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‘Simple family story’
BOARDMAN
An Israeli family that will visit 27 countries in one year spent time Monday with students at Boardman Center Middle School.
Chami and Oksana Zemach are traveling with their daughters, Gali, 13, Tamar, 11, and Michal, 4. They left Israel on Aug. 1 and arrived in the Mahoning Valley on Saturday.
The family was interviewed on the school’s news program and spoke to an assembly of eighth-grade students. During the assembly, they described how in 2002 they moved from Tel Aviv, a major city in Israel, to a village in the Negev Desert, where they now have a small food factory that produces special jams and chutneys.
“A desert is like a test for a person. Some people look around and say there’s nothing there. Others look and see opportunities,” Chami Zemach said.
Gali sang a song in Hebrew and “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera in English. Boardman students asked her what music is popular in Israel and she answered Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga. Music is broadcast in English and Hebrew, she said.
“The small questions are so important. We’re trying to give a more full picture of Israel. After, they will feel more connected with us,” said Chami Zemach.
He added that the media covers the Israeli/Palestinian conflict but doesn’t cover subjects “like our simple family story.”
After many tourists visited their village, “we wanted to make something bigger,” Chami Zemach said.
That’s how they began the Israeli Family Project, a private project that is not a government program.
The family was invited by to the Valley by Or Bass and Noam Weinstain, community ambassadors for the Jewish Community Center of Youngstown.
On Sunday, they attended a multi-faith and multicultural presentation at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Youngstown and learned about the city’s history and current challenges.
The family is keeping a record of their travels; Oksana Zemach recorded Monday’s assembly and the family posts regularly on their blog, www.il-family.com, and Facebook.
“It empowers us a lot. We always take our previous experience with us,” Oksana Zemach said.
Boardman students Lindsay Tomcsanyi, Corie Kuras and Ali Kuras guided the Zemach family through the school and said they learned a lot from the experience.
“There’s a difference, but there’s not really,” Corie said.
History teacher Marilyn Sheetz said programs such as the Zemach family’s visit help students connect with those who might seem to be different.
“It’s a great opportunity for our students. ... It [allows] us see that their day-to-day lives are similar to ours,” Sheetz said.
The Zemach family will light the menorah at the Jewish Community Center at 6:30 p.m. today and will participate in the center’s annual gift wrap fundraiser at Southern Park Mall at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Both events are open to the public.