‘Building Bridges’: US Students Take Virtual Tour of Heritage Sites in Israel
14 May, 2020 |
4 years ago
Jerusalem, 14 May, 2020 (TPS) -- The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created a new reality that requires social distancing and has brought the shutdown of tourism.
In Israel, several heritage and archeological sites teamed up to create a unique virtual tour for American school kids. The tours were carried out on Lag Ba’Omer, a holiday in all Jewish communities around the world.
Thousands of students who study at the Consortium of Jewish day Schools participated in 12 live broadcasted virtual tours that were held simultaneously at ancient Shiloh, Hebron, the ancient Talmudic village of Sussya and the Patriarchs Path in Gush Etzion.
The guides and site teams prepared for the tours and held rehearsals to ensure the students would enjoy a spectacular tour from their homes.
The broadcasters held three rounds to facilitate the number of students who participated in the tours. A new tour began every half-hour, giving thousands of students the opportunity to enjoy the tours.
Yesha Council CEO Yigal Dilmoni explained that “this unique project is a first of its kind, and created to show our solidarity with the Jewish communities in the diaspora. We stand with our brothers and sisters around the world and pray that they shall all keep healthy and safe.”
“I am so glad we have the ability to share the stories of this beautiful region with the world. We look forward to conducting similar projects in the future, as we deeply believe in building bridges between fellow communities and deepening our connections to our heritage,” he added.
Rabbi Elchanan Poupko, a teacher in Park East Day School in Manhattan and president of EITAN, the American Israeli Jewish Network, wished to thank everyone who took part in the project and said that “for children stuck at home in quarantine for now more than two months it means the world to be able to get such a break from routine and get a live virtual tour of places they have learned so much about.”
“We are forever thankful to Yesha Council for stepping up to the plate, and as people in Israel start going back to normal, reaching out to us to make sure there are with us in our difficult time,” he said.
