Jay Cairns of Jewish National Fund – Edmonton (JNF) organized a special visit on April 28, 2025 from Israeli emissaries Dor Avi and Lian Rabinowitz. Dor is a content facilitator in the field of Jewish peoplehood, Zionism and pluralistic Jewish identity in Israel and the Jewish world. Lian holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Communications.
Their visit coincided with three significant national holidays observed in Israel and throughout the Diaspora each spring — Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers), and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day).
As part of their educational outreach, a giant floor map of Israel served as a backdrop for lessons about the country’s diverse geography and climate. The map functioned as a visual and interactive teaching tool, inviting students to locate key cities, bodies of water, and regions. Dor and Lian emphasized how, despite Israel’s small size – where one can drive from north to south in just seven hours – the country encompasses an extraordinary range of landscapes.
They explained that the Negev Desert, which covers more than half of Israel, is known for its extreme heat and dramatic red rocky terrain (answering the question “why is the Red Sea red?”), while the northern regions, such as the Golan Heights and Mount Hermon, experience snowfall each winter. Students learned that the seasonal snowmelt is vital, replenishing Israel’s key water sources, including the Sea of Galilee and, indirectly, the Dead Sea. They were highly engaged by the interactive, age-appropriate lessons and left with a much deeper understanding of Israel’s rich and varied geography.
