Baruch Dayan Ha-Emet - Rabbi Yitzchak Schwartz ז"ל

Last night, I received a phone call.  I was informed that someone I had just only met less than two weeks ago and with whom I expected to spend a lot of quality educational time had passed away over the Shabbat.

Rabbi Yitzchak Schwartz, who had founded a Distance Learning program, called me up recently and explained what he was doing.  Schools far from population centers where speakers on subjects of Israel and Judaism can not be readily available and asked to come into the classroom found a solution in video conferencing.

And so, I was in his Tschernichovsky Street apartment and that of his associate on Bustenai Street in Jerusalem, with him and his daughter, speaking to highschoolers in Western Canada on Israel, its security needs and its rights to Judea and Samaria.  Others in the series were a Beduin, a resident of Kibbutz Sa'ad and a Peace Now rep. (*)

Rabbi Schwartz was softspoken, generous and hospitable, making me feel quite comfortable with a new experience.  I met his wife with whom we shared some thoughts on the elderly and their needs.

Rabbi Schwartz was very proud of the archaeological seminar at Ir David that he developed.

May his memory be for a blessing and sincere condolences to the family.

.

______________

((*)  The series outline:

The Arab-Israeli Conflict


This five-part series is designed to give your students an encompassing understanding of the underlying causes of the conflict and the different approaches to solving it. The sessions will be focused as follows (while we recommend that students experience all five parts, schools can choose individual sessions):
Session 1: An overview of the historical underpinnings to the conflict, from biblical times until the present day, with an emphasis on events of the past century.  This interactive session will be led by an educator using a PowerPoint presentation, media clips, and other aids to provide your students a foundation to enable them to move to the next four sessions.
Session 2: We will go "on location" to a Kibbutz on the border of the Gaza Strip to meet with teachers from the local school district. These teachers will describe life on a kibbutz in general, and one along the Gaza border in particular. As these communities have been rocketed repeatedly over the past decade, their unique perspective on the conflict will be of great interest to students.
Session 3: Students will meet with settlers from the West Bank (and/or former communities in the Gaza Strip) for their take on the conflict and their approach to its solution. 
Session 4: Students will meet with "Peace Now" activists to understand their approach to solving the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Session 5: Students will meet with teacher(s) from the Hand in Hand School in Jerusalem (www.handinhandk12.org)