Jul 24, 2018

Yerucham’s Robotics Team Leads JCC Robotics Camp

The world of automation has come alive for 40 school-age campers at Miami’s three Federation-supported Jewish community centers (JCCs) through a series of week-long Robotics Camp sessions. Led by teens students and adult instructors from the Yerucham Science Center of Israel, each camper built a robotic car. The Robotics Camp, coordinated by the Miami-Yerucham Partnership, took place at Michael-Ann Russell JCC and Miami Beach JCC this week, and will be held at Alper JCC next week.

Throughout the week, the instructors from the award-winning Yerucham Science Center shared the robotics knowledge they learned in Israel. “We are very proud of this Robotics Camp because it reflects the growing closeness between our two communities,” said Dror Gershoni, Director of Children and Family Services at the Michael-Ann Russell JCC. “We are building a lasting interpersonal connection that benefits both sides.”

Members of the Yerucham teams also enjoyed home hospitality provided by Miami families. The trip provided a meaningful exposure to Jewish life outside of Israel. “We are really impressed with the varied and rich cultural activities of the Miami Jewish community, especially at the JCCs,” explained Inbal Abarbanel, a robotics instructor who led camp classes at the Michael-Ann Russell JCC. “As we teach here in Miami, we have the chance to use our programming, electronics and coordination skills. At the same time, we are ambassadors, bringing our two communities closer together.”

The Robotics Camp is one component of a much larger, direct collaboration between the Miami Jewish community and Yerucham. Other activities include the Diller Teen Fellows, an annual Israel-based leadership and cultural exchange program for teenagers, and the HaZamir International Teen Choir, which brings together singers from both cities to perform with participants in various high school-based Jewish music programs from around the world. Mytyl Simancas-Bister, Federation’s Miami-Yerucham Partnership Chair, said, “Instead of simply funding activities in Yerucham, Federation and our partners in Yerucham make a conscious effort to forge close, person-to-person connections through these programs and others.”

For more information about the Miami-Yerucham Partnership, contact Federation’s Israel and Overseas Department at 786-866-8495 or