Teaching Israelis about their Jewish heritage: Yachad facilitator Aryeh Engleman in his Petach Tikva  Community Center

Twenty-five boys and girls in Jerusalem’s Kiryat Yovel neighborhood, whose parents lack the religious and financial resources to organize a bar or bat mitzvah celebration for them, will be able to celebrate their milestone in a joyous and meaningful way, thanks to Yossi David of OTS’ Yachad Program. As Jewish Cultural Facilitator for the region’s community centers, David has initiated a bar/bat mitzvah preparatory program that is strengthening the children’s Jewish knowledge and identity – and preparing them to take part in a gala shared celebration marking their transition to Jewish adulthood.

“This neighborhood has numerous families that cannot afford to make a bar/bat mitzvah celebration for their children,” explains David, an educator who began working in Kiryat Yovel in September 2007. “More importantly, however, many of them have very limited religious backgrounds, and have no idea of the significance presented by the rite of passage, or of the ritual elements involved.” He gives the example of Alex, a young immigrant from the former Soviet Union, who desperately wanted to have an aliyah to the Torah for his bar mitzvah. “Alex’s mother – a single parent with little connection to Judaism – simply didn’t know how or where to begin arranging this for him,” David relates.

Alex and the other program participants meet every week for after-school activities, informal educational sessions and outings aimed at teaching them about their Jewish heritage and building their identities as Jews and Zionists. David is also organizing a Kabbalat Shabbat for the children and their parents. The program culminated in a pre-Purim visit to the Kotel for all the children and their families, where each boy had an aliyah to the Torah, followed by a festive brunch at a Jerusalem hotel. A grant from a private donor enabled the program to provide each child with new clothing for the event, sets of tefillin for the boys, Shabbat candlesticks for the girls, and other gifts.

In order to help the children maintain the camaraderie that has developed among them – and their closeness with Yossi David, who has become both their role model and friend – follow-up activities after the celebration are in the works. “The kids really want to give something back to the community. When the weather gets warmer, we are planning an environmental project to benefit local neighborhoods,” he says. “In addition, the director of the center in one of the most difficult neighborhoods is so proud of the kids in this program that she has invited them to light ceremonial torches at the community celebration of Israel’s 60th anniversary in May.”

In fact, the impact of Yachad programs is so far-reaching that the children’s growing involvement with the community and their Jewish heritage has also drawn their parents, siblings and even their grandparents into Jewish communal life. David tells of Miriam, whose two daughters are participating in the program. “When the older one had reached bat mitzvah age, Miriam wasn’t able to help her mark the event in any way. Now, with her younger daughter approaching bat mitzvah, Miriam has become very active in the program and in other Yachad-initiated Jewish heritage activities at the community center. She is eager to help both her daughters celebrate and to be involved in Jewish life together with them.”

 

Assuming Leadership Roles

Similarly, in the Ramat Gan community center, Yachad coordinator Yossi Orenstein is successfully building productive relationships between local youth and their families as he encourages them to explore their Jewish roots. Last year, Orenstein started forming an “activist committee” of teenagers and adults who were interested in assuming leadership roles in the community. “Most of them had no religious background, but wanted to learn about the Jewish holidays and celebrate them with others,” he says. “Together, we covered many topics relating to Jewish identity and leadership. This year, we continue to meet regularly, and now they are taking an active role in helping to plan the programs.”

As an example, Orenstein points to a family Tu B’shevat seder attended by 120 people in the community center. Beginning with communal singing, the seder featured art projects for the children, while their parents learned about and tasted symbolic fruits and wine. “A lot of the planning – and the beautiful decorations – was carried out by the activist committee,” Orenstein says, adding that the same group assumed responsibility for organizing a Purim event. “In addition to holding a community megilla reading in the community center, a special workshop on social justice was developed, exploring how it relates to the holiday.”

Orenstein finds that the inclusion of Jewish activities on the community center calendar speaks to many local Israelis who have had little contact with their Jewish heritage, yet seek a connection to Judaism on their own terms. “One woman from Tel Aviv told me how her Holocaust survivor parents had kept everything Jewish away from her. Just now, she is beginning to understand that she has a need for Judaism in her life and a deep desire to connect with her roots.”

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