Ariel Rosen

Ariel Rosen
Kicks off a Bat Mitzva Book Drive
in Long Grove, Illinois
on Behalf of Schools in the Carmiel Flagship

At the time of this writing, Ariel Rosen is twelve years old. She decided to run a book drive as a mitzvah project in honor of her upcoming Bat Mitzvah and was pleased to adopt the Carmiel cluster of schools to help make an impact in and around the Carmiel community. A student at the Solomon Schechter Day School in Northbrook, Illinois, Ariel is an avid reader and lover of words. She visited Israel for the first time in the summer of 2004. Her visit made her feel even more connected to Israel and its people. Ariel has set herself a goal of collecting 1,000 quality books before her Bat Mitzvah next September. Meanwhile, she is collecting books, screening them, choosing the bests for the pile of books selected to be sent, and keeping in touch with the Carmiel school community. Ariel looks forward to visiting the schools in the Carmiel flagship to see the books on the shelves and meet the students there. (See update, below!)
		Ariel Rosen with an armful of newly collected books.
Ariel shows off the first part of her book collection. As more books come in, Ariel sorts these out and keeps counting, aiming to amass and ship 1,000 quality books to schools in and around the Carmiel area by September 2005.

Ariel Rosen and Her Family Visit Nitzanim Flagship School of Carmiel
In June 2005, Ariel Rozen and her family came to visit the Nitzanim Elementary School, the flagship school of Carmiel. Carmiel is an on-going developing town situated in the mid-north of the Galilee area in northern Israel. Judy Rozen, Ariel's mother, relayed that they had originally heard about the Books for Israel Project from the incredible effort run by the North Shore Coalition Book Drive of some thirteen synagogue congregations in the area of Illinois. The North Shore Coalition was responsible for sending over 35,000 books to schools in the area of Tiberias, establishing and enriching libraries in many schools there that had never existed before. When Ariel decided to run a book drive for her own Bat-Mitzvah project, she wrote to Rena Cohen, Book for Israel's International Volunteer Coordinator, and was presented a list of needy areas. Ariel chose Carmiel as the community she would adopt. At the time of this visit, Ariel had already sent 1,000 books. These books have begun the school library in Nitzanim. Some of the volumes she has sent have kicked off the beginnings of English language libraries in one of the local junior high schools. During her visit, Nitza Gazit, the flagship coordinator for Carmiel, took Ariel and her family around the school. They saw the conditions of learning there and asked questions about English language education. Students of the school were very excited to meet Ariel, about whom they have already heard so much. Ilan Bar-Shalom, the Israeli Co-coordinator of the project, arrived to take photographs and meet the family. He stressed that Ariel's gift will be a long-time contribution to the education of the local population in Carmiel. The books will last from generation to generation, significantly affecting the way English can be taught and the degree of independence that learners will have. Moreover, Ariel's sticker inside each and every one of the books she has sent marks every one of these texts as an effort she and her family have made on behalf of the population of this city. Before they left to have lunch at Nitza Gazit's home, David Rozen, Ariel's father, asked what else they could do to help the project. Ilan explained that we still need books at Nitzanim and at all the other schools in Carmiel. In response, Ariel's parents both insisted that they will continue to run the book drive locally. They pledged to continue to do so for as long as necessary. As a start, they have decided to keep running the project until all ten elementary schools in Carmiel have established a small library of about 1,000 books each. This is a starting goal of 10,000 elementary school level books that they have set for themselves! Needless to say, the people at Nitzanim and Books for Israel are thrilled and thankful!

Nitza Gazit, Carmiel's flagship coordinator, warmly greets the Rozens. Here she presents Ariel with gifts from the school and from the City's Department of Education. Among these items include the City Department's sign of Carmiel, a historical book about the city, another book about the history of Israel, various trophies, and the Nitzanim elementary school t-shirt!		Ariel is escorted around the school. She learns about conditions in Nitzanim and in other Carmiel education centers.



Nitza Gazit greets the Rozens. Here appear Ariel's parents, David and Judy, and Ariel's younger sister. After taking them around the school, Nitza brought the entire family over to her house for lunch. It was quite a day for everyone!		The library begins to be stocked with Ariel's books. Many of those Ariel has sent have been distributed already to the nearest junior and senior high schools..

Thank you so much, Ariel, for all that you are doing. Mazal Tov to you and your family for your great work! Our gratitude to the Rozens for the incredible determination to provide books for each and every elementary school in the area of Carmiel! Please come again and see the fruits of your work in the mid-Galilee of Israel!