I would like to welcome our guests from afar and near.


    Detroit has recently become for us much more than a point on the map
    signifying the location of a famous car factory .  During the last four
    months we have become linked indirectly.  The name Detroit comes up
    time and time again  as several of our students travel once every two
    weeks to an area meeting where they prepare themselves to host young
    people from Detroit on their visit to the area in the end of June.
    Pupils from the 9th 10th and 11th grade are taking part in this
    preparation.  We expect that this experience will be both fruitful and
    enriching and even more importantly that it will contribute to the
    Jewish and Zionist affiliation of the participants (both yours and ours)
    This is undoubtedly an enormous contribution on the part of your
    community and we sincerely appreciate it.

    The school which you are visiting is called Mosad Hinuchi
    Tavor (The Tavor Educational Institute). It was founded almost
    40 years ago and still operates more or less according to  the original
    blueprint.  It educates the children of Kibbutz Gazit and Kibbutz Ein
    dor from the ages of 12 to 18, 7th  to 12th grade.  During the entire
    period of its existence the mosad has also opened its doors to groups of
    youth from all parts of Israel.  Usually these are young people who come
    from deprived homes, whether it be a result of economic or sociological
    reasons.  Many come from broken homes others barely have homes at all.
    We also take in groups of new immigrants which the Jewish Agency
    organizes under its umbrella organization of Youth Aliyah.  We are
    asked to help in the education of these children and to give them a new
    home and in many instances a new lease on life.  We see our work with
    these children as being very important for two main reasons.  First, it
    is our modest contribution to Israeli society.  We often times get
    children who we are getting off the street or who otherwise would have
    degenerated into a life of crime.  We teach them our values of
    equality, democracy, tolerance, hard work, responsibility, honesty,
    compassion etc.  In addition,  we afford them an opportunity to take the
    matriculation exams at the end of 12th grade.

    Second, we also believe that by taking in groups of this kind we are
    teaching our own children to  accept those who are different from
    themselves and to be more tolerant and compassionate.  They learn to
    live together, and to give of themselves.  This year we also have added
    to our diverse student population 13 Muslim Circasssian pupils.  They
    are a symbol of our desire to open our doors to different sections of
    Israeli society.

    We have a holistic approach to education.  The children live and are
    educated in our boarding school.   During the day they study according
    to the curriculum of the Ministry of Education.  After school they work
    in the high school at various maintenance tasks as well as in their
    kibbutzim and in the afternoons they are free to spend time with their
    families.  In the evening they return to the high school for social and
    cultural activities.  We believe that this last part of the day enriches
    them greatly and prepares them for an independent and meaningful life.

    All together we have 190 pupil which makes us a very small school.  Some
    people envy us and others claim that we should incorporate ourselves
    into a larger school.  They say that we don't have a right to exist.  We
    believe that we do have a right to exist and the kibbutz members support
    us in our belief.  We do however know that we must constantly be
    renewing ourselves, changing, growing and developing-  thus the idea of
    a School of Peace which is presently in the advanced planning stages.
    The concepts associated with a school of this type are not foreign to us
    but conform rather nicely to the beliefs and principles by which we
    live. It is also especially suitable to the diversified region in which
    we live and in which our school is located.

    The staff of our school reflects this last point nicely.   Mathematics
    is taught by two new immigrants from Russia.  The history of Zionism and
    the Holocaust are taught by a Bedouin history teacher from the village
    Zalmon, who is finishing up his doctorate thesis at Bar Ilan University
    on the subject of Jewish/Bedouin relations.  Arabic is taught ty Raida,
    who lives in the neighboring town of Daboriya.  She accents her lessons
    by inviting them to Daboriya as her guest.  These visits contribute to
    the pupils' first hand knowledge of their Arab neighbors.

    Still all this is not enough.  We know that we must work harder to
    develop in our children the values that we, as a society, believe in.

    We love our school. and what is perhaps even more important, our
    students love our school and implore us to do everything possible to
    preserve it.  Our kibbutzim continue to support us in our endeavors and
    we as their emissaries will continue  to labor in the task of educating
    our children according to the principles by which we live our lives.

    We are honored that this small but special school was included in your
    group's itinerary and that your visit will be enjoyable and fruitful.

    Once again welcome.
 
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