Many young Jews from the Diaspora come to Israel for a one year study program. Most of these programs involve studies or travels designed specifically for foreigners in Israel. Even though most of these young people find the program strengthens their Jewish identity and their ties to the State of Israel, no active involvement in the real day-to-day life of the country takes place nor is there any direct encounter with their Israeli peers about social issues that could lead to the development of leadership skills.

We would like to reach young people who are not interested in spending a year in a religious academy (midrasha), but who rather desire to get to know about Israel through a hands-on approach, a real life experience that also benefits youngsters in Israel.

Bat Ami and IsraCorps are two very different organizations if one looks only at their religious orientation and social emphases, and yet they share common values and goals in terms of social action in Israeli society:

• Bat Ami is an organization that operates the National Service program and is involved in social action through National Service core groups.
• IsraCorps engages in training, placement, guidance and empowerment of volunteers, particularly from the social and geographic periphery of Israel.

The different orientation of the two organizations enables them to offer, in the name of their shared principles, a wide array of responses to diverse target populations.

Recently, the two organizations decided to cooperate on the subject of a volunteer year for young people from the Diaspora. The program will provide the participants a meaningful volunteer service experience in the periphery of Israel alongside their Israeli peers.

Details of the program

A group of volunteers from the orthodox community:

• Recruiting a group of young women graduates from Jewish schools throughout North America.
• Identifying the young women who are not interested in enrolling in a midrasha.
• Galvanizing the group of young women as a volunteer group participating in joint projects alongside young Israeli women serving in the National Service in Jerusalem or other locations. Bat Ami offers a variety of positions suited for girls who are proficient in spoken Hebrew as well as for those who are not. The suggested areas are varied and include the regular education system, special ed, kibbutz, agricultural core groups, religious mission groups, social affairs, organizational projects, etc.

  The volunteer program:

• In the morning the young women will volunteer in various frameworks together with the National Service participants.
• In the afternoons they will volunteer in community projects.
• One afternoon a week they will study about the essence of the Land of Israel and self empowerment.
• Once every two weeks they will learn about volunteerism, leadership and empowerment in study sessions run by IsraCorps.
• The volunteers will participate in activities aimed at deepening their knowledge of the country (excursions, encounters).

Goals of the joint project

• Creating a civilian, Israeli and Jewish experience based on giving of oneself, social justice and volunteering.
• Strengthening Jewish identity and the bond with Israel.
• Increasing the involvement and activities of young people from Jewish communities throughout the world in Israeli culture and society.
• Emphasizing the importance of Israel as a Jewish cultural center of the world for all type and manner of young creativity.
• Providing effective and professional volunteering for weaker communities in Israel.
• Empowering and fostering social leaders among Jewish youth in the Diaspora.
• Providing a varied and multifaceted response for overseas Jewish youngsters from different backgrounds.

For more information contact:

Tal Cohen via email:
talcoo@gmail.com

Tal Galperin, Bat Ami Information, via email:
info@bat-ami.org.il