Eliana

=Rationale= I chose to research about the tasks dogs do to help us function better. I was glad to learn that many Jewish figures teach and start new methods of training dogs to help people in so many different areas, so we can benefit from their aid. These dogs inspired me and brought me to believe that any little gift we can give should be directed towards the benefit of others and that even training a dog could help those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to survive in a world where they can't maneuver alone. These dogs who help Alzheimer patients, dogs who are in search parties, dogs who serve alongside our soldiers, is only a small part of the bigger picture, only one animal, in a whole kingdom.

Dogs are known as “man’s best friend”. They have played many helpful roles for man throughout history. Since the dawn of human civilization, dogs and humans have had a symbiotic relationship. “During warfare, from the days of the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Roman Empire, to more recent wars, dogs have undergone active service.” (World History Dog warfare, 1) They have helped people in war by showing bravery under fire, saving lives (often by sacrificing their own), and bringing comfort to the injured and infirm. Napoleon had dogs posted as sentries at the gates of Alexandria, in Egypt, to warn his troops of any attacks. Russians used dogs as messengers. Native North American Indians developed the use of dogs for pack and draft work. In the early part of the 14th Century, the French Navy used attack dogs to guard naval installations. (This technique was used up to 1770.) Later, the American army bred bloodhounds that were used in the early 19th century to track Indians and runaway slaves, especially in swamps. During the American Civil War, dogs were used as messengers, guards and mascots. In 1884, the German Army established the first organized military school for training war dogs.

Rudolphina Manzel was a Jewish woman living in Germany who developed groundbreaking methods to train dogs for security tasks. She worked for the Austrian police and the German army in the 1930s. After moving to Israel, she served in the Haganah in the 1940s. Later, she trained guide dogs for the blind in Israel. By the early part of the twentieth century, most European countries were utilizing dogs in their armies and for police work using Manzel’s training techniques. “Menzel set out to implant her ideas in the less developed generations.” (Dogs of War, Aderet, 2)

Dogs were used in sizable numbers in both World Wars I and II, particularly by the Germans, French and Belgians. Later on, in 1988, the Israeli Special Forces sent bomb- carrying Rottweiler’s on suicide missions against enemy bunkers in Lebanon. However, with the development of modern long-range warfare and the change in military tactics, the value of dogs as combat soldiers has steadily diminished. Yet, at the same time, their usefulness in other military activities has increased, such as bomb-sniffer dogs and search and rescue.

There’s also a long history of dogs assisting the sight-impaired. Yet, it was not until after World War One that a formal guide dog program was developed. A school in Potsdam, Germany trained German shepherds as guides for sight-impaired veterans. However, later on, Manzel taught her training methods to others in order to spread her knowledge, including training and teaching in Israel. From 1953 to 1970 she trained guide dogs to assist sight-impaired Israelis in becoming more independent.

After Manzel’s death in 1970, Israel was left with no guide dog training center but with many sight-impaired Israelis, both civilians and war veterans. In 1991, Noach Braun established Israel’s Guide Dog Center for the Blind giving the many Israeli sightless people a chance to have almost full mobility.

Israeli search and rescue teams regularly travel abroad to help locate survivors after natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Sniffer dogs have helped these rescue teams locate many people trapped in the ruins of buildings and other wreckage who were ultimately saved.

= = ** “ ** The use of dogs to assist people in need has been a time tested methodology for years. The benefits are numerous and clear” (Guide Dogs for Alzheimer's Patients, Jensen, 3.)


 * A movement is now underway to extend the use of guide dogs to assist patients with Alzheimer's. There are two programs being developed, each with its own focus. The first is designed to help patients themselves. Dogs are trained to listen to the patient and do certain things when particular words are stated. For instance, the use of the word "home" would result in the dog guiding the person home from wherever they are at that point in time. The second approach is not so much to help the patient as to help the caregiver. The dog is taught to monitor the patient around the clock. If the patient leaves the defined space, the dog will let the caregiver know by giving a particular signal. Both of these programs are still being developed, but they are very promising. **

= ** Rationale ** = = =  I chose to interview my neighbor Joe Kalker since even as a little girl I always looked up to him, not knowing all the impressive things he does for others.Joe and his wife Michelle are my god parents, and I use to spend a lot of time at there house when my parents weren't home. = =  This interview means a lot to me and talking to Joe about what he does really made me admire him even more. = =  The work Joe does is absolutely amazing and writing his profile was a wake up call for me, realizing that people all around me do marvelous things for others, and how I would love to start something my self. = **My Extraodinary Neighbor** = Joe Kalker has always said, "A fetus in its mother's womb holds on, not wanting to let go of her. He holds on to the world that he knows. Yet when he is born he does everything he can to hold on to his world. People are afraid to get on a plane going to the unknown- we are all afraid of what we can't understand." Joe continues and says, "Yet still, I was never scared to expose myself to death." Joe volunteered in ZAKA (a group that deals with the wounded or dead.) and was active in the Chevra Kadisha (A group that takes care of people who passed away.) I think that Joe's job in the Chevra Kadisha which involves washing, purifying and guarding the body is the hardest job because you have physical contact with the cadaver. I asked Joe why he chose to volunteer in such jobs. Joe answered that he believes that since many people can't handle facing death, he should if he can cope with it. Joe grew up in Brooklyn and learned in a yeshiva, then went to University and established a Hillel House (A youth group for Jews). The anti-Semitism that he came across led him to think about and eventually make aliyah, knowing that the only place a Jew belongs is in Israel. Therefore, Joe his wife and their two kids (now there are five), moved to Israel. In Israel Joe helped build a school and synagogue in Gilo, yet he still wasn't satisfied. He passed an ambulance drivers course and started volunteering in MADA (The Red Shield of David). A few years later Joe and his family moved to Efrat leaving Gilo and MADA behind. In Efrat Joe looked for volunteering work, but without success. Yet at that time Joe was asked to join Efrat's Kitat Konenot (Emergency response team) and Gush Etzion ZAKA squad. Joe worked hard to be involved in both organizations. The years went by and Efrat eventually opened a Chevra Kadisha (The burial society). They asked Joe to join. He accepted and has been helping until this day. I thought I had learned everything I could about Joe's volunteer work, yet was amazed to hear the rest of his story. The Gefen synagogue has been struggling to finish their construction which has been going on for many years. Joe took charge, collecting money, hiring a designer and workers to finish the upstairs construction. Joe took care of furnishing the inside as well. Joe is one of the main reasons for the beautiful synagogue that we have today. I respect, appreciate and admire Joe. He always says that his satisfaction in life comes from helping out in any way that he can. I think Joe is an amazing person and was glad to learn about is extraordinary work. It's as if he was born to give from himself to others. Joe's volunteer work is entirely a normal part of his life. He doesn’t look at it as anything abnormal. Meanwhile, he volunteers in places near home that need his help. Joe's message for others is that, "whoever can, should!" meaning, any person who can handle volunteering in such emotionally challenging jobs should.
 * These are only some of the many things dogs contribute to people. Dogs and humans have been living together for thousands of years. It seems reasonable that we will continue to find many more areas in which dogs can be useful to humans as well as living together in friendship and harmony. **

= = =Creative Rationale=

I decided to make a photo collage for my creative project. The collage doesn’t have a specific order, yet I tried making the color theme stand out. Each picture has a different emphasis regarding various options of contribution to the community. I collected pictures that I think symbolize help, love and kindness. First aid, Bnai Akiva, a family and a life buoy all symbolize different ways of 'Kiddush Hashem' in the world; they are a portrait of people's help that can be given.

The collage shows what I think are some of the most important ways people can help in their society. In my society, I see that I can contribute a lot more, that I am just a little spot in a big picture of 'Chesed' (good deeds) in my community. I think I can take some of my small talents and things I enjoy doing, inflate and direct them towards a use in aiding others, for example- singing to the sickly in hospitals, helping little kids with their homework, and maybe more things I will find out I can do as I grow to contribute more in my community. toc