645 new children, including native Israelis, enrolled in
Shuvu first grades across the country. Nearly 1,000 children
in total entered the Shuvu school network, and many more
enrolled in affiliated schools.
Shuvu Opens New School in Lod
Shuvu's newest school was opened at the request of Russian
immigrants living in Lod. The local mayor issued a personal
invitation to Shuvu and went as far as allocating a school
building. Nearly 60 children are currently registered in the
new school. Many more are expected to enroll next year.
Change of Heart in Nazareth
The very same mayor of Nazareth who tried to close down a
Shuvu school three years ago, recently granted Shuvu a
surprising gift -- the Alon High School building at the
city's entrance. The Alon High School was once the
cornerstone of Israeli secular education, and its 45-
classroom facility can accommodate up to 1,500 students,
however it needs some $600,000 in renovations.
Mr. Eliezer Perl, the champion of Jewish education, has come
to Shuvu's rescue by becoming the trailblazer of this
undertaking. Together with the British Friends of
Shuvu/Return, Mr. Perl is spearheading the efforts in raising
the necessary funds for the Natzeret building. At a recent
board meeting of British Friends of Shuvu/Return, it was
decided to start planning a mission to Israel, headed by Mr.
Eliezer Perl, in an effort to raise all the necessary
funds.
New Home for Shuvu's Jerusalem Schools
Through a series of open miracles, the Shuvu network received
a one-year rent contract for a Jerusalem building that
previously served as a musical conservatory. The spacious
building is right next door to the Prime Minister's residence
and houses all of the Jerusalem Shuvu boys' schools --
nursery through high school. In an additional "twist of
fate," the site was declared a national archive, so plans to
demolish the building were called off. It is hoped that Shuvu
will stay in the new location for several years to come.
Parents Stick with Shuvu
This year, Shuvu parents are having to deal with staggering
government budget cuts and are feeling the pinch in new ways.
They now have to absorb transportation costs that were
formerly subsidized by the government, the lunch program is
having a trial run of sandwiches and one of the longer school
days has been shortened. Still, parents are determined to
have their children attend Shuvu schools, a sign of their
faith in the Shuvu system. With the "Parnass of a School
Campaign," Shuvu was able to help many students survive these
financial obstacles.
New Focus on Nursery Schools
Shuvu has redoubled its efforts to develop and expand the
nursery school division. The numbers show that nursery
schools are an investment with substantial dividends; every
Shuvu location with a nursery school currently has two
parallel first grades. There are approximately 600 students
in the Shuvu nursery schools, and more in affiliated
nurseries.
Shuvu Shlichim Bring Yiddishkeit
Shuvu is working on placing quality shlichim in each
Shuvu location; many of these shlichim are Shuvu
alumni. Shuvu's shlichim establish home study groups
for parents and additional learning sessions for the older
boys. In the Jerusalem Shuvu School, the punishment for
misbehavior is losing out on the extra learning session. In
Ashkelon, the boys are petitioning their parents to allow
them to have their extracurricular gemora shiur twice
a week instead of just once!
Shuvu Parents Embrace Yiddishkeit
The Petach Tikva Shuvu School reported that many fathers of
last year's Bar Mitzvah boys are currently wearing
tefillin themselves. In Ashdod, many of the mothers
who celebrated their daughters' Bas Mitzvah last year have
already kashered their homes.
From Strength to Strength
Students from Shuvu schools in Tel Aviv, Hadera, Ashdod, and
Ashkelon left their schools - and registered in Bais Yaakov
schools and Yeshivos!
Shuvu Anticipates November US Mission
Shuvu is gearing up to welcome between 100-150 Shuvu Mission
participants from the United States in November. Mission
highlights include the dedication of the Lod and Arad schools
as well as visits to other Shuvu locations and meetings with
gedolei Yisroel.
