Leehee Kanne teaches about Israel at J-SITE

As many know, Leehee Kanne is the Pittsburgh Community Shlicha.  This means that she is in Pittsburgh representing and teaching about Israel.  Leehee was brought to Pittsburgh by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and works with Hillel-JUC, the JCC and the AJL in order to educate all different ages about what is happening in Israel.  

On Sunday mornings, Leehee teaches three Israel classes:  "Israeli Media" at 9am, "Israeli Filmmakers" at 10am and "History of Israel through Music" at 11am.  In addition, on Monday evenings, Leehee teaches Israeli Studies in the South Hills to 8th-10th grade students. 

In Leehee's Israeli Media course students focus on Israeli media sources (whether TV, Radio or Newspapers) and how each source reports on various issues in or about Israel.  In addition, they look the way media sources in the US and the world cover the same stories.  Through discussion and debate, the students compare and contrast the way in which the same story is reported and try to come to their own conclusions. 

This past week, Leehee worked with the students in the Israeli Media course take a closer look at the way in which various media sources have been covering the UN Vote.  They focused on a few Israeli sources as well as some sources in the United States and around the world.  With a critical lens they were able to debate the pros and cons of the vote as well as understanding how various sources report on this same story.  As this story continues to unfold in the world, we are sure this conversation will also continue.  

MORE ABOUT LEEHEE KANNE:

Leehee Kanne was born and raised in Tel-Aviv, Israel, and has spent the past 12 years working as an educator. During her army service, she was a commander of underprivileged soldiers attempting to obtain a high-school diploma, and immediately after the end of her mandatory two year service started working at Jewish American summer camps as a counselor, educator and later unit head. Over the years she has also been a part of the screening process for other summer camp shlichim, and has trained Israelis for the position for over 9 years. She has worked with children and teens in various areas such as theater, art, teaching English as a Foreign Language, and Bar/Bat Mitzvah lessons for special needs children. She spent two years in Pittsburgh as a Youth Shlicha, during which she taught at J-Site, and went back to Israel to complete her B.Ed. She has returned to Pittsburgh as the Community Shlicha.

WHAT A GREAT WAY TO START THE YEAR!

WELCOME TO THE NEW J-SITE BLOG!

      In the future this blog will be for teachers and students to talk about their classes.  However, I wanted to kick off this blog by giving you a little insight into the first week of school.

      On Sunday we welcomed over 115 students to J-SITE at Chatham!  The teens picked their classes, met their teachers and started to learn.  Teachers like to break the ice in a variety of ways. 

Melissa Hiller's art class made sculptures out of toilet paper and bubble gum before beginning to explore aspects of their Jewish identity (an exercise that will help them with their art projects in the future)

Steve Kroser's 8th Grade Core Class also started the year with mixers.  The 8th grade core class is a great way for the 8th grade students to meet each other and talk about what it means to be a Jewish teenager in America today. 

The Jewish Civics Initiative Class met on Sunday as well.  This great group will be heading to Washington DC in February to meet up with 130 other teens from around the country and learn about Social Action and Social Advocacy through Panim El Panim.  The highlight of the trip is lobbying to the office of their congressman or senator!

Sunday at Chatham was not the only opening day and program this week.  While teens at Chatham met for the first time, 9th and 10th grade teens at Ohav Shalom also began their J-SITE classes with Deb Taylor and Eric Lidji.  On Monday, teens in 8-10th grade met for the new J-SITE Program in the South Hills.  In addition, we began the second year of the Teaching Certificate Program for Conservative Synagogues at Beth El Congregation.  On Tuesday night the Community Teaching Certificate Program started classes at Rodef Shalom Congregation and on Wednesday teens continued to learn Hebrew and Judaics at the JCC in Squirrel Hill.

Thank you to Maureen Kelly Busis, Ed Frim, Rabbi Scott Aaron, Paul Barkowitz, Ateret Reisner and Carrie Weintraub for all your help with the opening day!  In addition, thank you to Anne Jackson for the wonderful pictures.

We are looking forward to a great year at J-SITE!!!