Rabbi David Samson, known for his unconventional approach to educating youth at risks, is launching an innovative project for youth who find it difficult to sit in one place: A mobile Yeshiva high school – in Jeeps.
Rabbi Samson's new vision takes his concern for disenfranchised young Jewish youth across the Jewish nation, literally. Beginning in September, 36 twelfth-graders will attend class each day in one of 6 jeeps. The chalk board is the dust and sand of the Judean Desert.
"I realized that something must be done to reach high school youth who simply can't sit in a 4-walled classroom,” says Rabbi Samson. “The evening high-school [Maaleh Erev institutions] where I currently serve as Dean helps kids who dropped out of conventional frameworks get through their matriculation exams (known in Israel as bagruyot). We give them much individual attention and have many successes, but I see others who we are missing. The challenge is to get them through their matriculation exams and steer them back into mainstream society on every level. This new methodology of a Jeep Yeshiva was the answer."
Jeeps are not totally new to Rabbi Samson. In the 1980's, he founded and conducted weekend Torah and Zionism seminars which featured day and night jeep tours into the Judean Desert. In some of the most remote locations of the Land of Israel, Rabbi Samson would deliver lectures with Tanach (Jewish Bible) in hand, tying together his vast knowledge of Torah, desert plants, topography, the stars, and, of course, Jewish history.
According to Rabbi Samson there are several advantages of a Yeshiva with no walls:
- "Jewish history comes to life in the terrain where it unfolded.
- You can study King David's Book of Psalms where it was originally written and experience first hand the inspirations mentioned in its verses.
- A powerful element of adventure and action is introduced to Torah study.
- You can be inspired to express yourself in writing where great Jewish authors wrote.
- There is no place like the desert for a person to face himself, alone via hitbod'dus [self-introspection]."
Each jeep is a “classroom” complete with a combined Rabbi/driver. Each month, the students will complete one class, and move to another jeep. Classes are in Tanach, Jewish history, Talmud, Jewish philosophy, Jewish history and civics. Math and English will be taught throughout the year part-time in a jeep where they will only hear English. And as Rabbi Samson admits, "Yes, there's no way to totally avoid it," Math and English will also be taught part-time in the dreaded 4-walled classroom.
"The students who are already signed up," says the 50-year-old Rabbi, "are excellent youth who yearn to learn and absorb, but for some reason didn't survive conventional frameworks."
Rabbi Samson is traveling in July to Hong Kong and Australia to speak about the new educational philosophy he has developed. He will be a guest of the Ohel Leah synagogue in Hong Kong on the Sabbath of July 1st. His next stop is Australia where he will be scholar-in-residence at Sydney's South Head synagogue on the Sabbath of July 8th. His topics will relate to religious-Zionism and children's education according to the teachings of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook.
Rabbi Samson served as a synagogue Rabbi in Har Nof, Jerusalem, and has taught in religious-Zionist institutions including Merkaz HaRav Highschool, Machon Meir, and Yeshivat Kiryat Arba. He has authored several English books on the teachings of former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook and Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook.
For years, Rabbi Samson appeared weekly on the "Israeli Salad" TV cultural magazine and answered readers' questions about Judaism on the Arutz Sheva website.
After acquiring a paragliding license, Rabbi Samson's airborne excursions above the Mediterranean Sea led him to author his not-yet-published work on Paragliding and G-d.