By Danielle and Lahav, the Ann Arbor ShinShinim
Danielle and Lahav came to Ann Arbor to strengthen the connections between the Ann Arbor Jewish community and Israel, sharing the Israeli atmosphere through informal education – interactive lessons that include music, culture, Israeli childhood games and even food.
They arrived in Ann Arbor in August 2024 for a service year as Israeli emissaries between their high school graduation and military service through the ShinShinim program of the international Jewish Agency for Israel. They share here what they’ve been up to around town recently.
Hebrew Language Month
To celebrate Hebrew Language Day at the end of January, we led an exciting month-long project at Hebrew Day School (HDS), turning the entire school into a vibrant Hebrew immersion experience. The hallways were adorned with interactive word games, letters hanging from the ceiling, and posters featuring fun Hebrew slang, all designed to create a dynamic and engaging Hebrew environment.
In our lessons, the students explored the incredible revival of Hebrew, from being a language of prayer to becoming Israel’s modern spoken language, with a special focus on Eliezer Ben Yehuda’s important role. Each grade level took on a different theme: Kindergarten children and first graders learned winter clothing names, second and third graders explored Hebrew opposites, and fourth and fifth graders discovered Hebrew idioms incorporating body parts (Lakahat Lalev, Lehat’hil Beregel Yemin, etc).
The highlight of the month was our school-wide Hebrew Language Day assembly, in which we brought our shared learning to life with an interactive performance. Through a skit, songs, and riddles, we engaged students in a fun and dynamic review of everything they had learned about Eliezer Ben Yehuda, new Hebrew words, and idioms. We also led a special baking activity, making Hebrew letter shaped cookies – because learning is always better when it’s delicious!
For Danielle, this project was particularly meaningful, as she fondly remembers participating in a similar Hebrew Language Month event as a child in her elementary school in Israel. Bringing this experience to HDS and seeing the students’ enthusiasm was truly special.
Storytime Sessions
Our Storytime sessions have been a huge hit! So far, we have hosted four engaging readings, with the next one scheduled for March 16.
One of our favorite sessions featured the beloved Israeli children’s book The Lion Who Loved Strawberries. Since this story holds a special place in our hearts, we translated it into English so more children could enjoy its message. The story follows a lion who refuses to eat anything but strawberries, teaching lessons about persistence, teamwork, and the unexpected joys of new experiences. During the session, the children learned to say “lion” and “strawberry” in Hebrew and created adorable lion-and-strawberry-themed crafts.
TBE special classes
At Temple Beth Emeth (TBE), we led a unique drumming session during a music lesson, featuring an Israeli winter song with a special drumming arrangement designed by an Israeli teacher.
We also introduced the Hebrew letters in a music class where children practiced yoga poses shaped like Hebrew letters, combining movement and language learning in a fun and interactive way.
For the seventh-grade class at TBE, we organized an Amazing Race themed activity focused on Jewish communities in Israel. Students rotated through stations representing different cultural groups, each offering hands-on experiences related to their heritage. At the Bedouin station, for example, we all sat inside a “traditional Bedouin tent”, drank authentic Bedouin tea, and learned how to say “Ahalan wa Sahalan” (a traditional Arabic Bedouin greeting).
Strengthening Connections with Local Teens
In recent months, we’ve been working on deepening our connection with Jewish teens in Ann Arbor. We’ve visited Greenhills School twice and participated in their Jewish club meetings. If you know of any other Jewish clubs at local high schools that could be interested, please let us know – we would love to get involved!
Homeland Vacation and Meeting the Next ShinShinim
After six fulfilling and exciting months in Ann Arbor, we returned to Israel for a two-week homeland vacation at the end of February. Before leaving, we collected notes from children in the community with their personal wishes and went to visit the Western Wall to place them in it.
One of the most special moments of our trip was meeting the next Ann Arbor ShinShinim! The new ShinShinim will arrive in August this year when our year of service has finished. We spent a day with them in Jerusalem, getting to know each other and sharing insights about the community. They are incredibly excited about their upcoming journey and asked us to share this message with you: “We can’t wait to arrive, meet everyone, and start our adventure. We’ve already heard so many wonderful things!” There is so much to look forward to!
Beyond reconnecting with our families and friends, we cherished the opportunity to enjoy our childhood home-cooked meals, revisit our favorite spots, and soak up Israel’s warmer weather. Most importantly, we returned re-energized and ready for the next six months of meaningful experiences with our amazing Ann Arbor community. We can’t wait to see you all at the upcoming holidays events!