Israeli, Ursuline students share lesson in culture

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By KATIE SEMINARA

YOUNGSTOWN — For the past six months, Adi Barnea, 17, of Beit Haemek, Israel, has been looking forward to her trip to the U.S.

“Just being here” is the best part so far, she said.

Adi and 12 other Israeli students from Western Galilee near the border of Lebanon are visiting the U.S. to experience American culture and went to Ursuline High School on Thursday.

The group visited 25 Ursuline sophomores who are involved in the International Triwizard Project. The program was created to connect and encourage understanding between Jewish and Arab teens in Israel, and teens in America. Though the Jewish Israelis who visited Ursuline are not part of the Triwizard Project, they live near the students who have been interacting with the Ursuline students.

The project is sponsored locally by the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation’s Partnership with Israel.

“It’s wonderful to offer students here locally the chance to develop a larger world view,” said Bonnie Deutsch Burdman, Jewish Community Relations Council director.

“It’s a real humanistic approach to learning about other people and other cultures,” she said.

Students at Liberty High School and Ursuline High School got the chance to interact with the Israeli students.

Linda Miller, who teaches sophomore morality at Ursuline, and the Ursuline sophomores shared information with the Israelis about the lives of American students.

“We’re excited, we love meeting new people,” said Miller, Triwizard adviser for Youngstown.

As soon as the two groups met, it was a cultural swirl and no one hesitated to start introductions.

Ursuline T-shirts were handed out to the Israeli students and Yehi’el Jano, 17, of Klil, put his on immediately.

Then the questioning began.

Kyla Kachelries, 16, of Youngstown introduced herself to Yehi’el and then asked him, “How do you say your name?” (It’s ya-heel.)

He pronounced it a bit slower, but Kyla and friend Ariel Grant, 16, of Youngstown still didn’t quite get it.

“Is it a lot colder here?” Ariel continued.

“I’ve never been in the snow,” Yehi’el said.

Kyla and Ariel then proceeded to talk Yehi’el through the process of making a snowball.

Although there was no time for snowball throwing, the students shared much in a short time.

A presentation that introduced each Israeli student and gave brief facts on Israel was shown and then Ursuline students took their new friends on a tour.

Adi, who works part time as a photographer in Israel, was snapping pictures left and right during the tour.

“The kids are really, really nice,” Adi said.

After the tour, all the students signed a poster deemed the “peace mural.”

Hailey Sturtz, 15, of Youngstown said she had one of the students write her name in Hebrew on the poster and she wrote, “I want peace.”

“This was a good experience and I learned a lot,” Hailey said.

“I think we can relate to them better now,” echoed 16-year-old Gabi Weitzel.

“They are just like us,” 15-year-old Marie Adams added.

The Israeli students are staying with host families, many in the Liberty area.

Their agenda while in Northeast Ohio includes making ice cream at Handel’s and a trip to Cleveland.

“This is an experience these kids will never forget,” said Andrew Lipkin, assistant executive director of Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.