For nearly 100 years, AMIT has raised funds and brightened opportunities for childhood education in Israel, largely through the establishment of around 90 schools across the Jewish state. Now, the organization is hosting an event that focuses on educating domestic Jews, not Israeli ones. AMIT Mid-Atlantic Director Robbie Pearlstein explained why that matters.
“We thought that a top-notch speaker would be a big draw,” she said. “We thought that it would reach people that would perhaps not come to an AMIT event [otherwise]. That will give people an important view of the work we do in Israel.”
On Nov. 10, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens will come to Lower Merion Synagogue in Bala Cynwyd and speak to attendees at the AMIT program about what it means to be a Jew on and after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks by Hamas. Ticket prices for the event are $75 for those under 40 and $200 for those over 40.
The event is honoring Susan and Len Getz, a local couple who has been involved with AMIT for decades. The Lower Merion Synagogue members will be honored for their years of commitment to Jewish education. The two are from New York but met in Philadelphia after college. They have three children — triplets — and five grandchildren, some of whom are in the United States and some of whom are in Israel.
Yaela Baine is the chapter president of the Philadelphia wing of AMIT. She has deep family ties to the organization — the original version of AMIT was created by her great-aunt in 1925, and both her grandmother and great-grandmother have served as presidents in the past — and she said that this event represents new ground for the organization’s Philadelphia chapter.
“We have had some people come with very creative ideas in terms of events. This is our first foray into bringing a keynote speaker of national [fame],” she said. “We want people that will broaden [our reach] and address current topics.”
This event is a version of the annual fundraiser that AMIT has put on for years, but with a different tone. Baine explained that the night used to consist of a celebratory gala, but that that doesn’t feel appropriate anymore given the current political climate. Instead, the group decided that a topical discussion led by an expert was a better use of time.
“The need for that is greater now than ever,” she said.
Pearstein said that the organization is also hoping that the wide appeal of a discussion on current politics will bring in attendees that might not otherwise support AMIT.
“We chose this model to try and attract people that were not in our circle — people that perhaps wouldn’t otherwise come to an AMIT event. Maybe they came because they wanted to hear Bret Stephens but ended up getting a view of how important the work that we do in Israel is,” she said.
AMIT’s base is mostly made up of American Jews who place a high value on education. Baine said the work that AMIT does in its schools in Israel is diverse and targeted at what each student needs. The organization doesn’t subscribe to a monolithic approach to education.
“AMIT graduates come from all different walks of life, they are tolerant of the different points of view in society,” she said. “Most of the schools are very strongly based in religious values, but we have some schools that are not religious at all.”
Baine said that, while of course the organization is focused on raising money via this event, the main goal is to promote awareness and understanding, as well as try and help Jews move forward the best they can.
“There is a lot of need to address psychological trauma. We are trying to do what we do best at AMIT, which is taking everyone’s point of view into account,” she said. “I think that post-Oct. 7, there has been a huge unification in Israel, and I think that that’s something that all of us feel. We all need Israel, and I am hoping that it is something that Bret Stephens will address.”