TESTIMONIALS
From our Yahel Social Change Program Participants
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Daniel Hammerman- Yahel Social Change Program 2015-16
I am so appreciative of the life-changing experience I had while participating in the Yahel Social Change Program. Living and working in Lod allowed me to look outside of Israel's main population centers and tourist sites and interact with many of its diverse communities including Arabs, Ethiopians, Former Soviet Union immigrants, religious Jews, and young Israelis. This helped me understand the complexities concerning Israeli society by making me confront them firsthand. Not only did Yahel expose me to these issues, but it also allowed me to take an active role in fixing these problems through my numerous volunteer placements. I was especially inspired by the opportunity to teach English in an Israeli-Arab primary school, through which I also taught my students about the benefits of coexistence with Jews and practicing nonviolence. This program also immensely enhanced my personal development through its learning component, which taught me about the benefits of being a leader, taking initiative, and learning about perspectives different from your own. One of my favorite parts of the program was talking to people from communities around Israel with vastly contrasting perspectives, such as West Bank settlers, Bedouins in the Negev, Druze villagers in the North, and African asylum seekers in Tel Aviv. Through all of these interactions, Yahel has provided me with a much more nuanced understanding of Israel that I will surely take with me in my future endeavors.
Rachel Kutcher- Yahel Social Change Program 2014-15
My year in Israel with Yahel has been both challenging and incredibly powerful and rewarding. I’ve gained a more nuanced understanding of the complexity of Israeli society and the multitude of narratives held by diverse communities across Israel. Through our learning discussions and debates, I’ve begun to conceptualize my vision for the future of Israel and Jewish society, and I’ve learned how to engage in constructive conversations and actions to help shape Israel into a more socially just society. While I’ve always connected Judaism to tzedakah and tikkun olam, this year I have strengthened my connections between Jewish learning, Jewish texts, and social justice themes. Most importantly, I’ve developed a special connection with a very strong and beautiful Israeli community. Through the hundreds of meals of injera topped with delicious wots, through the cooking lessons, the awkward conversations in three languages at once combined with impromptu sign language and laughter, through the challenges and triumphs of volunteering with local organizations and families, I’ve developed a lifelong connection to the Ethiopian community in Ramat Eliyahu. It’s the type of human connection felt so deeply, that’s it’s impossible to fully articulate. I believe that I have only just begun to comprehend the lessons of this year, which will grow with me as I continue along my social justice career and Jewish learning.
Harris Engelman, 2013-14
I chose to participate in the Yahel Social Change Program after deciding that I wanted to spend a year volunteering and learning in Israel. Yahel was an easy choice because it is the only program that offered me the opportunity to be truly immersed in Israeli society while participating in social change efforts through meaningful volunteering and relevant educational programming. Yahel’s unique focus on the Ethiopian-Israeli population and belief in forming meaningful community partnerships meant that my volunteering opportunities were well-structured and truly impactful; just 5 months after the end of the program, I can see the concrete results of my volunteering, whether it be the success of an urban agricultural project that I helped start through my work with Friends by Nature, a local community-empowerment non-profit, or the fact that the 9th grader that I tutored last year moved up a level in English and now will be eligible to go to college. The friendships and relationships that I formed with the other participants on the program, with Yahel staff, with my host family, with local residents in Gedera, and with Israelis activists that we met during the course of the year, made a meaningful impact on me and caused me to think more critically about Israel, about social justice, and about the things that matter to me. More importantly, I formed many important friendships from last year that continue and have only been strengthened by the passage of time. My time in Yahel was one of the most challenging experiences that I have had; it was also extremely rewarding and a valuable (and fun!) way for me to grow as a person and give back after graduating college. My decision to stay in Israel and continue working for social justice is fully because of how impactful my time on Yahel was and the way that the program encouraged me to appreciate and engage and wrestle with Israel.
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Erica Mitchell - Yahel Social Change Program 2012-13
The best decision I ever made was choosing to participate in the Yahel Social Change Program. I learned so much from my life in Gedera and from my life in Israel. Gedera became my home. By tutoring students, working in the schools, working in the youth center and collaborating with Friends by Nature, Yahel allowed me to create a life for myself that was completely unique. One of the many reasons The Yahel Social Change Program is so special is that each participant comes away with their own experience. We are given the opportunity to become big parts of the community we work in and to form meaningful and lasting relationships. My connection to Gedera and to the community I lived in still remains strong and the relationships I made will stay with me forever. Yahel prepared me to be a citizen of the world. It taught me to consider the notion that there are multiple perspectives that hold equal value to those who believe them. Each seminar trip my group went on not only opened my eyes to what it really meant to live in Israel but also to new ways of moving towards social change. Yahel pushed me to be more open minded and more aware. The short 9 months I spent in Israel have impacted me more than I could have anticipated and continue to be a very relevant part of my life.
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Shoshana Wineburg - Yahel Social Change Program 2010 -11
After a year of learning social justice in Jerusalem, I came to Gedera to live social justice. Upon arrival, I thought I understood ideas like community organizing, empowerment, and sustainability. And I did—on a theoretical level. This experience has transformed these terms for me from a conceptual understanding to a realistic process: I don’t study empowerment from afar, I see it, I cultivate it, I do it. My work here has challenged me to think about the role of service work and to be a more thoughtful, more deliberate, and more sensitive volunteer. I came to Gedera looking for a community experience: I got exactly that. It has been amazing. From my housemates, to my fellow Ethiopian community members, to the kids I tutor, to the women I teach, my life is rich with meaningful and rewarding relationships. I feel privileged to be a part of this program, and more importantly, to be a part of this dynamic community.
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Jacob Mogerman - Yahel Social Change Program 2010 -11
The Yahel Social Change program developed a deep humility within me. Coming to a program like this I knew I was going to learn new things, but I was not prepared for the profound change in perspective that came along with it. The strength of the program doesn't lie solely in its programming. The most important aspect is the emphasis on living within the community and true immersion into it. We know the families that live here in the Shapira neighborhood. We work with their children. We see them in meetings and meet them in our tutoring programs. Our individual volunteer tasks in the neighborhood is very meaningful. It is in the neighborhood that you start to understand what is meant my 'empowerment work'. I work in the music program, and seeing the kids start to take control of the studio we built has been a fantastic thing. Suddenly we stopped having to call them to come to practice. As of now, they are heading to the studio in much of their own time without us, truly owning the space. That I had something to do with some sort of change here, not changing for but changing with, really shows me what I can contribute
From our Insight Program Participants
Jessie Leider- Repair the World Onward Israel Service learning program in Beer Sheva, 2014
This was an amazing experience because I learned a lot about myself, how I work in group settings, and about a number of internal issues that need to be addressed within Israel. I developed a more nuanced understanding of Israel, both the injustices and the blessings that lie within its borders. I am walking away with a passion and sense of responsibility, of course to engage in support for Israel as a state, but mostly to fight for equality and justice within Israel in order to uphold the values of a democratic state. I am also walking away with an intention of returning to continue this work.
Erica Biegen- NY Onward Israel Service Learning Programs in Jerusalem, 2014
This program was truly one of the best experiences I've ever had. It shaped my understanding of Israel, Judaism, learning, leadership, and social justice/change. The program has sparked me to pursue these topics further and has opened my eyes to so many knew interests and questions. I learned so much during this program, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to go on it!
Emily - American University Program in Arad, 2014
As a participant in the alternative break/Yahel service learning program this winter, I have gained an in depth, critical understanding of the refugee and asylum seeker issue in Israel, while also growing my own commitment to social activism and community organization. In bringing this experience back home with me, I see my future actions unfolding in two areas. First, while working with the organization Students for Refugees, we learned that their biggest need was awareness raising around this issue. I intend to finish the work we began with the organization on building a website and continue to share this and other information via the web to increase knowledge on the topic, especially for the American audience. Secondly, I find myself inspired by the activists and community organizers that we met in Arad and Tel Aviv. I was reminded in Israel of the importance of living with purpose and justice in mind. I intend to embody this more in my own interactions with my community in Washington, DC. I also intend to continue working on refugee issues through volunteer work in the DC area and potentially work to lead another Alternative Break trip to Israel or another area that is social justice oriented.
Doni Kaye - Repair the World Onward Israel Program in Be’er Sheva, 2013
I found the program extremely meaningful. I feel that I have emerged from the program with a more refined perspective of Israel. I am committed to remaining connected with and standing up for Judaism and Israel. I am dedicated to engaging others with social change in the context of Judaism and Israel. I am not afraid to be critical of the policies in Israel where and when it is fair, safe and generally appropriate. I am devoted to helping to empower marginalized, struggling, and up and coming communities.
Jessica Solodkin - Repair the World Onward Israel Program in Be’er Sheva, 2013
This program was absolutely life-changing for me. It challenged me to think in a lot of different ways and expanded my perspectives on Israel and a lot of issues. It was a very meaningful experience because I feel like I have grown tremendously and done a lot of self-reflection as well. I am walking away with the skills to advocate for Israel more realistically, with the ability to see and accept its imperfections, and with the desire to come back to this country and fix these issues. I am also walking away with the idea that these issues exist everywhere, and while it is hard to fix them all, I want to be able to share this experience with others and to work toward having a more peaceful, just world.
From our Partners
Ameer Saleh - Local Coordinator from Maghar | Horizons for the Future
Good morning from Maghar!
First of all I hope everyone is doing great and got home safely! I miss you all!.
I'm sitting here in the garden on one of the seats by the tire table, the weather is perfect after a rainy night, just watered the plants one more time, walked around for a bit and sat down to share some thoughts with you, I really wish that you could be here to enjoy the garden with the locals, In the short period of time that I've been sitting here I was fascinated by what this garden has become, not only that it looks great, but mainly just seeing the school students enjoying sitting in the fresh air, younger children walking on the street and stopping to try to read the words on the mural in the 3 languages, and older men and women who came to walk around and look at what you guys have done! Great work! We never had a community garden before, and I have to admit I had my fears that the community won't accept the new Idea, but fortunately!, thanks to the spectacular work you did, I was wrong, seeing people of all ages wandering around is too fulfilling! THAT is exactly the power of youth to start change! We did volunteer and made new friends and learned about the cultures of both sides, but most importantly, we started change in the people's thinking and openness! So behalf of my community I would like to thank you all deeply for coming, volunteering and being part of our lives!!!
Love you all
Aaron Mandel -Director of the Tawonga Teen Service Learning
Working with Yahel was an amazing and richly rewarding experience. It was clear from the start that partnering with Yahel was the only way to go in terms of a true collaborative community-based service learning experience in Israel. The care with which Yahel cultivates their relationships and works with program partners is exemplary. During the course of our trip we felt so supported by Yahel at each step of the way. From the well-organized itinerary to the wonderful educators and staff to the flexibility it was a top-notch experience. We will definitely be working with Yahel again and feel proud to have them as a partner in this work.
Moriah - Staff Member at Be’er Sova in Be’er Sheva
The volunteers helped in the distribution of food, cleaning and more at the soup kitchen. They helped us cultivate the community garden and they also helped Elizabeth, our international fundraising coordinator. On Wednesdays, they joined our truck driver and delivered hot meals to the elderly. In each of the programs they helped with, the volunteers contributed and showed seriousness and responsibility. It was a pleasure to work with them and they have also received positive feedback from others they worked with.
The volunteers were particularly helpful because they were here during the summer when most of the regular student volunteers go on vacation. It helped me a lot to know that I had volunteers who were responsible and availability.
Thank you again and we hope to work next summer with another group of your wonderful volunteers!