COMMUNITY NEWS
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia mobilizes
financial and volunteer resources to address the
communities’ most critical priorities locally, in Israel and
around the world.

StudioLabs: How Israeli Teens are Shaping
Their World Through Technology
STUDENTS AT THE DAAT SCHOOL in Otef Azza, Israel,
have faced a radical year with unprecedented challenges.

Not only must they deal with the day-to-day stress of living
through a global pandemic, but also their close proximity
to the Gaza Strip means living and learning in a war-torn
environment — such as the most recent confl ict between
Hamas and Israel.

Yitzhak Shlomi, principal at the Daat School, recently had
an English class create a “resilience dome,” where students can
escape their harsh realities by producing live events and inter-
active content using novel soft ware and hardware.

“Th e resilience dome can build and empower you, and
that is helpful when times get diffi cult,” said Aviv, whose last
A group of students from Daat School in Otef Azza,
A student from Daat School in Otef Azza, Israel,
name was omitted for anonymity, a 14-year old participant. “It
helps build the resilience dome’s physical structure.

Israel, take a break from working in the resilience
changed the way I see myself and helped me learn that I can do dome to pose for a photo.

Courtesy of StudioLabs
things that I didn’t know I could do.”
Th e resilience dome is part of a larger Jewish Federation of
Greater Philadelphia-funded Israeli initiative known as StudioLabs. StudioLabs is might not have otherwise known. Defying traditional perceptions of farming,
a traveling program, tailored for young teens to identify critical problems within the experience revealed that there is an academic side, a food science side and a
their local communities and work with teachers and facilitators to address them marketing side to the industry.

through technology and storytelling.

StudioLabs is open to all youth, but the real power within its mission is how it
Th ese projects take place in the local Jewish Federation’s partnership regions transforms and empowers the girls in the region. Women, particularly those who
of Netivot and Sdot Negev. Th e idea is to make learning experiential instead are religious, living in the Sdot Negev and Netivot generally have limited options
of passive and to focus the process on real-life problems. Th rough StudioLabs, when it comes to their careers. Combating this reality, StudioLabs provides girls
students explore science, technology, art, creative expression, storytelling and with a supportive environment and women mentors in science.

other 21st century skills, empowering them to grow into strong leaders.

In the more urban area of Netivot, a group of ninth grade girls spearheaded
One of the main goals of the program is to foster strong roots or “place a StudioLab project to address the issue of food waste reduction through the
attachment” to communities, so that the youth feel invested in the future of production of a digital campaign. Praised for its systematic change on a local level,
their regions. By creating projects focused on unique challenges to a given area, the girls presented their campaign to government offi cials and at an international
StudioLabs encourages kids to fi nd pride in their communities and view their conference for corporate social responsibility.

neighborhoods with limitless potential.

From strengthening identity to mobilizing change, the type of StudioLab
“We introduce young teens to things happening in their community that they project is dependent on the region and the people participating. Given all of these
otherwise wouldn’t be exposed to,” explained Boaz Israeli, a StudioLab facilitator. variables, one thing is certain: Wherever they take place, they function as an asset
“Th is provides them with pride, a stronger sense of belonging and resilience, to the community and transform it into an incubator for innovative ideas and
because it changes the way they see opportunities.”
tangible solutions.

During one StudioLab project in Sdot Negev, participants created an interac-
“Th e fact that the Jewish Federation helps enable these projects and that so far
tive media campaign to promote a solution to pest issues which were wreaking they have all taken place in our partnership regions should be a huge source of
havoc on local sunfl ower farms.

pride for Jewish Federation supporters,” said Tali Lidar, director of Israel and global
Th is project not only created a solution for a real-life problem, but it also operations at the Jewish Federation’s Israel offi ce. “Th rough StudioLabs, supporters
exposed students to the possible career paths within agriculture, which they are helping to shape young minds and the way they navigate their world.”
Philadelphia Israel
Experience 18
JUNE 10, 2021
Are you between the ages of 18-20 and looking for a gap
program in Israel? Travel with the Jewish Federation of Greater
Philadelphia and Masa on a highly subsidized, once-in-a-lifetime
experience. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Your journey awaits! Learn more and apply today:
jewishphilly.org/PIE JEWISH EXPONENT
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



L ifestyle /C ulture
Keep the Weight Off
Sauce: really jack up calorie consump-
tion. Water and seltzer are best
for quenching thirst. Consume
no more than one alcoholic
beverage per occasion.

Maintaining weight is about
making good choices, about
being conscious of what you eat.

You can eat most anything, just
in smaller quantities and not all
at one meal.

IF YOU’RE LIKE ME, you saw
bathing suit season coming,
and you went on a diet. You’ve
lost some weight. Maybe you’ve
already met your goal! Now what?
You can’t go back to the way
you ate before the diet, or you’ll
gain the weight back. But it’s
not practical to stay on a strict
diet forever. You need an interim
approach to eating, one where WHITE WINE SPRITZER | PAREVE
you can have some fun. Here are Serves 4
some tips:
This sparkling cocktail is a
light summer indulgence.

For serving: 4 white wine
glasses 1 chilled bottle of pinot
grigio, sauvignon blanc or
white Bordeaux
1 chilled bottle of seltzer
1 lemon
Fish kabobs
oxyzay / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Don’t eat unless you’re
hungry. This sounds obvious,
except that we all do it. Just
because someone brings cookies
to the office, is munching on
chips or offers you a cupcake
doesn’t mean you have to indulge.

Take a pass if you’re not hungry.

Avoid snacking. Eat sensibly
at meals to minimize hunger
between them. For most people,
4-6 ounces of protein keeps
hunger at bay for six hours. Lean
protein, such as fish, eggs, turkey
or skinless chicken, is healthier
and lower in calories than beef,
lamb and cheese.

Eat half of everything. If you
eat half as much as you did before
the diet, you’ll consume half as
many calories. Cut restaurant
portions in half and take the rest
home. Or share a dish with a
friend. Order ice cream cones
with a single scoop. Ask the pizza
shop to cut each slice in half.

Limit caloric beverages. Fruit
juices, sweetened drinks and
alcohol go down smoothly but
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM The best white wine spritzers
come from super-cold ingredients.

Place the chilled wine and seltzer
in the freezer. Set a timer for 15
minutes and remove them both.

While the wine and seltzer
are in the freezer, cut the lemon
in half crosswise. Cut two thin
slices from each lemon half into
circles about ⅛-inch wide. There
will be four lemon circles in all.

With a sharp knife, cut away
the lemon’s flesh and discard or
use for another purpose. Make
a cut in each circle so it can be
straightened into one long piece.

Pour ¾ cup of wine into each
white wine glass. Add ¼ cup
seltzer to each glass. Twist the
lemon peels into a corkscrew
shape and slide them into each
glass. Serve immediately.

1 onion, cut into 6 wedges,
which will break in half
12 mushrooms
12 baby potatoes, boiled
for about 3 minutes until
softened but not cooked
through 2 zucchini, cut crosswise
into 1-inch rounds
Nonstick vegetable spray
Assemble the fish and vegeta-
bles on the skewers, alternating
them. Start and end each skewer
with a square of red or yellow
pepper. Brush the kabobs with
the sauce.

To broil: Coat your broiler
pan with nonstick vegetable
spray and preheat the broiler.

Broil about 4 inches from the
flame for about 8-10 minutes.

Turn the skewers while broiling
and brush them with more sauce.

Test to see if the fish is cooked
through. Serve immediately.

FISH KABOBS | PAREVE
To grill: Coat the grill with
Serves 4
nonstick spray and preheat the
By Marcia Slaminsky
barbecue. To avoid flare-ups,
do not use the spray after
This is lighter alternative to a preheating. Grill the kabobs
more meaty shish kabob.

for about 20 minutes. Turn the
skewers while grilling and brush
Equipment: 6 (15-inch) skewers them with more sauce. Test to
JEWISH EXPONENT
Strictly Kosher
Supermarket & Butcher
All the
Meat you need mer
um o f r your s
BBQ @HOUSEOFKOSHER
LINDA MOREL | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
see if fish is cooked through.

Bring the chocolate to room
Serve immediately.

temperature by removing the
top pot from the boiling water.

CHOCOLATE BANANA BITES |
(You can rig a double boiler by
PAREVE placing a heatproof bowl over a
Serves 4
pot and using aluminum foil as
a lid. Follow the double boiler
A light and mostly healthy instructions.)
sweet treat.

Meanwhile, cut the banana
in half lengthwise. Cut each half
1 piece of parchment paper crosswise into half-inch slices.

Place all the ingredients in a
¾ cup dairy-free, semisweet There will be about 16 small
bowl and whisk them together
pieces of banana in all.

baking chocolate or
until well combined. Reserve.

Dip each piece of banana into
chocolate chips
the melted chocolate, covering
1 large ripe, but not
Kabobs: about half of it with chocolate.

overripe, banana
1 pound salmon, cut into
Let the excess chocolate drip
Line a small cookie sheet or back into the bowl. Move the
one-inch cubes, about
12 pieces
other flat pan with parchment banana pieces to the parch-
paper. Reserve.

ment-lined pan.

1 pound tuna steak,
cut into one-inch cubes,
Set up a double boiler with
Place the pan in the freezer
water in the bottom pot and the for 3 hours or more, until right
about 12 pieces
chocolate in the top pot. Cover before serving. It can remain
1 red pepper, cut into
one-inch squares
it with a lid. Bring the water to frozen for 24 hours. Move the
a boil and stir occasionally until banana bites to an attractive
1 yellow pepper, cut into
plate and serve immediately. l
the chocolate melts.

one-inch squares
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly
squeezed lemon juice,
about 2 lemons
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh dill,
minced ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt to taste
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