel, these kids. I walked around and I saw that they had no library. To make a long story short, I asked him to put the plans on paper and I got the driving need, I must get this school a library, because the kids were so impressive and the education that was taking place. So, when I got back I spoke to my friend Mr. Lowell Milken and I told him I saw this unique school and outstanding students and [how]they need a library. “I have the plans and I know how much it's to cost and if you're interested then I'll send it to you. If not, I'll go to somebody else, but I need an answer immediately.” I sent him the papers and he called me back and told me that his foundation was over-committed [but that] he understands exactly why this is important and he will give it out of his own pocket, which he did. The biggest joy was to call the principle and let him know. He couldn't believe it, and because the morale was so low because of the loss of these kids that were killed, it was a very important thing to to start the school year announcing we will have a library in the memory of the girls that were killed …

We had a dedication in December. I met with the mothers of the children that were killed and in their broken Hebrew they said to me that they can never get back their daughters but to know that there's a library, especially books that they believe in education will be a memory of their children we will that will help them feel the tragedy. So, that's one school that we are in contact…

We have student exchange programs with another school we're involved with.
It's really a Tel Aviv-Los Angeles partnership. Kids come here for high holidays, and for the two months of study here at our high. And they learn about pluralism and what it means to be a Jew in the Diaspora.

And our kids go during Pesach (Passover). They're there for Yom Ha'Shoa (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Yoma HaZikaron (Memorial Day), and Yom Ha'Atzma'ut (Independence Day). They teach it in the schools here but they never experience it. So when they're there, and they hear that siren, our kids come back Zionists. Every kid that was on the program that went to Israel wants to return. And they do return, either with a family or their partner, or to a summer program, or to study at the University, there's definite connection to the land.

I'm also involved in a program Atidim (“Futures”), a program to help youngsters that come from under-developed towns where the parents are illiterate and don't have the means to send the kids even to high school education, because it costs $800 dollars in incidentals and $10,000 to send them to university. These children usually work to help the parents. I feel this program helps change the tapestry of Israeli society--these kids are not gonna be criminals or leave the country once they've gained the knowledge because they're so connected and appreciative of what this program does for them.

Whoever I spoke to in Israel that knows about Atidim in the business world says that's our future. They want to prepare the young generation to stay there-- the ones with the brains that can contribute. And it's interesting that the business world understands it and the business world supports it in many ways.

Living here… in America, and my deep, deep feelings for Israel, my understanding of Israel, I feel that my professional work is my professional work and Israel is important in this institution and to our students. It's one of the “pillars” of the school, so professionally, this is my fulfillment.

Now, the other things that I mentioned to you, I feel that without them, I will not be completely fulfilled. So this other piece, if I am not living there, I feel that I need to do what I'm doing for Israel. And it's not only money, it's educating the people. Take groups of people to Israel, my program there with them is unbelievable, it's unique, it's uplifting. And the people then do whatever they can … and they're connected. So, I look at many aspects, I look at the business world there, how they can come and do business, how they can buy apartments there, how they can help to expand the education programs in various places. So that's what I do and that gives me satisfaction.

Professional Life

I'm the director of education here at Steven Weiss. We have four schools here--early childhood, elementary (K-6), 7-8, and 9-12. And a religious school for kids that go to supplementary afternoon Hebrew school and Sunday school. Each one of the schools has principal, a director, and they're all responsible to me.

I meet every head of school once a week and if necessary more, once a month we all meet together and we work on different things, we work on projects that everyone can participate. We have now a wonderful thing going--we discovered a program where a public school teacher--not Jewish--in Kansas City, a social studies teacher, who taught World War II, the Holocaust and all that, and he did some research and in a magazine found out about a non-Jewish woman in Poland, who saved 2,500 Jews. And he took the kids to Poland and met with this woman, she's ninety-one years old now. Anyway, I heard about this whole thing and I'm bringing them here in November. And the kids wrote a play and will perform to our entire congregation and our schools …

So I look to bring the “real” things, not only study from books, but what they call in Hebrew re'alia--things to touch, smell and feel.

On Israelis in the School

There is a presence of Israelis that came here and decided to send their kids to a Jewish school. We don't have too many Israelis at the school.

We cluster them for Hebrew language. They can speak Hebrew but they can't read and the can't write and they don't know Hebrew grammar. The ones that I hear, we meet their needs.

They want to be similar [to their classmates.] Some of them are embarrassed by their parents accents or poor English. Some of the parents try to integrate but they really hang around Israelis, they don't, as a whole, integrate within American society. Their lawyer is an Israeli, their accountant is Israeli, their hair dresser is Israeli … they feel more comfortable.

But you know at school here, it's not only Israelis, we have Persian here as well and Russian kids. So, it really is a melting pot. I formed a cross-cultural committee of representatives of all the cultures, including Americans as well. We have some Africans, and they discipline their kids differently, Persians have their issues, Israelis have their issues, we sit down and we discuss and we know that we're there to build something… because we do want to make a change and a difference, so it's working very well in our school.

On how the Jewish-American and Israeli-American Communities Work Together and the Jewish Federation's Attitude toward Israel

They have a problem working together … I know in previous years it was more noticeable and difficult, but there's an attempt now to get them together. Israelis want to [be involved] and they keep on complaining that they're not accepted, they're not accepted. They have to learn one thing--to be philanthropic, you know, and not to say, “we're not accepted.” If they would contribute … I'm talking about the ones that have the means. They don't contribute or they contribute very little when it comes to writing the check or if there's a function.

There has to be the proper approach to everything. [The Jewish] Federation does support Israel, I know so many projects that are being supported by Federation in Israel … Even through the partnership between Tel Aviv and Los Angeles I see what's going on. It's on an economic level and education on internal affairs…

So they (Israeli Americans) plan this thing for Independence Day and they need people to sponsor and they feel that the Federation should give them money for that, and maybe they don't give or they give very little, and they get frustrated … you have to look at the bigger picture. I know that Israel is a very important component to the Federation.

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