• “Why don’t you try NFTY?”

    on

    Growing up in South Africa, from the time I was about eight years old, I was a member of Habonim; a Zionist youth movement. This was the time of Apartheid, and as my awareness grew, I found that I identified less and less with the country in which I was living. With the State growing […]


    Continue reading

  • I have learned much from my teachers and even more from my friends…

    on

    Jewish education is predicated on dialogue, discussion and the occasional heated disagreement. Our Talmud is rife with animated arguments spanning generations about the interpretation of Halakha (Jewish Law) that we still grapple with more than 1,500 years later. Chevruta (partner/small group learning) is the traditional way we learn Talmud, seeking to understand together before turning […]


    Continue reading

  • Masada: Then and Now

    on

    By Yael Lewis, Jewish History Teacher We have just officially completed the third full week of classes at Heller High! Last week ended with a bang for me. Right before another jam-packed week ended and the fun weekend started for the group in Eilat, we had a tiyul, a trip, to the site of Masada. […]


    Continue reading

  • 19 Years and Counting…

    on

    In January I began my nineteenth year in Israel. I made Aliyah in order to stop being part of a minority in a multicultural, yet Christian-rooted, Australia. I wanted to live in my state, with all the trappings of statehood – anthem, flag and state symbol. I wanted to be able to take my destiny […]


    Continue reading

  • 18 Years of Am עם–Torah תורה–Eretz ארץ

    on

    By David Alon, Jewish History Teacher I came to Israel on a trip for college students in 1998, and they decided to play a memorable trick on us.  We were all invited to orthodox families in Jerusalem for Shabbat dinner, and each group of students was given the address of the host which was within […]


    Continue reading

  • Cultural Zionism in the Heller High Curriculum

    on

    By David Alon Teacher: “Class, what’s the definition of Zionism?” Students, in unison: “Zionism is the aspiration of the Jewish people to build a Jewish democratic state in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel)!” By now we have a good understanding that Zionism is the founding ideology of the State of Israel, but it’s time […]


    Continue reading

  • Learning by Experiencing: Crusaders and Mystical Tzfat

    on

    By Evan Wertheim Classes in Heller High are truly unique. In one day of class, we conquer a 12th-century Crusader castle in the morning and move into the spiritual realms of Tzfat and Kabbalah of the 16th-century by the afternoon. We storm the 800-year-old Belvoir castle, discovering hidden passageways that soldiers would use to sneak […]


    Continue reading

  • Heller High Poland Pilgrimage: Tykocin

    on

    By Mikayla Snead, 10th grade, Dallas Recently, I was on the journey of a lifetime traveling around Poland. Out of the many places we went to and traveled around, Tykocin stands out the most. My experience there was very special, and I know I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. Our first stop […]


    Continue reading

  • Déjà vu in the Old City: From Counselor to Student to Teacher

    on

    By Heidi Masuri, Jewish History Teacher in Spring 2020 As we approached the Old City of Jerusalem the feelings came rushing back. The place radiates an unfathomable amount of energy. For me it was where I spent a lot of time as an Olah Chadasha (a new immigrant to Israel) more than 15 years ago. […]


    Continue reading

  • Visiting the Ein Kerem Neighborhood

    on

    By Aurora Mercer, fall 2019 student Recently, our class traveled close to our home at Kibbutz Tzuba, visiting churches in Jeusalem’s Ein Kerem neighborhood. Before entering these churches, I didn’t expect what I learned, saw, or even heard would impact my Jewish identity. I had been to churches before, even during mass, and had always […]


    Continue reading