Volume 5, Issue 2 / Shevat, 5762 / February 2002

To Give is to Gain: Developing Young Leadership in Israel

By Batsheva Pomerantz

18-year-old Oren Grunvald from Holon is spending a year in Beit Shemesh for the sole purpose of giving to the community.

"This is the only time that I will ever have to take a break and contribute to the community," says 18-year-old Oren Grunvald from Holon, referring to his year as a National Service volunteer in Beit Shemesh. "This year is in addition to my three years of military service. It is for the sole purpose of giving to the community."

As a volunteer, Oren is exposed to the real world. He volunteers at a clubhouse for youth at-risk who need the opportunity to stay away from their troubled homes without actually being cut off completely from home. The children, preschoolers to fourth graders, come daily after school and remain until the evening. They receive hot meals, do homework and play while receiving emotional nurturing.

At the Branco Weiss School (specializing in thought enhancement process), Oren is responsible for helping an entire grade with enrichment and social programs, and also speaks with students about their problems. He is part of a group of ten young people from throughout Israel who participate in the Tmura (Hebrew for 'change') program within the framework of the Kehilla ("community") organization. Tmura, which is a group or garin of youth, exists in different parts of Israel. Oren's group is linked with Kibbutz Tamuz, the urban kibbutz of Beit Shemesh.

Kehilla's missions include creating models of modern Jewish communities in Israel, which will be centers of creativity in the fields of Jewish culture and social responsibility. It implements its goals through a leadership-training program, "Community Life Education", in the field of Jewish identity for 17-30 year olds, graduates of youth movements. This program receives funding from the Jewish Agency.

Tal Wolfson feels that his volunteering is not just work, but being part of the community.

"Three principles are at work in Tmura based on the values of Kehilla: volunteering, learning and living as a group," explains Ran Raviv, educator and coordinator of Kehilla's Center for Strengthening Jewish Education. In addition to volunteering, Tmura offers the young people a learning opportunity. Raviv teaches the volunteers weekly classes on Jewish culture and its relevance to the modern Jew. They also learn about Israeli society and education issues. Another part of the curriculum is acquiring skills for cooperative life and influencing the community.

As part of the Center for Strengthening Jewish Education, volunteers reach out to 600 local elementary school children, who learn Judaism one hour a week. "Here contemporary Judaism is taught as a culture with a wider outlook. It is made culturally relevant to the population that it is taught to," says Raviv.

Tal Wolfson from Holon implements Raviv's lessons with elementary school children in Beit Shemesh. Tal also tutors a sixth-grader. "I started by helping the child. Eventually, there were connections with the family. I don't just do homework, I eat with them and talk to them. I feel that this volunteering is not just work, but being part of a community."

Jerusalemite Shlomit Stein is a former Scouts youth counselor, like all Tmura participants in the Beit Shemesh group. "Until participating in this program, we had a pretty easy life compared with that which we are dealing with in Beit Shemesh".

Jerusalemite Shlomit Stein volunteers in a clubhouse for at-risk children. She says she gained the experience of life as one of a group.

Shlomit's schedule presents her with different areas of social needs. She works as a youth counselor in the Scouts Shva group, which integrates Ethiopian children. She also volunteers with Oren in the clubhouse for youth-at-risk

"The work of these volunteers is done with plenty of guidance, since they face difficult challenges," according to Raviv. "A social worker accompanies them and they learn from their experiences."

Upon completing army service, Tmura graduates have the abilities and tools to establish or strengthen kibbutzim in rural areas or cities to further their social activism and educational programs. They meet on different occasions throughout the year in workshops, conferences and study days supported by the Jewish Agency. Here they discuss ways to further their goals.

"I gained from this program the experience of life as part of a group. We learned a lot. At times it felt like a pressure cooker, which enabled us to learn about ourselves and our qualities," asserts Shlomit.

"The Tmura group within the Kehilla framework enables different groups to become integrated with each other." says Raviv. "While the young people help out in the community, they also gain from the whole experience. They then feel that they are a force."

Credits: Photos by Douglas Guthrie.

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