Since they arrived in Israel on April 11, the graduating class of Stamford’s Bi-Cultural Day School has been enjoying a jam-packed itinerary that includes touring the country from Eilat to the Golan Heights; engaging in acts of chesed – aka “loving kindness” or social service; and attending study sessions at various yeshivot. It’s all part of the school’s annual month-long trip to Israel for 8th-graders – an experience that has capped off the eight-grade curriculum at Bi-Cultural for close to 45 years.

Bi-Cultural 8th-graders join in a flash mob in Mamila, Jerusalem’s beautiful outdoor mall.

“For all their years at Bi-Cultural these students have been learning about Israel. Now, just before they graduate and move on to the next phase of their young lives, they get to see all they learned come to life,” says Bi-Cultural Associate Principal Rabbi Yehuda Jeiger. “The trip gives students the unique opportunity to connect with the land, the people, and the culture of Israel. They’ve been taught that this is their homeland – now they get to feel it.”

Among their many stops, the students visited Yad Sarah, Israel’s largest volunteer organization that engages in acts of kindness for Jews and non-Jews in Israel, where they were given a tour and engaged in several hands-on activities. The students had a special connection with the unique volunteer-staffed organization: In September, when 8th-grader Max Dayan celebrated his bar mitzvah, he earmarked all his gifts – every single one – for Yad Sarah Play Center and Toy Library for children with special needs.

CAP: Bi-Cultural 8th-graders (l to r) Ben Weiner, Justin Bilenker and Max Dayan work on refurbishing a pair of crutches in Yad Sarah’s equipment repair room.