by Pamela Deutsch

Eli Bareket was born inTel Aviv-Jaffa and raised in Bat Yam.  He attended elementary school in Bat Yam, and then continued his education at Boyer in Jerusalem as a boarding student.  He served in the IDF in the Golani Brigade later becoming an officer.

After his military service Eli worked, and eventually began studying Islam and Near Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University.  As a student, he was active in a number of social justice frameworks.  As a member of Students for Social Justice, Eli was involved in efforts to raise awareness develop consciousness to social justice issues.  As a member of the International (Sephardic) Educational Front, he was involved in the creation of a national program called Bridge to College, which worked to assist students not enrolled in academic tracks to improve their matriculation scores and increase their awareness to higher education and the opportunities it could give them. Bridge to College also tried to assist the students in understanding why they were not in academic tracks; exploring issues such as the students’ expectations of themselves and the expectations of those surrounding them. One of the issues that arose from their work is that children are unaware that they are not in academic tracks; they are part of a big push to take and pass matriculation exams but the exams they are taking are not necessarily at the levels that will later allow them to attend university.

Having attained his BA, Eli then continued studying for a Masters, in an individually designed program on Muslim minorities – e.g. Muslims in the Philippine sand Ethiopia.  In parallel, he worked at Beit Hillel at theHebrewUniversity.  During his ten-year tenure at Beit Hillel, he was involved in the evolvement of the organization from an organization that worked almost exclusively with foreign students, to one whose main goal and strategies was to work with mainly Israeli students.  Eli created a working model and was promoted to program director.  Today, Hillel has expanded to 10 campuses in Israel.

At the same time,  Eli was active in Mayan Hachinuch Hademocrati.  This organization, founded in response to the Shas initiative to bring religious education to Jerusalem’s weaker neighborhoods, provided informal education and tutoring in weak neighborhoods in Jerusalemfor both Arab and Jewish populations.  In addition, Mayan Hachinuch Hademocrati, worked to empower children, youth, and their parents.

In 2005 Eli became the director of Memizrach Shemesh.  Founded in 2000, by the Avi Chai Foundation andAlliance“Kol Yisrael Chaverim,  Memizrach Shemesh, is a Beit Midrash (House of Study) and a Center for Jewish Social Activism and Leadership inIsrael. Dedicated to the values of communal responsibility and social action rooted in all Jewish traditions including those of the Sephardi and Mizrachi heritage, the organization cultivates and trains leadership in Israel’s geographic and social periphery, with hundreds of participants every year working towards improvement and change in their communities. Before directing the organization, Eli was part of a group that met to discuss what the Sephardic tradition has to give to Israeli society and its issues and was in that sense one of the founders of the organization.  He participated in one of the first learning groups run by the newly founded organization.

During his tenure, Memizrach Shemesh has grown from working annually with 170 participants to more than600 ayear.  The organization runs programs from Kiryat Shmona toArad, for different age groups from post high school students to parents.  In addition, Memizrach Shemesh works with the Border Patrol.  In this program, officers participate regularly in a Beit Midrash.  Their participation assists the officers in being able to see themselves as educators, aids their ability to deal with issues such as social responsibility within their units, and helps them understand that as officers they can empower their soldiers to dream of greater things when they finish their service such as an academic education.

In addition, Memizrach Shemesh is working with Keren Rashi to open Darka, a new network of junior high and high schools in the periphery, designed to educate for excellence – both academic and social, as currently there is no network whose goal is academic achievement. Finally, the organization has expanded its international reach working with communities in bothNew York City and Budapest.

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Eli, continues to be active beyond his role as CEO.  He served, as a member of the Kedma committee for the “poel tedek behinuch” (an education prize), is a member of the international council of the New Israel Fund, and served for two years as the chair of the Association for Batei Midrash inIsrael.   Today, Eli chairs the board of Panim, which is now a federated organization, with each member organization having a vote on the board.

In his spare time, Eli has begun to write poetry.  He recently wrote a poem for his son to help him understand when you were a kipa and when you do not; something which is clear for someone who is either religious or not, but less clear when you are traditional.

Eli is divorced and the father of 3 children and lives in Jerusalem.

by Pamela Deutsch

Ido was born in 1968 inTel-Aviv-Jaffa and grew up in Bat Yam.  It was only at the age of two and a half, that it was discovered that he was hard of hearing.  As he was a premature baby, the doctors and nurses kept telling his parents, who already had twin girls, that he wasn’t talking because his development was delayed.   Ido was close to three when he received his first hearing aids.  He was sent to a nursery program run by Micha where the first goal was to teach him how to read.  By the age of three and a half he was reading fluently and soon after learned to speak.  Ido was mainstreamed into theBat Yam school system from the beginning.  However, hearing aids then were not what they are today.  The hearing aids themselves, which were large and drew attention were connected to a box that rested on his chest in a special undershirt.  He was the only hard of hearing child in his elementary and high school and he was not acquainted with others who were hard of hearing.

As a teenager, Shema invited him to activities, however most of the kids were deaf and spoke sign language which Ido did not.  His high school years were particularly isolating, as he was not one of the hearing and not one of the deaf.  Having attained a full matriculation certificate, Ido volunteered for the army, because as someone with a disability he was not drafted, and served in the intelligence corp.  The army opened up new worlds for Ido and was a wonderful place to meet new people.  Having grown up in a very homogenous atmosphere, this was Ido’s first opportunity to meet a greater variety of people; people from different places, backgrounds, levels of religious observance, etc.

After he finished his service, Ido began to explore what to study.  Ido’s father, after having met Prof Jerry Reichstein, who was then the head of the program for special education for hearing impaired children at TelAvivUniversity, suggested that Ido meet with him.  It was Prof. Reichstein who sent Ido to talk with an organization called Keshev, an Israeli organization for the hard of hearing which existed for 10 years between 1982 and 1992. It was at Keshev, where Ido met for the first time, other people who were like him.  But not right away of course.  Ido, having remembered what it was like to go to Shema activities was reluctant to attend social activities at Keshev.   However, one day he received an invitation for folk dancing which was something he really liked and for the first time he met people like himself… people who are hard of hearing, who use hearing aids, and speak orally.  Ido was sure he was going to meet and marry someone who was hard of hearing.

At Keshev, Ido learned that he was eligible for all kinds of services from the National Insurance Institute.  The NII’s first suggestion was that he undergo vocational testing. The testing agency made two suggestions, accounting or warehouse logistics, both of which require very little interpersonal communication.  Ido’s stab at learning bookkeeping lasted for all of three months and his study of architecture, met a similar fate.  However, private career counseling was more successful and through that process he decided to study cinema and television atTelHaiCollege.  It was at Tel Hai when Ido asked the head of the department about whether as someone who was hard of hearing he could study cinema – he was told that this was not the air force and his medical condition was not a basis for acceptance or rejection.  In fact, the head of the department used to send students to Ido saying that he could be there sound man – he did not relate to Ido as being disabled at all.

Ido completed his degree program and began working for the Israel Association of Community Centers as a coordinator for community television in Kohav Yair and Ramat Eliyahu. It was during this period that the Beit Berl College opened a Bachelors in Education program in Informal Education particularly for community center workers.  Ido attended the program and attained his BEd.

During this time Ido was busy not only with work and school.  When he returned from Tel Hai, Keshev had folded and Ido decided there was a need to provide information for the hard of hearing.  Ido began producing a newspaper the “Faxiton” which was distributed by a number of organizations for the deaf and hard of hearing.  This was in the years before the internet became popular and the paper was often passed from hand to hand.  Ido would receive feedback and responses to the articles from all over the country.

In 1997, Ido joined Prof. Reichstein, Avi Blau, Dr. Becky Shocken and Ahiya Kamara in the founding of Bekol – a membership organization for the hard of hearing.  Ido was active as a volunteer in promoting accessibility, and in 2002 began to work for the organization. Three years ago he became the CEO.  Being CEO has been a learning experience and Ido is always learning how to better fulfill this role.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ido is married to a women who is fully hearing whom he met through a mutual friend.  Today they live in Tel Aviv with their daughter and son.

“How long are we going to stay?” asked Sari.  “Till we win,” replied her father.

by Pamela Deutsch

Sari was born and raised in Brooklyn, attending an all girls yeshiva through 8^th grade, followed by attending the first Solomon Schecter High School ever established.  Her father was a lithograph operator, who was very active in the union and her mother taught in NYC public schools.  Sari’s father was an activist; active in the protest movement and in the civil rights movement.  Once of Sari’s earliest memories is attending regular Friday protests at a local ballpark where they would not allow Afro- American ball players to participate in the game.  Sari would always ask, “How long are we going to stay?”  To which her father would reply, “Till we win.”

It is this kind of devotion to a cause that has driven Sari for the rest of her life.  After 10^th grade, Sari attended camp Ramah in the Berkshires and while there volunteered at a hospital for the mentally ill – it was after that experience she decided to study social work.   The elementary school Sari had attended was very Zionist; it felt that it was the role of the school to instill the Zionist dream in each of its students. As a young child, Sari often dreamed that there was bridge leading right from Brooklyn to Jerusalem.  As a graduation present from 8^th grade in 1968, her parents’ gift was a trip to Israel. This was a very big deal for her family and Sari and her parents (her two older brothers did not accompany them) saw Israel in its most glorified moments. All Sari wanted to do was comeback to Israel.  After 11^th grade, she spent summer on kibbutz and did not want to come home.  Her parents promised her that if she came home and finished high school, they would send her back to Israel for college.  However, Sari’s college experience in Israel did not turn out as expected.  At the time, there was a rule that you had to be 22 in order to study social work, so after a year studying English, Sari returned to the states.  In 1976, she came back to volunteer on a kibbutz , and ended up  practicing her novice skills in psychology  with a kibbutz member suffering  from PTS from the Yom Kippur war.  The intensity of that visit made her believe she had had enough of Israel.

Sari chose to study social work and psychology at UMBC Baltimore County.  Her field placement was in a community mental health clinic in south Baltimore where she worked as a clinical social worker, providing psychotherapy for anxiety and depression.  Through her work, it became clear to her that underlying these conditions was the urban removal/renewal that was going on in south Baltimore in order to build the new Orioles stadium.  These were not personal issues, but rather community issues, and their impact had Sari turning her career towards community organizing and attaining a masters from the University of Maryland at Baltimore.  This time her field placement was at the Baltimore Welfare Rights Organization, where she was mentored by Bob Cheeks, a seasoned civil rights leader in the Baltimore/DC area, and whose picture Sari still has on her office wall.  Sari continued to work at this organization for a number of years after graduation, organizing the first rent strike in public housing and training welfare mothers to represent themselves in appeals  processes

It was during graduate school that Sari met her ex-husband, who, from the beginning was very clear that after graduate school he really wanted to move to Israel.   When they decided to marry, they made a deal; they would spend – 2-5 years in the US, followed by 2-5 years in Israel, and then would decide where to live.

They moved to Israel in 1983; first to kibbutz, and a year later to Jerusalem.  At that point, having only been in the country for a year, but with tremendous experience in grass roots organization, Sari was hired by the New Israel Fund to begin Shatil – Capacity Building for Social Change organizations.  Sari was the CEO of Shatil for fourteen years.  During that time, the organization was able to seed a strong nonprofit sector, ensuring that activists understood that there are professional needs in running nonprofit organizations, and that skills need to be acquired in order to run these organizations. Shatil offered opportunities for those who needed to acquire these skills working both by skill and by sector.

By 1997, Sari was ready to take her experience and skills to a new level.  Most of the Jewish Israeli organizations Shatil was working with were from major cities, and Sari felt that those living in the periphery were lacked the ability to take their life into their own hands.  Yedid was founded in order to empower people living in the periphery and to help low income people understand what is in their  interest and have the ability to apply that interest when they vote or when they put their support  by behind a particular group or particular people – to get people civically involved.

Today, fourteen year later, Yedid’s mandate is threefold:

One, to this day people do not understand how to access their rights vis a vis, the government, municipality and as consumers.   Often, people give up because of the difficulties in pursuing their rights and this is where Yedid is there to assist them.  Two, there is a growing phenomena of increasing individual /family debt in Israel; debt that begins at a young age.  Cell phone bills that run up while young people serve in the army, easy access to lines of credit through credit cards , increasing number of young people taking upon themselves their parents debt – co-signing on loans, parents putting liabilities in their children name, etc.  Many of these people lack economic literacy, have few budget management skills, and are either unemployed or underemployed.  Yedid often sees young people who because of economic distress lose their ability and motivation to cope.  Along these same lines are women who drop out of the workforce when they raise children, and then not only have to deal with the loss of income, but find it difficult to re-enter the work force.  For these populations, Yedid provides assistance in terms of both empowerment and skills for re-entering the job force, in budget management and much more.  The third area were Yedid is active is in Housing.  Yedid focuses on  economic empowerment for those in public housing and those who want public housing.  For those who are unable to pay their mortgages due to sickness or other catastrophe, Yedid provides budgeting skills and negotiates with the bank and for those with no other choice, assists them to come to the realization that if they need to sell they should do it rather than let the bank repossess their property.  Furthermore, on a policy level, Yedid addresses the lack of available affordable housing and works towards instituting reforms that address issues such as what the banks and financial institutions can demand from those whose homes they repossess.

Yedid, which began with one branch in Haifa, today has 16 branches spread throughout the country from Safed/Hatzor in the north to Rahat in the south.  Two of these branches are located in Arab communities – Rahat and Nazareth.  Each center is staffed by volunteers and a paid director who supervises and trains the volunteers.  Volunteers are a mix of ex-clients, professionals – lawyers, accountants, hi tech professionals, social workers, social work and law students, and students on scholarship that require community service. The centers work on three levels – individual assistance,   policy change, a unique response to issues raised by the client base, which includes developing legislation, lobbying and empowering activists, and community based projects – economic empowerment, financial literacy for high school students and adults, helping women rejoin the work force and more.

Yedid’s Legal department is directly involved in cases that determine people’s fate.  For example, the employment practices of temporary employment agencies and their  affects on workers’ pension and severance pay, and a class action for home health care workers, mostly women who are afraid to come forth because they fear losing their jobs.  In the latter, Yedid is the plaintiff being represented by a private lawyer against the nonprofits and for profits which employ the health care workers.  These workers are not compensated for their travel time between clients, yet are expected to travel between multiple clients each day.  Ultimately,  Bituach Leumi (the National Insurance Institute) is responsible for this lack of pay.

Needless to say, Sari’s life is kept very busy, supervising the operation of this organization and ensuring continued funding.  Sari lives in Jerusalem and has two sons.  The oldest, 24 is finishing a degree in Business Management, and the younger is in 12^th grade at the Jerusalem Democratic School.

“For me, receiving the 2011 award for Contribution to the Community at the Sderot Conference for Community service was completing the circle.”

By Pamela Deutsch

Born in 1975, Daniel lived in Jerusalem through 8^th grade, and then moved with his family to Shdemot Meholah in the Jordan Valley.  Daniel attended high school at Hispin on the Golan Heights.

Following graduation, Daniel participated in the inaugural class of the Integrated Army Program sponsored by the Kibbutz Hadatai Movement.  Daniel spent 8 months at Yeshivat Ma’ale Hagilboa followed by a year in half  in army intelligence, a second 8 months at the Yeshiva and then served as a tutor at the Or Etzion Military Academy located at Mercaz Shapira for another year and a half.

Having completed his army service, Daniel spent a year traveling in the Far East, Europe, and Egypt.

In 2000, Daniel began studying film at Sapir College in Sderot.  He completed his BA with high grades and even gave the student address at graduation.   During his college years, Daniel won a competition in still photography,  and volunteered for Ma’apach – a Jewish Arab student organization  which works towards reducing the economic, educational and social gaps of underprivileged populations.

Daniel lived in Sderot itself, and made many friends in the community.  During his last year of studies, Daniel began working in the Sderot community computer center, with at risk youth.  The program he developed and initiated built upon skills that the youth already had and involved the youth teaching computers to a range of population groups; children who needed help with their homework, adults who needed to be able to use computers for their work, and even the elderly.  The highlight of this project was that the youth taught computer skills to their teachers, to Alon Schuster who was then head of the Sha’ar Hangeev Regional Council and to the local director of Project Renewal – who quickly realized that the youth were excellent at building him the PowerPoint presentations he needed for his work.

In 2003, Daniel began to study for a Masters Degree in Culture at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and began working as a research assistant for Dan Porat, an education professor, on the topic of creating national memory.  It was during this time that Daniel met Astorre Modena, a Jewish Italian venture capitalist, who lives in Israel.

Astorre was very interested in finding a way to contribute to the community.  Astorre who was living in the Arnona neighborhood, was very well aware that those living across from him in Talpiot, were far less well off.  Upon hearing about the work Daniel had been doing in Sderot, Astorre was immediately enthusiastic about founding a similar program in Jerusalem.

Machsava Tova was founded in 2004 in the Talpiot neighborhood in Jerusalem.  It began as one center, and ran mostly programs for youth at risk.  The demand for activities by children of other ages grew quickly; they were literally banging on the door.  Beginning with small groups of children Machshav Tova  worked to find appropriate content for younger children and the youth who were already involved became tutors for these children.  The demand continued to grow with parents also wanting to learn more about computer use, in order to improve their ability to find work or advance in their current positions.

Today Machshava Tova has five centers in west Jerusalem, three centers in East Jerusalem, one in Lod, and are in the process of developing two new centers one in the north in Afula and one in the south, most likely in Beersheva.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In 2007, Machshava Tova initiated the first MCU – a mobile computer unit, which brings equipment and teachers to kindergartens, community centers, schools and other facilities and provides computer training to populations that would otherwise not have this opportunity.    For example, the three MCUs work in Charedi communities, reach out to the disabled and provide opportunities for job seekers at job fairs to prepare and submit resumes on the spot.

In addition, Machshava Tova runs an exciting recycling project.  Initiated by Daniel and Astorre, the program takes used computers and computing components and recycles them, and then donates them to underprivileged populations; individuals, organizations or students.  All of the work on the computers is performed by youth at risk and IT volunteers, who rebuild the computers and load them with software.  Machshava Tova is the only Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher in the country.

Daniel has grown the organization for one person to 60 and now has both managerial and administrative assistance.  Furthermore, he has put together a range of partners who include municipalities, government agencies, businesses, foundation, private donors and fee for service clients.

Daniel is a permanent member of the Knesset Committee for Science and participated in the Ministry of Finance Committee for Reducing the Digital Divide.

Daniel loves to hike, is still a photographer, and spends much of his free time with his family and in his carpentry workshop.  He built a deck and pergola for his new home, a composter, and is now in the middle of planning bookshelves and media center for his living room.  His newest interest is in being a mentor for new social entrepreneurs; already he has worked on a project for social entrepreneurs at the Ein Gedi Pre-Army Mechina, and participated in ROI.

Machashava Tova was recently awarded the 2011 award for Contribution to the Community at the Sderot Conference for Community Service.  For Daniel, accepting the award in Sderot was the completion of a circle started 9 years ago.

Daniel is married and the father of two children and lives in the Dead Sea area.

photo by: Mona Ostby Beck

Born in Kharkov, Ukraine, Ariel was involved in the Bnei Akiva Youth Movement after the fall of the “Iron Curtain”.  For Ariel, the emissaries who came to the Ukraine from Israel and the US were his earliest role models and a source of inspiration. It was clear to him that he would follow in their footsteps – working in Jewish Zionist education both in Israel and in Diaspora Jewish communities.

Ariel made aliya in 1992 at the age of 16 with his family.  The family first lived in Kfar Adumim and a few years later moved to Jerusalem.  Ariel finished high school in Jerusalem, and then continued his studies in the Hesder program of Birkat Moshe Yeshiva in Ma’ale Adumim, serving in the paratroopers in the IDF in the framework of the program.

From the age of 17, Ariel began serving as an emissary and continued to do so for years to come.  His first trip back to the FSU was to work in a Jewish summer camp.  This was followed by participating in the interview committee for Na’ale for the Israeli Ministry of Education, taking part in Zionist Seminars through the Jewish Agency, working for Bnei Akiva, serving as summer camps coordinator in the Ukraine and finally serving as the central Bnei Akiva “shaliach” in Argentina.

Ariel studied Education and Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University and continued to serve as an emissary.  During his studies, he traveled for a variety of Jewish organizations such as the Lauder Foundation, Bnei Akiva and the Jewish Agency to many different communities worldwide – Spain, Germany, Costa Rica, Mexico, etc. in diverse roles and capacities.

In 2002, Ariel met Rachel, a nurse who had made aliyah from the United States in 2000.  They were introduced by a common friend, and already on the very first date, Ariel mentioned to Rachel that as soon as he finished his degree he was planning to take a position as a “long term shaliach”. From 2005, the couple spent 3 years in Uruguay where Ariel was the rabbi of the local Sephardic congregation and the coordinator of Jewish studies in a local Jewish school.

Upon Ariel’s return from Uruguay, he began to work as the CEO of Machanaim, a veteran Russian Jewish Education Network. Machanaim works to promote Russian Jewish education in both Israel and the Diaspora.  Its wide range of programs includes formal and informal education for all ages as well as distributing educational materials, both on and off line.

While serving in Uruguay, as the rabbi of a non-observant community, but one that is deeply connected to its culture and tradition, Ariel realized that the “community” in Uruguay had a lot in common with Russian-speaking Jews in Israel and worldwide. Just as the “community”, in its wide meaning (not only a synagogue), is a framework for maintaining Jewish life for the Jews in the Diaspora, in Israel it can be a supportive framework and a link to the Israeli society, its tradition, culture and actuality.

Due to their historical background, many of Russian-speaking Israelis lack a clear Jewish identity; they have little if any Jewish education and feel little connection to Jewish values and Israel. The result is that many of them have had serious hardships integrating into Israeli society and that they have difficulty identifying themselves as Israelis and even as Jews. Tens of thousands of these immigrants have left Israel – either to the US, Canada or Germany or back to the FSU.  According to research conducted by the Israeli Institute of Democracy in 2009, only 28 percent among FSU immigrants gave a positive answer to the question “Would you want your children and grandchildren to live in Israel?”.

Through the Supportive Communities Project, Machanaim proposes to build on and create new community centers for Russian-speaking Israelis – both new and veteran immigrants and their families. Members will have the opportunity for learning and experiencing Israeli and Jewish values and Israeli culture, which will be the base from which they can grow and develop as full and committed citizens of the State of Israel. The project  supports Russian-speaking Israelis in a manner which helps them to form a strong sense of identity as Jews and Israelis and develop a sense of belonging and shared values.

Activities offered include:

Formal and informal classes on Jewish subjects, Israeli history and current events, as well as in music, theater, cooking, etc.; preparation for Bar-/Bat-Mitzva classes; preparation to wedding for young couples; experiential and learning workshops; preparation to the army service for youth; festival celebrations, including preparatory workshops for every Holiday; Kabbalat Shabbat with families, once a month; educational tours; Shabbat seminars; cultural events (concerts, performances, etc.); and more.

The project was initiated in September 2010 thanks to the generous support of Cyril Stein z”l, whose family and friends are continuing to carry on the project and its vision. Since then, the program has expanded from one community center to four, and now involves thousands of people.  Plans are currently underway to expand to additional communities.  The project has been successful in involving new partners including the Ministry of Absorption, municipalities and local and foreign-based foundations.

Ariel believes that the Community Project can serve as a model for creating a more inclusive Israeli society, not just for Russian speakers, but for people of all backgrounds as well.

“My own children may currently be out of the country, but I am fortunate as I have 400 children to love.”

Ilana Tischler, knows the name of almost every child in the village.  The names she doesn’t know belong to children who have been in the Village for less than a month.   When children of all ages see her, many coming running to her for a hug and a kiss. The children are not just files which cross her desk,  Ilana knows the story of each child who lives here.

The Ben Shemen Youth Village includes a residential framework for children ages 6-12, a boarding school for youth ages 12-18, an elementary school, a junior high and high school, and an agricultural farm.  The Children’s Home, Hevrat Hayeladim, is home to 45 normative children who have been removed from their homes by the welfare authorities for a variety of reasons.  The children live in groups of up to 15 children with each group being staffed by a house mother and counselor.  The children attend the Hevel Modi’in Elementary School also located on the Ben Shemen campus.

The boarding school is home to 350 youths between the ages of 12-18 who attend the 6 year high school located on the campus along with 100 day students.  All of the children attending the school take a 5 point matriculation exam in agriculture concentrating either on livestock or on vegetation,  and all of the students are responsible for 7 hours a week of practical work every week–  in the stable, hen house, cow shed, zoo, fields, plant nursery, kitchen,  or in the garage for agricultural equipment.

Currently 60% of the children in each graduating class attain a matriculation certificate, an additional 12% are missing minimal points to receive their certificate.  “There are 25 students in each class and lots of support. Many of our students do not believe in their own abilities.  The school offers individualized instruction to anyone who asks for it throughout the afternoon and evening.   We are working on improving the childen’s self-esteem and their belief in themselves.”

Ilana, born and raised in Netanya, holds a PhD in Educational Policy and Leadership from Ohio State University.  Before taking the position of CEO in the Village, she held the position of Director General of the Tarbut Jewish Day School in Mexico City for 3 years, the largest Jewish Day School in the city.  This was not Ilana’s first overseas position, Ilana also taught in Jewish schools in Orange County, California, and in Boston, Massachusetts and was a community shlicha in Columbus, Ohio for three years.  In between these posting, Ilana served as the principal of a Tali school in Netanya for 11 years.

This is Ilana’s fourth year as CEO of the Ben Shemen Youth Village.  When I asked Ilana about the village she told about what a special place Ben Shemen is: “I have a good team – 30% of the people who work here are graduates of Ben Shemen…the deputy director who is responsible for logistics and more has been here for 30 years.  I am blessed with an excellent administration, maintenance people, chefs, you name it.  The village is like a big kibbutz, hundreds of people live here.  We have two nurses on staff, our own mail delivery, even our own cemetery.

Ben Shemen operates on a 12 days on 2 days off schedule.  When the children go home for the weekend, 9 buses drop children off all over the country from Metulla to Eilat.  About 10% of the children, who are unable to go home, spend these weekends with host families.  In addition, Ilana has raised the funds for a “Beit Bogrim”.  This double size caravan is home to 7 graduates of the village currently serving in the IDF.

As I was sitting in Ilana’s office in walked Daniel, a soldier who was drafted only a few weeks ago. Daniel, a handsome Ethiopian young man has lived in Ben Shemen since the age of 8. He requested a copy of his rental agreement, and then when asked about his service he remarked that it was cold where he was serving and that Shabbat in the army is just not like Shabbat in the village.  Ilana immediately offered to go up to her attic and dig out the long sleeve undershirts from her own son’s military service and set a date with Daniel to pick them up.  “The army gives Lone Soldiers a small sum to cover rent. We provide them with everything else…laundry service, meals, we even fill their fridge so that they don’t have to come home to an empty kitchen.”

Ben Shemen’s annual budget is about $7 million, 10% of which has to be raised each year.  “However, this does not include capital improvements.  The village was built many years ago, beginning in 1927 and there is a constant need to renovate and upgrade all of our facilities, beginning with the infrastructure.”  As Ilana and I walked around the village, it was obvious that Ilana is constantly trying to upgrade the living conditions of all of the children.  Even more impressive was the pride the children take in their surroundings.  This is their home and it shows!

“When I looked at the map of Reform congregations around Israel, I realized that with the exception of Yahel and Lotan, there were no Reform communities in southern Israel, not even in Beersheva or Eilat.  Working in the Arava has given me the opportunity to work, live and study with people who are discovering new aspects of their Jewishness… sharing my knowledge of Judaism with those who want to learn more.”

Speaking to Rabbi Gruber, one gets the feeling that he has found his rabbinical niche.  Not so easy to do when your family abounds with rabbis – very different rabbis. Benjie’s  grandfather was a Reform Rabbi in Columbia, South Carolina, his father is a Conservative Rabbi and a professor of Bible Studies at Ben Gurion University, his younger brother is a Habad congregational rabbi outside London, and his older brother is a Secular Humanistic Rabbi in Texas.

“I was raised as a modern orthodox Jew, “ says Benji who was born in 1975 and made aliyah with his family to Beersheva in 1980.  “I attended state religious schools, attended a yeshiva high school, and was one of the founding members of the hesder yeshiva in Yerucham.”

It was during an extended stay in Portland, Oregon, that Benjie discovered liberal Judaism. “Every week I would attend services at a different synagogue.”  Following his two years in the US and his work as a Jewish Agency emissary in different parts of the FSU, Benjie returned to Israel, attained a BA in Jewish philosophy at Hebrew University, and met Tovi.  Tovi, a social worker by training, had a dream of volunteering in Africa.  A six month stint in Malawi gave Benji a much clearer idea of what he wanted to do with his life.  Becoming a rabbi would allow him to combine his love of education and working with people with his need to be involved in tikkun olam.

Benjie was accepted at HUC and combined his rabbinical studies with a Master’s in Jewish philosophy from Hebrew University.  During his studies he did practical work at Congregation Mevakshei Derech in Jerusalem and at IRAC, and taught Jewish studies at the IDF Institute for Jewish Studies.

Even before being ordained, Benjie was approached by Kibbutz Yahel and the Movement about serving as one in a long line of rabbis for the kibbutz.   Benji became a long distance rabbi like most of his predecessors, but after a year and a half he approached the kibbutz and the movement about actually moving to Yahel.  They were very excited about the idea, and in August 2010, the Gruber family – Rabbi Benjie, Tovi, and Yair and Ella (6 and 4) moved to Yahel in the Arava.

For the last year, Benjie has been listening and learning.  As he works with other kibbutz members in the cow shed, as he meets with people of all kinds  – businessmen in Eilat, the head of the regional council, the director of the community center…

The area north and south of Yahel and Lotan contains 3000-4000 people who live on 12 kibbutzim, 5 moshavim, an army base and a few other settlements.  What has emerged from his meetings and his work is that people are interested in Israeli culture and that there is an interest in learning more about Judaism.

Benji, who does not wear a kippa most of the time, does not look like what people expect a rabbi to look like and is in great demand.

He teaches at a local high school, at the pre-army mechina in Hatzeva, and is the main teacher for Beit Midrash Baderech.

He is a regular lecturer in the officer’s training course at the Ovda air force base.

He teaches regularly scheduled classes in parshat hashavua and Talmud at Yotvata, Yahel and Grofit.

Rabbi Benjie is also in demand at ceremonies.  They may be weddings at Timna or in Eilat, or bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies at kibbutzim and at isolated settlements.

“When I looked at the map of Reform congregations around Israel, I realized that with the exception of Yahel and Lotan, there were no Reform communities in southern Israel, not even in Beersheva or Eilat.  Working in the Arava has given me the opportunity to work, live and study with people who are discovering new aspects of their Jewishness… sharing my knowledge of Judaism with those who want to learn more.”

“I am here because of my wife” declared Shimon “She threatened me with divorce and this time she was serious because she sent me a summons for the rabbinical courts”

Rabbi Eckstein was surprised by the courageous move on the part of this woman.

Shimon has worked for years as a Bible teacher and is an ordained Rabbi. He is a kind man and learned torah scholar. His heavy aftershave and the mint he sucks on do not hide the fact that this happy, good-hearted Jewish man is absolutely inebriated, as we say during Purim, “ad d’lo yada” (So drunk that he is unable to differentiate between Mordechai and Haman).

Two months later, when he was already 30 days off the bottle, he sat with Rabbi Eckstein and spoke to him seriously about his situation. “How will the rest of the program help me?” He asked, “What can I learn from it?”

Shimon continued, “The counselor that runs our sessions reminds me of students that I taught when I just started teaching at the Yeshiva. They all of a sudden have discovered God. I lived with God for 50 years, I prayed to Him, screamed at Him, laughed at Him and He guided me wherever I went. I was so close to Him that I would even drink at his house…the synagogue where I would recite a hundred blessings just so I could get more shots of vodka…”

The people of Israel, while on the amazing journey through the desert to the Promised Land had all they needed. A cloud protected them during the day and a pillar of fire made light for them during the night. The Mana, the Godly food, nourished them unendingly. All of a sudden, “… the mixed multitude that was among them felt a lusting; and the children of Israel also wept on their part, and said: ‘Would that we were given flesh to eat! We remember the fish, which we were wont to eat in Egypt for free; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all; we have nothing save this manna to look to.” (Numbers 11:4-6)

A person, who is a guest at the Hilton Hotel and has all he needs, craves a falafel from the stand in the old neighborhood. There is no explanation for the power of this yearning. Only an addict lusts after these things in an illogical, addictive and negative way. The addict paints everything pink “and the food was consumed for free” (Who gave them food for free?) They want to eat meat and they remember their yearning for onions and garlic- total insanity!

It could be said that a sinner is one who is still in control, he still knows the difference between good and evil, he is still sane, despite the fact that at this or that moment in time, he chooses evil. An addict on the other hand has lost control; he will do anything to get his fix, which for him is a solution to his deep emotional pain. This is not a sin, it is a disease. A sin is a controlled, conscious act, addiction is an unruly illness.

If once we believed that addiction to psychoactive drugs was more common in disadvantaged neighborhoods, it is now known that there is no difference between a poor neighborhood and a wealthy suburb, when it comes to addiction to drugs. The difference will only be in the quality and price of the drug.

(-excerpts from Rabbi Eckstein, Director of Retorno)

Retorno is the International Jewish Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Addictions based in Beit Shemesh. Since 1990, hundreds of addicts have been treated at Retorno, more than half of whom are from the religious community. Individuals with drug, alcohol, sex and gambling addictions have sought help from Retorno’s treatment program. 70 % of Retorno alumnae continue to lead successful, healthy lives. Using a new Jewish spiritual path that integrates the well known 12 step program for addiction, participants fight addiction and seek to get well.

Memizrach Shemesh’s Rabbinic Program for Social Leadership (Merhav) visited Retorno recently. The 12 Merhav participants, many of them community Rabbis, learned about different aspects of addiction. They had sessions that discussed the difference between good and evil in relation to addiction, and they participated in a seminar to give them tools to grapple with these challenges of addiction within their communities.

The group also learned about the 12 step program where the individual is led through a spiritual process of introspection and self understanding. The rabbis also heard some ex-addicts speak about the processes they went through as part of their recovery.

It was emphasized to the group that addiction is not a disease but instead a medicine; a medicine for a deeper problem that the addict is trying to solve in the wrong way. The process of searching for the root of the pain and distress is how they begin to solve the problem of addiction. The Merhav rabbis learned about this deep emotional misery that can sometimes go unseen by rabbis and community leaders. Through discussion and learning, the rabbis understood the important role they can play by being sensitive about such personal challenges before they develop into an addiction.

The visit to Retorno touched our Merhav participant rabbis. The sessions they experienced discussed sensitivity, pain, successes and failures during work with addicts and their families. This gave Merhav rabbis the opportunity to look at those around them, their community members, through a different prism.

This process that deals with a person’s midot (attributes) and moral-spiritual work is part of several seminars that Memizrach Shemesh’s Merhav rabbis participate in throughout the course of the two year Rabbinic Leadership for Social Change program. The rabbis also participated in training on the topic of couples counseling. The aim is to expand the horizons of these rabbis and to improve their practice as a way of strengthening them as both religious and social activists within their communities.

“I’ve learned how to inspire volunteers and how to delegate authority. I’ve learned that an effective campaign is based on three major components: spokesmanship, lobbying and activism. Sometimes it only takes five people, who make a satirical presentation at an entrance to some convention, to make a potent headline in the newspaper the following day. Having said all of this, I must add that, in my opinion, Green Course’s most significant achievement is bringing together young, caring and talented people with good ideas.”

Public Transportation is the main campaign Ram and his volunteers are focusing on at the Tel-Aviv chapter nowadays. Three years ago, one of Green Course’s lobbyists found out about a well thought out plan for improving TA’s public transportation system. This Reorganization Plan(link to Article in Jerusalem Post) was written by Ayalon Highways and forgotten about until Green Course pulled it off of the dusty shelves of the Tel-Aviv municipality and demanded it be implemented without delay. The plan consists of five stages. The first stage was carried out last August, and recently the Minister of Transportation announced that the second stage will be executed this summer.

“Having been born and raised in Tel-Aviv”, Ram explains, “I’m highly aware of the local public transportation shortcomings. There is great satisfaction in hearing on the radio that the Minister of Transportation is committing to deadlines and knowing that it has a direct connection to recent activities and press releases your organization was responsible for. It’s amazing to see how the work of a rather small group of dedicated people from our chapter is able to influence decision-makers and national policies.”