Summer! What images immediately come in your mind? Sun. Backyard barbeques. Travel. Beach. Swimming pools. Baseball. Camp.
For 27 Baltimore college students, the summer of 2019 will bring memories of Israel that will give them a global perspective and transform the rest of their lives. These students are living and working in Israel for 10 weeks as participants in Onward Israel.
In this week’s cover story, JT reporter Sydney Kligman interviews four of the Baltimore participants of Onward Israel. It is a national program of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) established in 2012. The Baltimore Onward Israel program, in its sixth year, is subsidized by The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore. This year, the 27 Baltimore participants are living in Jaffa and working in Tel Aviv for 10-week internships in diverse fields, ranging from sports marketing to environmental engineering and tech startups.
“As a Jew, to be in Israel is a whole different level of connection verses learning about it. To be here you feel a real sense of pride, to be surrounded by all Jews all of the time. I grew up in Pikesville so I’m used to it, but this is a whole other level,” said Matthew Eisenberg of Pikesville.
JT reporter Susan Ingram reports on “Liquidation,” an art installation by Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) graduates Sarah Maravetz and Gillian McCallion. “Liquidation,” on exhibit at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum through July 7, is an LED light display that visually recognizes the thousands of Jews who died in Lodz, Poland, which was the second largest Jewish community in Poland just before World War II.
“[There is] a map of Lodz at the top. Each level of the strips of lights represents a month, so the levels go out as the months tick by and the population declines,” McCallion said. “By the end, only the tips of a few of the strips are lit.”
Coming this Sunday, don’t miss the documentary film, “The Spy Behind Home Plate” about Jewish baseball catcher Moe Berg, playing July 7 at 4:30 pm at the Parkway Theatre. JT reporter Connor Graham writes that Aviva Kempner, the film’s producer, writer and director, will be at the screening and conduct a Q & A session with the audience afterwards.
Finally, Mazal Tov to both the Jewish Times and our sister publication, Washington Jewish Week. Both publications won prestigious Rockower awards last week at American Jewish Press Association’s annual conference in St. Louis. The Simon Rockower Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism represent the highest level of achievement in journalism for the American Jewish press. Susan Ingram won first place for excellence in writing in the category of Jewish Heritage and Jewish Peoplehood in Europe. Susan also won second place in the category of Excellence in Arts and Criticism News and Features – Reporting. JT staff also won first place for Excellence in Photography.
Shabbat Shalom.
csinsabaugh@midatlanticmedia.com
