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Scarsdale Sabra
Temple Beth El in New Rochelle held an Israeli “sing-along” event complete with dancing meant to encourage Israeli culture in the county.Courtesy of Temple Beth El by Merri Rosenberg “We were hoping for 100 people, and we got 400,” said Gotian, chair of the newly formed Israeli Culture Club, which sponsored the program. Clearly Israelis living in Westchester are looking for each other. Unlike well-established Israeli communities in places like Great Neck, L.I., or Tenafly, N.J., where Israeli expatriates can live among mostly other Israelis if they so choose, it’s a different situation here in Westchester. While many Israelis cluster in communities like Scarsdale, New Rochelle, White Plains and Larchmont, some can also be found in places like Bedford. Precise numbers are hard to come by, and the geographic spread adds “There are lots of things going on at the grass-roots level,” said Sharon Chait, Israel At 60 manager for the Westchester Jewish Conference. “There is nothing official. Israelis are all over, but many don’t belong to a synagogue.” As Miri Polachek, an Israeli who’s lived in America since the age of 8, said, “When my husband and I moved to New Rochelle, we were looking for Israelis or Hebrew speakers. In Westchester, the Israeli community is not as tightly knit. In Queens, Tenafly, Great Neck, it’s like little kibbutzim — you can walk into a restaurant and only hear Hebrew. Westchester is spread out.” At times it may seem as if most of the efforts regarding Israel focus on strengthening the connections between American Jews and Israel. Yet there is also a compelling desire among Israelis living here to maintain a close hold on the homeland. For some, it means enrolling their children in “Israeli school” where, unlike in traditional Hebrew schools, the focus is on transmitting secular Israeli values and culture rather than religion. For others, it means acting as informal cultural ambassadors, introducing Israeli performers, pastimes or groups like the Israeli scouts to American Jews here in Westchester. “There is an Israeli community in Westchester who really miss Israeli culture,” said Gotian. “It’s more than falafel and Israeli dancing. We also want to introduce this to Americans who appreciate Israeli culture. The Israeli community in Westchester is different. Sometimes it’s a family with one or two Israeli parents.” The Polacheks, both Israelis, speak Hebrew at home with their three children and wanted to do more to maintain Israeli culture. They organized an Israeli musical production company in Westchester five years ago, highlighting the tradition of Israeli sing-alongs, or shirah tzibur. “We decided to put together a band with Israeli covers,” said Miri Polachek. “The sing-alongs are engrained in Israeli culture. They came back in popularity.” The band, Shira NYC, has played in venues such as Manhattan’s Makor as well as synagogues and Jewish community centers around the tri-state area and throughout the country. They were featured at the November event at Temple Beth El and will be performing at an April 6 Israel At 60 event at the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester. Similarly, Ronit Bentov, who teaches at Temple Israel Center in White Plains, has been tireless in her efforts to bring Israelis here. Since 2000, she has coordinated the visits of Israeli scouts to the Westchester community and introduced Aviv Meholot, a group of Israeli dancers from Tel Aviv, three years ago. “It’s not only about a show,” said Bentov. “They’re coming here as ambassadors from Israel. They’re becoming part of Hebrew school and the education. I’m always open for new ideas to bring the spirit of Israel to America.” She added that, “some are making aliyah as a result of these connections.” Of course, not every expat Israeli (or Israeli-American family) feels the same longing for the sorts of social connections that could be indistinguishable, except for climate, from life lived in Tel Aviv or Haifa. But many do. The main focus for Zion Hilelly, an Israeli married to an American and father of four, is children. “It’s for the kids,” he said. “I want them to stay connected. I know Israelis are here in Westchester, but there’s no mechanism to connect in a formal way. The population here is more involved in local temples and the American-Jewish community.” Hilelly has been involved with Gehelet, an after-school and Sunday school program located in Great Neck that offers an Israeli educational and cultural experience primarily for the offspring of Israelis. “The school is terrific,” said Hilelly. “They learn real Hebrew. It’s not a religious school. They teach a lot from the Israeli perspective —language, culture, songs, Yom Hashoah and the holidays. It sticks.” Although an initial attempt to open a local branch in Westchester faltered for lack of sufficient enrollment, Hilelly and some colleagues opened one class for 3- and 4-year-olds that meets for an hour and a half on Tuesdays at the JCC in Scarsdale. Elana Oron of Scarsdale, an American married to an Israeli she met during a year-long program in Israel, said, “Our world revolves more around our three children and our synagogue. Some of our friends are Israeli, and we spend summers in Israel. We feel completely connected to Israel and feel Israeli in our home.” When Israeli-centered activities are offered here in Westchester, Oron said, they participate in them. Still, she acknowledged that “as many years as my husband has been here — 17 — he’s so much more at home in the Israeli community. There’s that connection, that instant understanding when he’s with Israelis that’s very comforting. He’d love to have more of an Israeli community.” To learn more about these programs and activities, e-mail Ruth Gotian at Israeliculture@gmail.com or go to www.shiranyc.com. |
 
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