Federation Star - July-August 2018

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16 Federation Star July/August 2018 ISRAEL MISSION Jewish Federation of Greater Naples Mission to Israel, Apri 29 – May 11, 2018 We wish you had been there with us! By Jane Schiff and Jeffrey Feld Twenty part-time and full-time Greater Naples residents and one Nashville daughter had an amazing journey to Israel from April 29 to May 11. We visited many popular tourists sites such as the Western Wall, Independence Hall, Caesarea, Yad Vashem, Masada, Petra and many others. The other half of the time, we visited agencies, homes, facilities and schools that YOUR annual campaign ORT Kadima Mada By Paula Filler At the top of the Negev, in Beer Sheva, is an ordinary community school, Tuviahu School, where ORT (the Organization of Rehabilitation through Training) has set up a Future Learning Space. The classroom is a large open space with whiteboards – large screens that are linked to the students’ computers – and students in movable desks that wheel around the room with textbooks on the tray on the bottom of the desks, and computers open and ready on the desks. Teachers prompt students with questions or assignments for them to work on in small teams. Each team chooses its own way of approaching and tackling the assignment. Then after Lone Soldiers By Betty Schwartz Young men and women from all parts of the world volunteer to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for one and a half years. They undergo basic training and are placed in units according to their abilities. Because these soldiers are in Israel without families, they are referred to as “Lone Soldiers.” There is an organization, Friends of the IDF (FIDF), that ensures that these soldiers have a place to live and dollars fund. On this two-page spread are reports on those visits from some of the participants. Rabbi James Perman, who joined our mission as our scholar-in-residence, said, “It wasn’t simply about seeing good people doing good social work. Federations perform a valuable function that no other component of the community does. It’s what it does best. Federation is similar to buying a mutual a prescribed period of time, the entire class wheels their desks together to see what each team has done. ORT began in 1880 in Russia, training Jews for vocational skills such as tailoring, machine repair and other trades to make Jews self-sufficient. Today ORT is on the cutting edge of new ways of learning as well as continuing to teach necessary skills for trades. The ORT space at Tuviahu School is used for many different subjects. The children seem excited and very involved in learning because the space provides education in whatever manner the student is best able to learn. Your contributions to the Federation’s Annual Campaign provide funds for all the ORT Kadima Mada programs throughout Israel. Red Mountain Therapeutic Riding Center By Susan Shane The Red Mountain Therapeutic Riding Center was an amazing visit. Established in 1996, it is located in Grofit in the southern desert of Israel, very near the Jordanian Border. It is a non-profit organization that receives funding from the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples as well as from Jewish National Fund and many other groups. Therapeutic horseback riding is being used as a tool for improving the lives of people with disabilities worldwide. This center started with 15 children, and currently serves 230 people, aged 3 to 83, suffering from conditions of neurological development, physical disabilities and/or emotional impairments. A team of licensed therapeutic riding instructors and 30 volunteers make each person’s therapy unique. Riding therapy provides a three-dimensional movement, much like walking, which somewhere to be for Shabbat. Our group hosted three young women for Shabbat dinner. All three were American: Oliva from New York, Selena from Boca Raton and Rachel from San Diego. Female volunteers are allowed to serve in combat units as these three women shared with us. Whatever their reasons for serving, all were proud of their contributions to Israel. helps to create muscle memory for those needing help in learning to walk. Grooming or just walking along with the horses, is therapy for some. The therapy creates self-confidence and improved social interaction skills. The cost per participant is approximately $3,000 per year for weekly rides. The facility houses three riding arenas, more than 20 horses, two corrals, bridle paths, wheelchair-accessible sidewalks, stables, a classroom and a zoo. The Braverman Family covered riding arena features a fan with a water misting system which allows the program to operate on a year-round basis, even in the hot summer and windstorm season. It is the continued support from our donors that allows Red Mountain Therapeutic Riding Center to continue operating and grow each year. fund of worthwhile charities. Just as a single investment can purchase shares in dozens, even scores of companies, so a single contribution to Federation buys the donor access to a widely diversified range of good causes in line with our American Jewish values.” We missed having you with us. Maybe you will join us on our next trip. Arava Institute for Environmental Studies By Jane Perman What do an American college student from New York, an Israeli student from Ra’anana, and a Palestinian graduate student from Hebron all have in common? Emma, Sharon and Ibrahim met with our group when we visited the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies to explain what they were doing in the desert at Kibbuz Ketura. All of them are studying global environmental issues in an academic program at the Institute. These three represent a student body that is approximately one-third Jewish Israelis, one-third Arabs (including Palestinians from the West Bank, Jordanians, and Arab citizens of Israel) and one-third international students. The belief of the founders of the Institute is that “nature knows no boundaries.” Peace and leadership studies are part of the curriculum. The students from varied political, cultural and religious backgrounds live, Hand in Hand By Karen Lichtenstein The Hand in Hand schools bring together thousands of Jews and Arabs in six schools and communities throughout Israel. Its mission is to create an inclusive, shared society in Israel through Jewish-Arab integrated, bilingual schools and communities. With a Jewish and an Arab teacher co-teaching in each classroom, Jewish and Arab children are learning together, which may promote social inclusion and equality in Israel. Because of the tension and conflict that viably exists in Israel, the Hand in Hand schools are bringing hope, dialogue study and learn together. The Arava Institute is also home to environmental research, centers for renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, trans-boundary water management, energy conservation, sustainable development and hyper-arid socio-ecology. One example of the research that we saw was a date palm grown at the Institute that they call “Methuselah,” planted from the seed of an endangered plant species from Biblical times. Our group left with a great deal of optimism that Emma, Sharon, Ibrahim and their fellow students and researchers at the Arava Institute might help solve the environmental issues that threaten our world and increase cooperation in the face of conflict. In addition, we all are very proud that the Arava Institute is sponsored by Jewish National Fund and our annual gifts to Jewish Federation of Greater Naples. and understanding to the communities. We visited the Max Rayne Campus in Jerusalem, the first Hand in Hand B school, which started in 1998 with 20 students. The school has grown to almost 700 students from kindergartenJ through 12 th grade. t Children are not born with biases I and it showed as we witnessed both Jewish and Arab children playing andm learning together. p The high school provides a support-ive environment as the teenagers pre-pare for life as adults after graduation, c with dialogue groups, extensive civic studies, and volunteeringi in the community. v The parental communi-ties are an essential way fora Hand in Hand to expand its t impact. a Hand in Hand is show-ing that there is hope fora peaceful cohabitation for the present and future gen-erations of Israel! a B N T
ISRAEL MISSION July/August 2018 Federation Star 17 Would you like to be in the photos from the Federation’s next trip? We are planning a domestic mission October 16-20, 2019. For more information, please call the Federation office at 239.263.4205. Neve Michael Children’s Youth Village Yad LaKashish By Harriet Spirer Neve Michael’s motto could be “Save the Children.” The children here are all at risk. They are all Jewish from different countries where awful things happen. 95% are not ultrareligious. These children were abused physically, emotionally and/or mentally. Children are removed from their families and taken to the Youth Village near Caesarea by order from a judge or the Ministry of Welfare. The children, aged 5 to 18, are placed in a family home with a mom and dad on the grounds of the Youth Village. There are 150 residents in family homes, 15 in temporary crisis centers and 15 in teen crisis centers. The children in crisis centers have psychiatrists, social workers and a lot of one on one. The center is 75 years old. In 1943, the first children came from Holocaust centers – all were orphans. Neve Michael has its own schools through eighth grade. Students then go to regular schools in a nearby village. There is a music program and sports. They have B’nai Mitzvah, and each child receives a gift on their birthday. Accessible Health Zone By Eloyse Fisher The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is the largest Jewish humanitarian organization in the world, serving 700,000 people in Israel alone. The Accessible Health Zone in Ramat Gan services physically-challenged people. They are twice as likely as the unchallenged population to suffer from chronic disease and become economically challenged as well. Friends for Healthy Living, a bundle of programs developed to encourage healthy lifestyles for people with disabilities across Israel, helps this population. A holistic approach is used to reach the universal goals of a full life and a safe place to live. During our visit, we had the opportunity, after a brief demonstration from When, as teenagers, they leave Neve Michael for compulsory army duty, they get money for clothes and a bathrobe with their name on it. Three years ago, Neve Michael started a chocolate factory. The children participate in making chocolate candy, which is sold to raise funds. We all got to make and eat chocolate candy. So much fun! We had dinner in their dining room with music from a young resident on the trumpet. This was a very special day. Neve Michael is an amazing place to save the children. Miracles happen here because of our direct support from your Annual Campaign gifts. a talented amputee, to attempt to play wheelchair basketball. The court was standard dimensions and the hoop was standard height. The wheelchairs were anything but standard, having been designed to give a seated player stability and mobility without sacrificing agility or speed. A good (and humbling) time was had by the visitors from Greater Naples. Not your grandmother’s rehab! By Linda Sheinberg On our last morning in Jerusalem we visited Yad LaKashish (“Lifeline for the Old”), a non-profit program which teaches some 300 of Jerusalem’s neediest elderly various skills they then use to create fine quality craft items. Social, emotional and financial support are also provided. We visited ten studios where professional artisans train the clients in such skills as silk painting, ceramics, knitting, sewing, embroidery and jewelry making. Pride in their work and the sense of purpose on the part of elderly clients was palpable and heartwarming to see. The final stop was the gift shop with a dazzling array of hand-painted silk tallitot and challah covers, ceramic menorahs, tzedakah boxes, plates and trays, tablecloths, baby blankets, purses and more. Many of us were happy to make Israel Tech Challenge By Carol Mest Israel is known across the world as a country that leads the way in technology and cybersecurity. Our visit to the Israel Tech Challenge (ITC) provided insight into how young, bright individuals can learn the skills needed to launch their careers in tech. The ITC was established in cooperation with The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Israeli National Cyber Bureau. It offers three different experiences for gifted students. A 10-week paid summer internship is designed for excellent computer science or software engineering students. Once accepted, they are matched with a Tel Aviv-based company and intern in software development. Coding boot-camp is an intensive 5-month course of training and an unpaid internship in order to become a software developer. Participants can Ethiopian National Project purchases, thus adding to the support given to Yad LaKashish by our Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, which donates funds directly for the hot lunches provided as well as for transportation for those who cannot arrive and depart by themselves. come from Israel or from abroad on a tourist or student visa. The Fellows Program is a 10-month elite post-college program for students with previous math and coding skills. There is training in Cybersecurity or Data Science for the first five months followed by a 5-month paid internship in Israeli high-tech. Classes are taught in English as it is the language of high-tech. However, students are offered lessons in an Ulpan (an intensive Hebrew learning program) if they want to learn to converse while in Israel. Grant monies are available from MASA, which is funded, in part, by your contributions to the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples. 80% of the participants settle in Israel to work in high-tech. By Phyllis Seaman Our visit to the SPACE (School Performance and Community Empowerment) Program in Bat Yam meant a lot to me personally, as I had learned about this program last year and “adopted” a student. Bat Yam has a large Ethiopian population, and 276 children in grades 7-12 participate in the program. The SPACE program provides hot lunches and assistance, giving the students tools needed to live in Israeli society. When the children of an Ethiopian family succeed, the whole family dynamic changes for the better. There are approximately 8,735 Ethiopian children in cities around Israel enrolled in SPACE programs. The educational programs include Hebrew, English, Science and Math. There is a 74% matriculation rate. Parents are included in the program to work with their children. This is a self-empowerment program. Twenty-five young girls at Bat Yam went to nursing school, nineteen graduated. The students receive secular and religious education. Mulu, a young articulate girl, thanked us for our help in allowing her to believe in herself. She plans to go to university to study law. One boy said that technology study helped him get through all his challenges. Seeing the program in action and meeting the students was an affirmation of the importance of the program. Jewish Federations save lives around the world. Our Federation provides funding directly through our allocation process to support this very important program.
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Page 19 and 20: JEWISH INTEREST Rabbi Barbara Aiell
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Page 25 and 26: COMMENTARY Give a hand By Rabbi How
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Page 29 and 30: ORGANIZATIONS / CALENDAR July/Augus
Page 31 and 32: COMMUNITY DIRECTORY July/August 201

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