Shalom Lekulam! Ma Nishma?

It’s official! Summer has finally arrived. Tuesday was the first day of the summer break in Israel (apart from elementary schools and kindergartens), and I assume for many other places in the world too. Over the past month there has a big effort here to shorten the summer vacation by 7-10 days, meaning that students would be going back to school around the 23rd August. Most parents, including myself, were not too happy about the last minute notice as the vast majority of us have already made all our plans for the summer and this proposal would have had a big impact on them. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with my beloved ‘littlies’ going back to school a bit sooner, (nor does my dear wife who has to keep them occupied and out of trouble all summer!). We will be happy to support the decision next year…
This past week has been ‘SHVUA HASEFER’ ("Book Week") both in Israel and also in our Ulpan. It is one week in the year that reminds us all of the importance of literacy, of reading books and printed material and not just watching the television and listening to talkbacks on the web. I personally think that 2 weeks would be more appropriate, considering the poor literacy levels that are currently found in the teenage and adult population both in Israel and world-wide.
This week was also our first official week in our new branch in Tel Aviv. As I have already told you, I was "exiled" from the main branch in Jerusalem and sent off to spread Ulpan Aviv’s "Torah" here, in the wild city ☺! It has been a very intensive week with our first students arriving to study with us. Needless to say how much I’ve enjoyed it!
I wanted to finish this week’s blog by letting you all know that OUR NEW WEBSITE HAS FINALLY BEEN LAUNCHED! A lot of work and effort has been put in to it and I would like to thank everyone involved, especially Tamara Mann, our friend and student who was worked hard to adapt my Israeli English…
Take a look at the new website (www.ulpanaviv.com) and feel free to send me any comments that you may have. (Compliments are also always welcome! ☺ ) gil@ulpanaviv.com

Wish you all שבת שלום , and hoping to see you soon!
Gil Pentzak, Ulpan Aviv- director

Shalom Lekulam!

I hope you are all fighting fit and that your plans for the summer are going well. As far as for my (our) plans go, I think we started to make our plans a little bit later than we should have. Last year all the family, (around 20 in total), went on holiday together and we wanted to do the same thing this year. Having called many resorts all over Israel, I have come to the conclusion that we maybe should have started planning right after Pessach (Mid April)… I really hope that we will find a big enough place and be able to go on holiday together.
This week at Ulpan was one big “déja vu”. It took me back to 2 years ago when we opened Ulpan Aviv’s (first) branch in Jerusalem. Electricians, furniture suppliers, carpenters, dust everywhere, and of course, a lot of work and suspense. We will be opening doors for the first time on Sunday morning to our very first students who learn Hebrew with us here in Tel Aviv. To start off there will be two teachers, and then when things get going we will of course need more. I will be teaching full time at the Tel Aviv branch with the other teacher, Sarai Pentzak. Yes, you are right, that name does sound familiar. Sarai is in fact is my younger sister. Our mother is an Ulpan teacher and so it doesn’t come as a great surprise that, (as we say in Hebrew), 2 of the apples did not fall very far away from the tree.
I am sure that teaching Hebrew in Tel Aviv will be a different experience from teaching it in Jerusalem and as anyone who knows anything about the two cities knows, they are very different, almost unrecognizable as sisters. The two cities are a great representation of the Hebrew language which has on one hand strong roots in the history of our nation, (all the way to the biblical era), but on the other hand has been and is going through such great changes to adapt itself to modern day culture. Teaching and learning in the two cities is bound to be different but the same. I guess it is hard to explain really…...
In any case, wish you all שבת שלום , and hoping to see you here soon!
Gil Pentzak, Ulpan Aviv- director

Shalom Lekulam!

I think that we would struggle to find anyone in Israel complaining about working this week, me included. Not that I don’t like my job, on the contrary, but having a week that starts with two days at work (Rishon, Sheni) and then two days holiday (Chag Shavuot) and back for just one day before the weekend (Chamishi), what more can a man ask for J ?

The Chag was really fantastic. Being with all the family, eating all the delicious traditional dairy dishes. We (my brothers and I) were up the whole night studying the customary texts for the night of Shavuot.

At Ulpan things are continuing to progress well, thank G-d, and I am writing this blog for the first time from the new branch in Tel Aviv! Bit by bit it is becoming more and more like Ulpan Aviv. Hopefully all the renovations will be finished by the end of the week (today…) or by Sunday at the latest and after that there remains the last pieces of furniture to be delivered the phone lines and internet to be connected, and then off we go.

I promise to send some pictures once everything is up and running and of course, you are all invited to come and visit when you are in the vicinity or even better, to study here!

שבת שלום!

Hope to see you soon,

Gil Pentzak

Ulpan Aviv- director

Shalom Lekulam!

I hope you all had a pleasant and successful week. My week was packed full of events with my new little nephew’s Brit Mila (circumcision) on Tuesday and International Child Day on Wednesday.  Also on Tuesday was my younger son’s third birthday celebration. For many sections of the Jewish community the third birthday is a special one. At three years of age boys have their very first hair-cut and begin to wear a kippa. It was very exciting time for my wife Lea and me. They grow up so quickly….

Talking of happy occasions, the renovations for Ulpan Aviv’s new branch in Tel Aviv are almost complete. There are only a few little things left to do and today, Yigael, one of the co-directors and I, went to do all the shopping necessary for the new location. It was great to be out of the Jerusalem office and on site at the Tel Aviv centre, although my back may need a day or two to recover from carrying desks, chairs, pictures, cupboards, plants and stationary!

 On Wednesday it was YOM YERUSHALAYIM. Yom Yerushalayim is the day on which we celebrate the unification of the city if Jerusalem which took place in 1967. At this time Jerusalem was liberated from Jordanian rule and after almost 2000 years, returned to the Jewish nation. There was a march through Jerusalem involving thousands of people who came to give support to the city whose future is all so often at stake. It was a very moving sight.

Tonight (Thursday) is Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan (Hebrew calendar) which means that next week on Wednesday it will be Chag Shavuot, the day we received the Torah on Mt. Sinai.

I wish you all Shabbat Shalom veChag Sameach!

Hope to see you soon,

Gil Pentzak

Ulpan Aviv- director