Christian school visits Israel …in New Haven

WOODBRIDGE – When Nuchan Byrd of the Alpha and Omega Christian Academy school in Waterbury phoned the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven (JCC) to request information about Israel for their school’s annual ‘virtual’ visit to another country, the JCC’s Center for Jewish Life and Learning (CJLL) was delighted to be of assistance.
CJLL Director Rich Walter and Saskia Swenson Moss, coordinator of youth and family education, visited the academy to meet with the school’s founder and principal, Pastor Elaine Burke, to help plan what would be the school’s first field trip in their 10-year history.

Not long after, on the morning of May 28, two vans pulled up to the front entrance of the JCC and 31 students, ages 5-17, from Latino, Haitian, Brazilian, African and African American backgrounds poured into the JCC, ready for an educational adventure led by Matan Aviel and Karen Brustein, New Haven’s Israel Young Emissaries.
“We were interested in the Western Wall especially,” said Byrd. “Our Pastor had visited Israel and we had ‘built’ a Western Wall. We wanted to come and learn more about it.”
Department of Jewish Education Director Rich Walter welcomed the students, asked them what they knew about Israel, and promised that when the two hours of learning were over he would ask the same question again so they could see just how much they had learned.
During the course of their visit, students learned about the contrast between modern Israel and the Biblical land; and about the life, culture, topography and history of the Jewish state. The emissaries spoke about their experiences growing up in Israel and, engaged their eager audience in learning games that included playing on a 30-foot long interactive floor map of the State of Israel.
The students, noted Walter, were “an inquisitive group who asked great questions and had a true desire to learn about both Israel and Judaism.”
After a lunch of kosher pizza, the children said goodbye, got back in their vans and visited Congregation B’nai Jacob in Woodbridge. Rabbi Joel Levenson led a tour of the sanctuary and the students glimpsed the Ezra Academy day school housed in the same building.
“We were thrilled to welcome the students,” Levenson said. “Each visit, each interaction, each time we’re together; we can build bridges of understanding and friendship.”
Jewish Community Relations Director Lauri Lowell echoed the sentiment. “It is so important to have face-to-face contact with children of other faiths,” she said, after giving each child a small booklet on Israel to take home. “We look forward to further activities with our friends from Alpha and Omega.”
School secretary Laurdef Borrero, who is also an Alpha and Omega parent agreed. When asked if she enjoyed her visit said she shook her head vigorously. “Oh yes!” she said. “We hope to come back every year.”

Special to the Ledger

Photo: Students from Alpha and Omega Christian Academy in Waterbury demonstrated their new knowledge of Israel by holding up cards reading “Ken” (yes) and “Lo” (no) in response to questions posed to them as part of a learning game led by Israel Young Emissaries on a recent educational field trip to the JCC of Greater New Haven in Woodbridge.

Comments are closed.