INSIDE ISRAEL An Unparalleled Travel Opportunity to See & Understand Israel s Key Social Challenges In Memory of Eugene J.

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1 INSIDE ISRAEL An Unparalleled Travel Opportunity to See & Understand Israel s Key Social Challenges In Memory of Eugene J. Ribakoff, z l Since its inception in 1914 in pre-state Palestine, and up until the present, JDC has supported the wellbeing of Jews who call Israel their home, initially providing critical relief and then helping to build a social and economic infrastructure in preparation for statehood. With the founding of the State of Israel, and over the course of more than six decades, JDC has worked in partnership with the state to address the needs of the country s most vulnerable populations, Jews and non-jews alike. JDC s work has evolved over time from that of a direct service provider to a developer of new social and welfare programs serving those least able to participate fully in society. JDC s strategic partnerships with the Israeli government, on the national and local levels, as well as its partnerships with the nonprofit sector allow it to maintain the unique and highly effective strategy that characterizes its work today. JDC-Israel develops new social service models to effectively address unmet and under-met social needs. Once developed, tested, and proven, these models are disseminated throughout the country as needed and integrated by JDC s Israeli partners as routine elements of the social services they themselves provide. Through strategic interventions, JDC-Israel touches the lives of 1 in 4 Israelis, assisting the most vulnerable target populations such as: children and youth at risk and their families, the elderly, immigrant groups, chronically unemployed, and the disabled. In 2007, JDC-Israel was awarded the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement and Special Contribution to Society and the State of Israel, the Jewish state s highest civilian honor. Day One: Saturday, December 15: Transfer from New York City to Tel Aviv 8:30 PM Check-in at JFK Airport 11:50 PM Depart New York JFK Airport on El Al Airlines Flight #8 to Tel Aviv Day Two: Sunday, December 16: Arrive in Israel 5:20 PM Arrive in Tel Aviv Transfer to Jerusalem Check-in at the Dan Panorama in Jerusalem 8:00 PM Welcome Dinner & Briefing with Danny Pins, Director of JDC-Israel Division Immigrant Integration & Deputy Director TEVET

2 Day Three: Monday, December 17: Greater Jerusalem Area Israel s Key Social Challenges & Window Into Issues of Integration in the Ultra- Orthodox Community 8:00 AM Breakfast at the Hotel 8:30 AM Depart Hotel 9:00 AM Israel s Key Social Challenges and a Projection for the Future: Discussion with Dr. Dan Ben David, Director of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, on his Much-Discussed State of the Nation Report 11:30 AM Challenges for the Future in Israel s Ultra-Orthodox Community: Visit to JDC s Mafteach Employment Program & Briefing with JDC TEVET Staff JDC s TEVET (Fighting Poverty Through Employment) Partnership with the Government of Israel was created to remove social barriers to employment and raise the level of marketable skills among Israel s most vulnerable communities new immigrants, the ultra-orthodox, the disabled, young adults, and Israeli-Arabs. Mafteach is an employment initiative designed by the TEVET Partnership to promote the integration of ultra-orthodox men and women into the workforce. Using Haredi staff members, these job placement centers offer information and guidance, help with resume-writing and job searches, and a job database geared to the needs of the Haredi population; they also offer follow-up monitoring of those newly employed. Willingness to utilize the centers is vastly increased by the culturally acceptable environment such as separate hours and staffing for men and women. 1:00 PM Lunch 2:30 PM Employment Trends for Ultra-Orthodox: Discussion with Staff Members of Haredi Branch 5:00 PM Return to Hotel & Freshen-up 7:00 PM Dinner & Conversation with Haredi Soldiers, Participants of the Wolf Lebovic Shachar Employment Program The Wolf Lebovic Shachar Employment Program creates opportunities for IDF service that are compatible with the religious needs of Ultra-Orthodox men, enabling them to benefit from the significant career development and advancement opportunities that result from IDF service. Participants receive vocational training that helps them secure quality employment, which will ultimately reduce poverty and dependence on welfare among the Haredi community. Evening Out (Optional) 2

3 Day Four: Tuesday, December 18: The South Immigrant Absorption and the Impact on Children and Youth in the Ethiopian- Israeli Community 7:45 AM Breakfast at the Hotel 8:15 AM Depart Hotel for Kiryat Gat/Gadera 10:00 AM Strengthening Education in the Ethiopian-Israeli Community: Visit to the PACT Program & Briefing with Staff & Program Participants The PACT Program (Parents and Children Together) provides a new and more adjustable starting point for Ethiopian families offering preschool education, welfare, and health-related services. PACT Plus, which operates in eight cities, focuses on children in elementary and middle schools in order to minimize the gaps between them and their veteran Israeli peers. In 2011, approximately 11,000 Ethiopian-Israeli children and their parents benefited from the PACT program in 14 cities. PACT also works to advance, strengthen and guide parents, as well as working with professionals to bridge cultural gaps, conveying the Ethiopian-Israeli community s unique codes and customs. 11:00 AM Activity with PACT Children 12:00 PM Lunch & Briefing with Jack Habib, from the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute on Challenges to Long-Term Absorption of Ethiopian-Israelis 1:00 PM Lend a Hand: Community Gardening With Women of the Gar in Kehilati & Participate in Authentic Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony Ethiopian-Israelis often face grave challenges of: poverty, unemployment, and geographic isolation. Those who find success do so in other cities, leaving behind weak communities without the leadership required to engender new achievements. Ethiopian professionals are now returning to their communities, breathing new life into them through an array of enrichment and recreational activities. Garinim Kehilati im provides financial and professional support for their efforts, helping these individuals to revitalize their struggling communities. 3:00 PM Preparing for Military Service: Discussion with Springboard Program Participants Israeli army service offers disadvantaged Israeli immigrants the opportunity to gain valuable training, education and social advancements to integrate into mainstream society. Springboard prepares these immigrant recruits for service and provides continuing guidance during military service and the transition back to civilian life. As participants and their families gain a better understanding of what to expect from the army experience, they learn how to cope with the stressful and confusing nature of military life and how to take advantage of post-army opportunities. 4:30 PM Return to the Hotel & Freshen-up 6:30 PM Let s Chat: Group Reflection Session 8:00 PM Dinner with Ethiopian-Israeli Young Professionals & Evening Out 3

4 Day Five: Wednesday, December 19: Jerusalem to the North: Life in the Periphery Window Into Issues of Social Integration in the Arab-Israeli Community 7:30 AM Breakfast at the Hotel 8:00 AM Depart Hotel 11:30 AM Early Childhood Education: Visit to the ECHAD Program & Discussion with Salima Mustafa Saliman, Staff, Economic Development Department of the Non- Jewish Sector The Early Childhood Achievement and Development Partnership (ECHAD), a program of JDC Ashalim, seeks to improve the quality of Israel's early childhood services for the Arab-Israeli population, by working with children, parents and professionals. 1:00 PM Lunch at ECHAD 2:30 PM Employment Issues in the Arab-Israeli Sector: Visit to the Town of Sakhnin & Briefing with CityWorks Senior Staff CityWorks is a community employment program for towns with higher than average levels of unemployment. Local and national government agencies join with the business and voluntary sectors to assess and respond to the needs of unemployed adults in a given location. The program is currently serving approximately 5,000 people. 5:00 PM Check-in to Kibbutz Guesthouse & Freshen-up 7:30 PM Cooking Lesson & Dinner in Druze Village with Excel-HT Program Participants Many Druze Israelis who attain university level education do not see commensurate success in gainful employment due to lack of connection to Israeli business networks, and limits within their own community leadership to connect them to business networks. Through the TEVET Excel HT program, JDC helps connect the Druze community to employment opportunities. The program helps match these young pioneers with work internships in top flight hi-tech companies and facilitates their placement. They will in turn become a core of professionals who will help other young Druze find their way into Israeli business networks. Overnight in Kibbutz Guesthouse Day Six: Thursday, December 20: North to Tel Aviv Youth at Risk in Israel: Employment, Education & Opportunity 6:30 AM Breakfast at the Guesthouse 7:00 AM Depart Kibbutz 8:00 AM Work Hand-in-Hand with Teens at Café Sum Sum Each morning and before starting their school-day, these teens come to Sum Sum to package food parcels as an additional source of income for their needy families. 4

5 11:00 AM Education Challenges & Solutions: Discussion with Teach First Israel Professionals & Participants Teach First Israel was launched in 2010 by JDC-Israel in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Hakol Hinuch, the Movement for the Advancement of Education in Israel. Aimed at strengthening public education in Israel, this new initiative works to identify outstanding university students and train them as teachers. 12:30 PM Lunch 2:00 PM The Disabled & Equal Opportunity: Visit to Center for Independent Living JDC's Centers for Independent Living (CILs) are community-based multi-service centers which provide information, peer counseling, and professional training and support to enable people with disabilities to live as part of the general community. Operated by and for people with disabilities, CIL staff and volunteers offer services to people from all religions, backgrounds and with all types of disabilities including physical, visual, hearing, and learning disabilities as well as those with mental illness or cognitive impairment. CILs work to raise awareness and create social change toward equal access and opportunity for people with disabilities. JDC has established CILs across Israel in a number of locations including Jerusalem, Beersheva, Tel Aviv and Haifa. Each CIL services some 1,500 individuals annually. 3:30 PM Transfer to Tel Aviv, Check in to Hotel & Freshen-up 6:00 PM Let s Chat: Group Reflection Session 7:30 PM Dinner at the Nalaga at Theater Have an unforgettable dining experience at BlackOut, a pitch-black gourmet restaurant with a staff of blind waiters, housed at the "Nalaga at" Theater in Jaffa. Overnight in Tel Aviv Evening Out in Tel Aviv Day Seven: Friday, December 21: Tel Aviv to Jerusalem Labor Migrants, Refugees & Asylum Seekers in Israel 9:00 AM Breakfast at the Hotel 9:30 AM Issues of Migrant Workers & Asylum Seekers & Implications for the State: Briefing with Ilan Cohn, Director of JDC Center for International Migration and Integration (CIMI) 10: 30 AM Walk Through South Tel Aviv with Jean Marc Liling, JDC Staff, & Tour of Neighborhood Housing for Labor Migrant, Refugee, & Asylum Seeker Populations 5

6 Since 2005, Jean-Marc Liling has specialized in asylum-refugee law in Israel, first working for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and subsequently serving as legal advisor for NGOs in Israel dealing with this subject. Two years ago, he joined JDC s staff in Israel and continues to do pro-bono work with a number of Israeli non-profits in the fields of civil rights, education, social-welfare and culture. 12:30 PM Free Time to Explore Nahalat Benjamin Crafts Market 2:00 PM Transfer to Jerusalem & Prepare for Shabbat 4:19 PM Candle Lighting & Depart for Kabbalat Shabbat Services (Optional) 6:30 PM Home Hospitality Shabbat Dinner Day Eight: Saturday, December 22: Shabbat in Jerusalem Morning Optional Shabbat Services at Choice of Synagogues, Day Trip out of the City or Free Time 12:00 PM Group Lunch at the Hotel 1:00 PM Walking Tour of Jerusalem's Old City, Visit to the Israel Museum, or Free Time 4:00 PM Taking it Home: Closing Group Discussion & Reflection Session 5:21 PM Havdalah Ceremony 6:00 PM Hotel Check-Out & Departure 6:30 PM Closing Dinner 9:00 PM Depart for Airport Day Nine: Sunday, December 23: Transfer from Tel Aviv to New York 1:00 AM Depart Tel Aviv on El Al Airlines Flight #1 to New York JFK 6:00 AM Arrive in New York JFK 6

The Ultra-orthodox Community in Israel: Between Integration and Segregation

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