BJE Achievements

Over two years after undertaking the BJE Israel Program, the friendships that I formed on the trip are still very strong, in particular those interstate friends who I never otherwise would have met.

The Israeli food was a huge highlight for me, it doesn’t matter where I went, I managed to get a great shawarma and falafel every time!

The trip itself is excellent and very well organised, with several structured activities happening every day, and on a weekly basis we would stay off-campus at various Israeli locations.

My favourite parts of the trip would have to be floating in the Dead Sea, the Gadna experience, as well as frequently attending the markets.

Adam B, 2016 BJE Israel Program participant 10 January 2019

Since being a madrich I have only had the opportunity to take the older years or mainly year 11/12, so this year having the year 7/8 group was very different. Seeing year 7/8 in discussion was something I hadn’t seen before, I couldn’t believe how involved they were, it was truly amazing.

Their overall response to camp was that they found it amazing and wanted to know if we had more camps running throughout the year. Most of them didn’t come from a religious household so seeing a full Shabbat with shule service and dinner was pretty different for them, and I think those were the chanichim that enjoyed it the most.

All of the chanichim loved their madrichim and were sad to leave after having such an amazing time

Simon Spiro 12 November 2015

I came one week late so the depth of the first week can be compared to the kiddies rock pool in Bondi beach. From the moment I arrived everyone welcomed me and I felt at home even though I was in a country that was almost the geographical polar opposite of Australia.

I met so many new people and forged new friendship that I know will last a life time. The endless banter, inside jokes and outright ridiculousness that occurred made the trip that much more amazing.

Oliver Karras 12 November 2015

As a mother of three young children in the NSW public school education system, I appreciate and value the work that BJE provides to our children in the way of Jewish education and learning. From engaging children as young as 5 years old in the classroom in helping them to learn and understand Jewish traditions and values, to the work that is being done with the older children in the way of Project Heritage where our children can hear first-hand accounts of the experience of Holocaust survivors, our children are the beneficiaries of your dedicated team who put hard work and effort into teaching our children the importance and value of our Jewish history and customs.

Annette O 2 January 2019

Our son started year 5 at Moriah this year.  I was a bit concerned when they decided to only have alef and bet streams for Ivrit this year and no gimmel, as this would be a big challenge for him coming into such an immersive environment.

But I have been pleasantly surprised when helping him with his Hebrew homework at how well beautifully he reads which has been helping him keep up.

Credit goes to all the great work that you do at BJE.  What a great contribution make to our children's lives!

Jonathan Benjamin Parent - Clovelly Public School 12 November 2015

We have had 4 children go through BJE for 8 years and our eldest son is more than excited to go to Israel next year. We are pleased that our children can come home and teach us about the traditions and the ins and outs of the festivals.

Monique 2 January 2019

BJE has enriched the lives that of our children and invigorated their knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, Judaism. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the kids to learn about their Jewish identity and develop a sense of belonging while at a public school. Kudos to BJE for striking a great balance between learning and fun, we are lucky to have you!

Vicki L 2 January 2019