Chai Life Spring 2013 (PDF Document) - Jewish Federation of South ...

Making a Difference
for Youth in Israel One Life at a Time
The dollars we raise in South Palm Beach County are doing a world of
good through our overseas agency partners. Every day, our community’s
generosity touches lives in our extended Jewish family in Israel and
around the globe through the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), American
Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Ethiopian National
Project (ENP). Meet just a few of the young people whose lives have been
changed in Israel, and whose communities will benefit because we cared.
Omri, the oldest of six siblings in a family of immigrants, had trouble finding his way in school.
Consumed with the day-to-day struggle for survival in their new home, his parents lacked knowledge
or tools to provide the guidance he needed. After skipping classes for years, Omri dropped out at age
16, spent his days wandering the streets with other dropouts and soon began to drink. Eventually, a
truant officer encouraged him to get a high school diploma by offering him a “cool” opportunity with
Turning Point.
This innovative program helps at-risk Israeli youth break out of the cycle of risk and alienation through
positive entrepreneurship and employment experiences, setting them on the path to a productive
adulthood. As youth are exposed to real world business concepts and gain skills for launching a
business and finding a job, they build their self-confidence and begin to see themselves in a new light.
“I never thought I could make it in business because I didn’t believe in myself,” Omri says. A week at
one of Turning Point’s BizCamps taught him the basics of starting and running a business and changed
the course of his life. “Without Turning Point, I would be in a very different place. Today my outlook is
long-term.”
After failing his final exam in Hebrew grammar last year, Ethiopian-born Mahlet’s
confidence in himself evaporated. “When school started this year, I didn’t really care anymore,” he
says. “If I was going to fail anyway, what was the point of studying hard?” Fortunately, Mahlet’s
ENP teachers did care. “They talked to me and convinced me to participate in ENP’s Scholastic
Assistance Program and get extra help in school.” The program – along with a thriving outreach
center – are part of SPACE, a powerful ENP project designed to help at-risk high school students
improve academically.
“It paid off,” Mahlet reports happily. “My success showed me that I was capable of more and that I
have the potential to succeed.” After conquering the Hebrew language,
he has moved on to the challenge of math. “The battles will continue and
I am determined to win,” he says with confidence.
CHAILIFE 48
Jennifer’s upbringing left her with little inkling of her Jewish identity when she
graduated from college with a degree in secondary education. She looked forward to becoming
a public school teacher but found a dismal job market. Struggling to keep her career hopes alive
as a substitute teacher, Jennifer heard about a pilot project offered by Masa Israel Journey, a
JAFI program that connects a new generation of college grads and young professionals to their
homeland through a life-changing experience in Israel.
Jennifer signed up for Masa Israel Teaching Fellows and prepared to spend 10 months working
as an English teacher in one of Israel’s neediest public schools. “Six months into my work at the
Rozen Elementary School in Rishon LeZion, I’m a much more skilled teacher,” she reports. “I feel
like this experience has offered me more than I could ever have hoped for. I’ve discovered my
Jewish identity and am now even speaking Hebrew.”