The most recent group of Gvanim leaders−representing a wide swatch of Israeli society −came to San Francisco earlier this month as part of the year-long leadership education program. It was so inspiring to hear directly from them how grateful they are to our Federation for the opportunity to take part in this program, and how they are working to improve Israeli society as a result.

Here’s a short video featuring three of the participants Rachel Azaria – Member of the Jerusalem City Council, Dr. Nir Tsuk – Managing Director of Ashoka Israel, and Helen Buchumensky – Co founder and Executive Director of Fishka talking about what the program means to them and how they are implementing what they learned back home.

Last summer’s social protests echoed the growing differences within Israeli society.   Protesters engaged in a struggle that could reshape the future character and soul of the country.  The JCF’s very own Gvanim (meaning ‘hues’  in Hebrew) program works to strengthen Israel’s democracy by creating a cadre of leaders to spread the message of Jewish pluralism to ever-widening circles of Israelis. Of the hundreds that apply, fifteen professionals, representing every religious and economic sector of Israeli society, are selected to participate in a year-long educational and leadership development program. The culmination of the program is a visit to San Francisco, where participants are introduced to the Bay Area’s diverse expressions of Jewish religion and culture.This year’s  Gvanim cohort will be in S.F. from May 6-9^th.

Gvanim action programs are having a significant impact on Israeli society

Picture this: It’s sundown on Friday, and 800 secular Israelis (who wouldn’t ordinarily step into a synagogue) are singing Kabbalat Shabbat prayers on a Tel Aviv beach. This action project, Beit Tfila Yisraeli (The Israeli House of Prayer),  was started by four Gvanim alumni passionate about reconnecting Israelis who had  lost touch with their Jewish identity and values. Today, Beit Tfila engages hundreds of young Tel Avivians in an array of community events, study sessions, and social action programs. Beit Tefila has become a model and source of inspiration for an additional 20 communities of this type, all over the country.

This is just one example of how hundreds of Gvanim alumni have touched thousands of lives, making their mark and creating social change that is broad, deep, and essential for the strength of Israeli society.

Sometimes, living an ordinary Israeli life takes a courage that most Americans never have to face. Residents of Sderot live with the reality that at any moment they will have 15 seconds to get into the nearest shelter. Soldiers live with the knowledge that when attacks happen, their job is to charge, not to retreat. Of course, most Israelis don’t face these physical dangers in their daily life. But the Israelis we met on our Consultation trip, showed remarkable courage in daring to dream and daring to fufill those dreams.

This next generation of chultzim (pioneers) are no longer content to let the government solve (or not solve) society’s problems or let the current social inequalities remain. Here are just a few of the courageous Israelis we met this week:

 Anwar Alh’jooj & Akiva Leibowitz – the co-chairs of the board of the HAGAR school, who helped found a school whose mission is to promote Jewish Arab education equality. They believe that all children deserve the right to learn equally and together. Against a backdrop of distrust and fear, they have built a community where not just the children become friends, but the parents do as well. They inspire others in Be’ersheba and beyond to see the possibilities of a shared dream for Israel.

Yehoshua is an Ultra Orthodox law student at Hebrew University and a member of the Shluechi Tsibur program, who is proudly completing his studies and plans to accept a summer position at the Supreme Court.  He still must keep his studies secret from his community for fear that his seven children will be ostracized. Yet, he, and the other Haredi students we met with at this program, believe so strongly that they can no longer sit by and let others take part in fulfilling the overall dream of Israeli’s future. Moreover, they do not want the media’s image of Haredi “monsters” to be the only image most Israelis see of their community. These Israelis know that they are on the cutting edge (not a term usually associated with the Haredi) and that their position is risky, but they believe that they are paving the way for future generations to be more integrated into Israeli society.

Ranit Budaie-Hyman is a recent graduate of our stellar Gvanim program. As her action project, she started a Gvanim-Knesset program to try to open the eyes of influential parliamentary advisors and spokespersons to pluralistic values in Israel. Through the program, she inspired them to find the courage bring up difficult issues to their ministers. They were influential in encouraging the government to finally implement the new mixed schools (combined religious and secular) law.

I was continually inspired by the extraordinary people that we met on our visit. Their courage, energy and spirit bode very well for Israel’s future.

Just three weeks ago, we took a committed and enthusiastic group of lay leaders, our Israel and Global Committee, as well as members of our Board of Trustees, to Israel to evaluate the progress of our grantees in social and economic inclusion and pluralism. We found that our shared dreams have become reality with incredible community development, poverty fighting, education, and social businesses. We were awed once again by Israel’s beauty, its ingenuity and creativity, and its complexity. Together we stand in good times and in sad times, like today.

Community members arrive for JCF's Yom Hazikaron ceremony.

When we met with Amos Oz, one of my favorite Israeli authors, and a person who expresses these dual realities so well, he said: Israelis are a fiery collection of arguers, prophets, prime ministers and missiles all shouting at the top of their lungs to be heard. Ours is a people of doubt and argument, which also makes us a people of creativity and invention. When we solve our two major issues, war and peace, and social solidarity, Israel will truly be paradise on earth. The land of dreams and intentions and master plans that finally come true.

In the meantime, together we work to honor the memories of those lost, help those who were connected to them to go on, and transform our dreams into reality.

Let me tell you one such story: When we were in Israel this time, we visited a trauma center in Sderot, in the south of Israel. Before we could really begin, we needed to understand where the bomb shelter is in this school, knowing that any moment a siren could go off and we would have only 15 seconds to get there.

We got up, we moved in an orderly fashion, and we did not make it in time. Once inside, we were reminded that 12,000 missiles have fallen in this area in the past 10 years. The children here know all too well, and they know that a siren means run, not walk, to the shelter.

The techniques that are applied to the children to teach coping and resilience are now being applied to the soldiers too.

While we were sitting in the classroom, about to hear from a soldier, a rocket landed not far from us I guessed by the way the ground rumbled and the thunderous sound it made. Our hearts raced, our anxiety peaked, yet no alarm went off.

And then we heard Yaron’s story. Yaron is 28 years old. He fought in the Second Lebanon war and was a company commander. He was responsible for 120 soldiers. During his command, a rocket fell on a building they had entered and one of his soldiers was killed and 10 were wounded. His unit was sent by the Army to the trauma center to help them now to lead stronger, healthier lives by processing their experience and their pain. Combat leaves marks, and rather than be diminished by them, there is now growing recognition that with support these boys can grow differently and lead more resilient lives by using the intensity of their brothers in arms for social support. during the program, these combat units visit diaspora cities and learn how grateful we all are. And for many of them, they are realizing, hey I did that for the Jewish People. And their perspective on their experiences is forever changed. Yaron believes that this program is invaluable. The government isn’t so sure. He and others like him are building a movement, one soldier at a time, one memory, one trauma at a time.

Today we join him in remembering the soldier he lost in battle, the innocence he lost in battle and in wishing for him and others that they may transition from the army to civilian life in a way that bolsters them, strengthens them and helps them to lead full lives.

SUSIE SORKIN:
“Sometimes, living an ordinary Israeli life takes a courage that most Americans never have to face. Residents of Sderot live with the reality that at any moment they will have 15 seconds to get into the nearest shelter. Soldiers live with the knowledge that when attacks happen, their job is to charge, not to retreat. Of course, most Israelis don’t face these physical dangers in their daily life. But the Israelis we met on our Consultation trip, showed remarkable courage in daring to dream and daring to fufill those dreams.”

SIGALIT RUBINSON:
“Each morning begins with breakfast briefings, delivered alongside bright tomatoes, savory pastries, creamy cheeses and the requisite coffee, and today brought us Benny Levin, Chair of the Israel Venture Network and Asher Elias of Tech Career.

If building a better Israel is the goal then the challenge is to marry management and business skills toward social good. Levin suggested that with the decrease in outside funding and the changing face of philanthropy, the monologue of overseas to Israel funding will finally become a dialogue – shifting the relationship from donor to partner.” 

MURRAY ZUCKER:
“Today, the expression “seeing is believing” was taken to a new level. The programs we visited and the people we got to meet were not only inspiring but showed how much can be accomplished to make profound social change in an Israel that is a just, pluralistic, and vibrant democracy.

One of the programs, Shachar Chadash (A New Dawn), provides a culturally acceptable way for Haredi (ultra orthodox) men to serve in the IDF where they get vocational training and support in finding meaningful employment after the service. The Haredi population is rapidly increasing: the men usually don’t work, their community lives off of welfare, they keep insulated – but exert a disproportionate political sway. Not only has this caused financial drain on the economy but increasing tensions and resentments among the majority of Israelis.”

GILAH ABELSON
“We visited a Jewish-Arab Israeli school where the integration has been so good that the families have a monthly hike and picnic together once a month which 200 people attend! The school is in Beer Sheva which is a mixed community and there is now a waiting list for admission! Very successful and hopefully a model for other mixed towns.”

JOELLE STEEFEL
“I realize that I’m seeing an Israel on the cusp of major change. The dreams of societal reorientation of five and ten years ago are becoming reality…There’s a new desire among entrepreneurs to reshape their country, to address problems with strategic philanthropy, and to partner with a community that works as a successful change agent. And change is everywhere.” 

Miki Nevo

Mr. Nevo, the Founder and Director of Ma’ase (formally known as Isracorps) is being recognized for his vision and ongoing leadership of an organization which has created profound social change, developed and fostered a culture of volunteerism and shown a demonstrated commitment to community involvement. It is rare that someone at the helm of a social change organization receives such an honor, but Miki and Ma’ase are indeed extraordinary. Federation is proud to be among the very first funders of Ma’ase, so we congratulate Miki and share in the pride that comes with this honor.

The Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund plays a leading role in strengthening Israeli society and securing its future by promoting pluralism, democracy, and equality of opportunity for all Israel’s citizens. Our Flagship programs aim at achieving system-wide social change, while our smaller grants focus on developing and nurturing social entrepreneurship and providing incubators for social innovation.

Shevet Hamifratz

Dana Shmueli is the Regional Shlicha to Northen California & Pacific Northwest on Aliyah and Israel Scouts (Tzofim). She joined the Israel Center team about five months ago, taking Nir Wittenberg’s place, who, after two years in the Bay Area, was promoted to the New York office to be the Executive Director of the Israeli Scouts.

As part of her role as regional Israel Scouts Shlicha, Dana accompanies the Tzofim in their work with Gar’in Tzabar (lone soldiers core group), Chetz Vakeshet summer program and the Tzofim friendship caravan who have been regular beloved guests of Israel in the Gardens.

The highlight of the Scouts activities is the teen Bay Area group, known in Hebrew as Shevet Hamifratz. Today, the group includes about 130 members who meet weekly for social, Israeli Scouts activities that build a strong bridge for youth at a critical age between their home here, and their home away from home – Israel. The story below shares their activities in the recent months and their recent success at a west coast scouts camp that took place in Los Angeles last month.

Israel Scouts

For additional information about regional Scouts activities, please contact Dana Shmueli: danas@jafi.org.

130,000: That’s the total size of the Ethiopian-Israeli community in Israel. But open up an Israeli newspaper these days and you’ll be struck by how frequently this community is featured, often on the front pages. Reports of “white” Israelis banning the sale of apartments in their neighborhood to Ethiopian-Israelis; quotes of a school bus driver’s racist comments to his 10-year old passengers; debates on whether to close down schools with 80% Ethiopian students and integrate them into mainstream schools; and yet another case of an Ethiopian-Israeli husband and father brutally murdering his wife within earshot of their horrified small children.

Participants in the Olim B'Yachad program

No doubt, this community is having the toughest time of any group in Israel’s long history of integrating immigrants from 102 countries. Not so surprising when you think about what it takes for Ethiopians to find their place in the Israeli mainstream: make the huge leap from a traditional agrarian society to a modern Westernized economy; wear a wristwatch for the first time; struggle to learn a new language while being illiterate in one’s native Amharic (as indeed 80% of this community are); find the inner strength to deal with the chaos caused by the breakdown of traditional family roles and retain their dignity as parents and as human beings.

STEP BY STEP, THIS COMMUNITY IS FINDING ITS PLACE IN ISRAELI SOCIETY
End of story? Doom and gloom? Far from it, because with the huge challenges, there is also much positive news to report. Step by step, this community is finding its place in Israeli society. The good news may not attract the headlines as much as the bad, but it’s real, exciting, and growing day by day. For the past two decades, our Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund has been a driving force in helping to create so much of this dramatic change by funding programs that support social justice and promote equal opportunity.

Just a few examples: In 2004 there was a total of 4 Ethiopian-Israelis working in Israel’s thriving hi-tech industry. Today there are over 200. How did this happen? This 50-fold increase can be attributed almost entirely to the vision of Asher Elias, a young Ethiopian-Israeli computer engineer, who left his own hi-tech job to combat discrimination by developing a unique program, “Tech-Career.” The program provides opportunities to better integrate Ethiopians into higher levels of Israeli society through technology and software training, ultimately placing participants in high tech industry careers. The unique methodology of this program, cloistered in the serene setting of a kibbutz so that students can totally immerse themselves in their studies, has achieved amazing results, with its graduates not only finding jobs, but also giving back to the community by serving as role models for Ethiopian-Israeli teens.

OVER 50% OF THE ETHIOPIAN-ISRAELI COMMUNITY IS CAUGHT IN A DEVASTATING CYCLE OF POVERTY
There are many Ethiopian-Israeli single mothers with minimal formal schooling who attend the Jewelry Arts School initiated by Isaac and Orna Levy. Through their high-end jewelry design business, Yvel, the Levy’s are deeply committed to training and employing their students, securing a livelihood for graduates in either in Yvel or at other high-quality jewelry firms. Today, these mothers are exhibiting and selling their art all over Israel and their beaming faces speak volumes about what this program means to them.

Yifat Ovadya

Another example of growth, change, and hope borne out of the vision of one person is Yifat Ovadya, a young attorney in one of Israel’s most prestigious law firms. Yifat simply couldn’t tolerate the fact that university graduates in the Ethiopian-Israeli community were working as security guards, or not working at all and had slim chances of being interviewed for jobs commensurate with their education. And so, in 2007, she left her law practice and developed the Olim B’Yachad program that has recruited over 200 prominent business and professional leaders who mentor Ethiopian-Israeli university graduates in a holistic and intensive way, and open doors which would otherwise remained firmly shut. Today, of the 360 graduates of the program, 85% are employed in jobs in some of Israel’s leading law and accounting firms, in hi-tech, and in other rewarding jobs, which take full advantage of their expertise. In turn, program graduates are giving back, volunteering to help other Ethiopian-Israelis.

Challenges can be overcome and success can be achieved

These groundbreaking and high-impact programs target different populations within the Ethiopian-Israeli community, and they have many things in common. All were developed by visionaries who care deeply about the Ethiopian-Israeli community and about Israel as a just society. All are being funded by the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund. And all are transforming the lives of thousands of Israeli’s from the entire mosaic of this complex society. And in so doing, they are all helping Israel realize the promise of its origin – a country based on freedom, justice, peace and equality for all its citizens.

Two ads, issued a few months ago by Israel’s Ministry of Absorption and aiming at Israelis living abroad, have stirred public opinion in the Jewish world globally. Here is the first:

The second portrayed grandpa and grandma talking on Skype with their granddaughter. There is a menorah behind them but when they ask the girl what holiday is coming, she says excitedly, Christmas! The caption read: they will always be Israelis; their grandchildren might not.

The latter link has been removed. Few, if any, found these ads useful. There are no reports of massive returnees following their airing. Many, however, found them offensive and confusing. While initially wanting to pull at the heartstrings, they hit below the belt. I for one see anything to do with Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) and am immediately choked up, but do these ads make me want to pack my bags? Should they?

The debate whether authentic, meaningful Jewish life is possible outside of Israel isn’t new. Abraham was told to go to the Land where he will become a blessing unto the nations; his grandson, Jacob left with his children to Egypt when there as a famine, and there became a big nation. Ever since, leaving Israel is considered “yerida” (going down) while going to Israel is considered “aliya” (going up), even if one migrates from the Dead Sea to the Himalayas or from Mount Shasta to the Valley of Jezreel.  It’s a spiritual concept, not a geographical one. Just like receiving an “aliya” when one goes “up” to the Torah, going to Israel is always considered “up.”

This conversation continued throughout the centuries: During the Talmudic era there were two centers: Babylon had significant wealth and knowledge;  and Jerusalem? Well, it was after all Jerusalem, no matter the destruction and desolation, and despite the fact that the Jewish center even in the Land of Israel itself has moved to the Galilee. Babylon succeeded in proving that one can have a rich Jewish life outside the Land and that Jewish continuity isn’t dependent on the location. On the contrary: life in Israel, then and now, hasn’t always been “safe”. And yet, that “proof” didn’t diminish one iota from Jerusalem’s crown and Israel’s centrality in the life of the Jewish people.

In later years, Poland in Hebrew was named “Polanya,” possibly an amalgam of three Hebrew words: po (here) lan (dwells) ya (G-d); Vilna was called the “Jerusalem of Lithuania,” and Rabbis Yehuda Halevi of 11^th century Spain wrote in his poem: “my heart is in the East, and I am at the end of the West,” long before he knew how far west we would go.

Jews have lived in the Diaspora for centuries. Had the claim that ‘one cannot live an authentic Jewish life outside of Israel’ been true, we wouldn’t be having this conversation now, simply because we wouldn’t have made it through two millennia. Viewed this way, no wonder the ads can be offensive. They use a scare tactic rather than showing how great it is to live in Israel, and why one should live there.

But what’s even worse is that they take the gap between two segments within the Jewish people and magnify it; instead of using our joint challenges to reach out, educate and engage, it perpetuates the “no one will ever understand us anyway” syndrome of one side to push its agenda.

I remember preparing for a Yom Hazikaron ceremony in Sacramento when one of the community members walked into my office. Naturally, as a “never understood” Israeli, especially on this issue, I started preaching to him about the importance of coming to the event. He said he will, then asked, “Will you also come to the cemetery, and honor my friends and me, the Jewish veterans on (the U.S.) Memorial Day?”

I had to pause. It dawned on me that while I was so absorbed in my story, I neglected to notice other stories; and while it is quite possible that “no one understands Israelis on Yom Hazikaron,” it is also possible that there are a myriad of deep, meaningful values regarding being Jewish that Israelis can learn about, especially from the Jewish community abroad.

The Jewish people are a complex puzzle, where the sky isn’t more important than the blades of grass or the ships on the water. The best we can do is not negate who we are, but reach out, connect and engage with those around us in a respectful way to create the beautiful landscape we can be.

I recently met Sarah Glidden, a 26 year old from Newton, MA, who chronicled her 10-day journey to Israel through Birthright-Israel in a graphic novel, entitled “How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less.” Sarah shared her experience with a group of 50 gathered at the PJCC in Foster City, at a program co-sponsored by Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Community Federation.

Sarah’s “journey” began following 9/11, as her compass started spinning and her awareness of political issues elevated to new heights. For years, as a progressive young adult, she grappled with the question of whether there was room for her to feel a connection to Israel as well as empathy for Palestinian people. The two felt paradoxical to her.

When the opportunity arose to travel to Israel with Birthright, it was a “light bulb” moment for Sarah. She could actually go and see for herself. And though she expected propaganda aimed at influencing her to unconditionally support all aspects of Israel, she instead found Birthright tour guides and educators who helped her and the group tackle tough questions head on. Her expectations were challenged, and she learned quickly about a political situation more complicated than anyone could imagine.

Roxanne Cohen and artist Sarah Glidden at the PJCC's exhibition of "How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less."

As they traveled from Independence Hall, past the security fence and throughout the country, Sarah learned that “YES”—she could feel love for Israel and sympathize with Palestinian aspirations for statehood. “We are all members of the human condition,” lectured renowned scholar David Hartman at the Shalom Hartman Institute. These words spoke to Sarah in a deep and meaningful way.

The title of the book is a joke, said Sarah. The point is – you can’t understand Israel in 60 days. It is easy to think you understand, but the issues are so deep. Part of being Jewish is questioning, talking, debating. As a people, we will never all agree – but we need to simply try to understand. If we can all open ourselves up to that, how much more “Jewish” we will all be.

Birthright is an amazing tool. No two experiences are the same, but its ability to impact Jewish identity is consistent. I am proud that our Federation not only supports Birthright, but has made a commitment to raise the funds needed to reduce the waitlist and help more young adults confront their own issues of identity and what it means to be Jewish.