Elisheva's+Project

= ISRAELFACES2011 = Is there Poverty in Israel, and what does Pa’amonim do to Fix It?



= __Rationale__ = I chose to write my project about Efrat. Efrat works in the integration center in the City of David, in addition to volunteering in the "Pa'amonim" organization. "Pa'amonim" is an organization that helps people with financial difficulties by helping them organize their expenses. As part of Efrat's work in "Pa'amonim" she follows a family's financial situation in the course of about a year and helps them organize their incomes and expenses in a good way until such time when they no longer need her help.

I hope that I will learn more about "Pa'amonim" throughout this project, what it does and why it is important. I would also like to learn what I can do to help the Israeli society. = __Profile__ = How does an ordinary girl like me make a change? Efrat is a normal, typical 29 years old; she was born to a regular modern orthodox Israeli family, and has a full time job, but still she manages to change the courses of some people's lives in her spare time. Efrat was born in Jerusalem in the 19th of Cheshvan year 5742 to a modern Orthodox family. She is the youngest in a family of boys, which made her strong. She attended the youth group "Bnei Akiva"; and she liked folk dancing as a kid. Her parents were both teachers, and as a kid they moved to Eilat so they could teach in the school there. Her parents taught her to help others and to be an example for others, a value that affected her a lot in her life dictions. She went to the "Cfar Pines" high school. In short, Efrat had a relatively normal childhood (as normal as you can get in Israel). Today Efrat works in the City of David, which was the historical home of King David over 3000 years ago. The site provides tours about the historical significance of the area. Efrat works in the Integration center, and he r job is to make sure the tourists are treated well. She's been working there for the past four years in various jobs due to the fact that she likes history and agrees with the organizations values. Two months ago she saw an ad asking for volunteers to work for "Pa'amonim" which is an organization that specializes in assisting people with financial difficulties. Although "Pa'amonim" doesn't provide these people with actual money, they give them the tools to take control of there financial situation by advising them. Efrat is one of many volunteers of the organization. Their job is to follow one individual family for the course of about a year and help them balance their finances by making them aware of the money that comes in and goes out of the households. Efrat tells about one time, when she was at the family she's working with, as she was talking with the parents their daughter came in and started asking al kinds of questions about finances. Efrat says that she realized then that they were intelligent people, just like her, they just got into a bad situation. 

Efrat enjoys her work for "Pa'amonim" although she admits that sometimes it's a little scary. She feels her work there satisfies her, since she gets to help people, in addition to learning a lot herself at the same time. She believes there is a big problem in society, as the society pushes people to buy more and more even if they cannot afford it. People think that being part of the high society includes being as successful as possible, and being successful includes buying as much and as high quality as you can. That is why some people may find themselves in a situation were they have a flat screen TV, an expensive sofa, very high quality furniture, and yet not have enough money to feed their kids. That is the reason she enjoys her work for "Pa'amonim" so much, since she feels it helps the casualties of this occurrence in the best way.

Efrat's hopes for the future are that "Bait Hamikdash" will be rebuilt, that Jerusalem will return to its previous glory. That society will become a better place for all its people, poor or rich, and that people will be fair to one another. Her message for the adults of the future (though she makes it clear that she still considers herself an adult of the future as well) is to help each other and to see the good in life as her high school rabbi would say "never say it will be good, but instead say, I will see the good" because the good always exists, sometimes you just can't see it. = __Background ﻿Research﻿__ = poverty in Israel? Did you know it exists? Well, you probably did, but never really stopped to think about it. So here are some of the facts:  In the year 2008 there were 420,000 families in Israel living under the poverty line, meaning 1,530,000 people, or 30% of the population! Of them 783,000 children, that means that one out of every three children live under the poverty line. That is as opposed to the one of five kids that went to bed hungry in 2004 (Niv 1, Hunger in Israel 1, Pa'amonim 1). Poverty in Israel may be getting worse, or maybe it's getting better, perhaps it's staying the same, but you cannot argue with the fact that it exists! The question is, what do we do about it. Do we give organizations charity? Do we ignore them and continue living our lives normally? Do we give money to the people that come knocking on our doors? Pa'amonim gives us another way to deal with the problem. They believe that simply giving the unfortunate money, although it may let us of the hook, will not help the poor get out of that dreadful cycle of being poor, not managing in school, not getting a degree, getting a low paying job and raising there kids to be exactly like them. They believe all the charitable organizations throughout Israel provide only temporary relief for the families in financial need, but will not help the majority of them enough to actually break the cycle and get out of their debts. Since the year 2002, Pa'amonim has offered an effective alternative to the simple charity by focusing on a long term solution to debts and poverty. Pa'amonim has 55 branches in all of Israel in which families receive individual assistance, guidance and support in learning how to improve their financial circumstances and maintain financial stability. They help the families organize there incomes an outcomes so they don't spend too much money, they also sometimes lend them money until they can get back on there feet. This year alone Pa'amonim's 1,600 volunteers guided and assisted over 2,600 families in need! (Pa'amonim 1)  Here are a couple of examples:   A family from Jerusalem, with four kids, lived with a bank overdraft of tens of thousands of Shekels and even faced eviction; they eventually received help from Pa'amonim and managed to break the cycle of debt. "Ignorance costs if you don't know where to buy and how to save. I only wish we could have met Pa'amonim earlier. That would have saved us many troubles."(H, an anonymous client of the organization) They lived on a single salary, and Pa'amonim helped them balance their finances. (Paz 1)  Another example to Pa'amonim's success is Ronit and her six children. Her husband Yaron makes a decent living doing home improvements and yet, the couple was deeply in debt. They were on a 65,000 shekel overdraft that was growing by 3,000 shekels every month, not because they didn’t have the money, but because they didn’t know how to spend it. She explains: “Whatever we needed, we bought. If we didn’t have the money for it, we just bought in instalments. And to be honest, we didn't really need a lot of it." (Ser 1) Pa’amonim taught them how to save their money, how to manage it correctly. They encouraged Ronit to get a job, and to stop spending money on things they don’t need. Ronit and her family managed to get back on their feet without needing to turn to charity and they are happy for that. Ronit continues "…They're not ashamed - on the contrary, they expect it. That's living in a culture of poverty, and I'm against it. I never did it. My husband didn't do it. I don't want my kids to do it. I prefer to help myself rather than take help from others."(Ronit, client of the organization)   Pa’amonim does a lot to help the poverty problem in Israel; they change people’s way of thinking. They make people understand that if they want to buy something, it will come at the expense of something else, and so we need to prioritize our expenses. Dietcher, a Pa'amonim employee said: "Cigarettes are a big expense, and they're unhealthy. But I don't tell people not to smoke. What I do is to say, 'Okay, you can budget several hundred shekels each month for cigarettes if you want. But they're going to come at the expense of something else.' Everyone has to realize that there's a give and take." (Ser 1) They do an amazing job, a job some people would have thought impossible, and yet they manage to do it well! Lederberg, a volunteer in the organization says: "What it comes down to, is that we believe in people. We believe people can work their way out of this disaster." (Ser 1)

= __ Personal Connection﻿ __ =

We are the world - Michael Jackson

There comes a time When we head a certain call When the world must come together as one There are people dying And it's time to lend a hand to life The greatest gift of all

We can't go on Pretending day by day <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">That someone, somewhere will soon make a change <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We are all a part of <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">God's great big family <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">And the truth, you know love is all we need

<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We are the world <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We are the children <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We are the ones who make a brighter day <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">So let's start giving <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">There's a choice we're making <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We're saving our own lives <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">It's true we'll make a better day <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">Just you and me

<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">Send them your heart <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">So they'll know that someone cares <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">And their lives will be stronger and free <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">As God has shown us by turning stone to bread <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">So we all must lend a helping hand

<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We are the world <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We are the children <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We are the ones who make a brighter day <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">So let's start giving <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">There's a choice we're making <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We're saving our own lives <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">It's true we'll make a better day <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">Just you and me

<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">When you're down and out <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">There seems no hope at all <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">But if you just believe <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">There's no way we can fall <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">Well, well, well, well, let us realize <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">That a change will only come <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">When we stand together as one

<span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We are the world <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We are the children <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We are the ones who make a brighter day <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">So let's start giving <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">There's a choice we're making <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">We're saving our own lives <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">It's true we'll make a better day <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0cm 0pt;">Just you and me

Michael Jackson's message in the song is clear; he's telling people that they need to make a change, not someone else, as we see already in his title - "We are the world". According to him, we must help people, even if we do not know them; they are still part of our world. Jackson wrote this song for a charity project called “USA for Africa”, it was released as a single and all the money went to the starving people in Ethiopia. (Answers1) Jackson makes it clear that the safety and well being of this world is our responsibility, and not someone else’s, Even if it may not always be the most comfortable thing for us to do. I believe this is very important, and all people should lead their lives by this principle. If every person in the world acted by that principle then the world would be a much better place for all its inhabitants. This standard should not only be used on a world wide scale, but on smaller ones as well. You should feel responsible for the people of your country, city, community, family, class room, etc. I also believe that we, as Israelis, have an even greater responsibility do to the troubles our country, and its populace, suffer from. We must stand together, and help each other if we are to survive in this unsafe environment. I truly hope we will manage as a community and me as an individual, to succeed in this difficult task.

= <span style="color: #800080; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;">__Reflection__ = I really enjoyed this project, mainly because my subject was very interesting. I learned a lot about poverty and Pa’amonim throughout the project. I believe it is important to give work like this to students since it teaches us some very important lessons, such as researching a topic on our own, editing and working with in a dead-lines. In my opinion, these kinds of projects, as hard as they may be, are the projects you remember for years after you wrote them, for the reason that you did them yourself, they are the outcome of your hard work, and not someone else’s. This project is important, and I believe it should continue in the years to come, since it opens us to the variety of Israelis, and the needs of our community.

= <span style="color: #0ad1cb; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Work Cited = Abbey, Alan. “Ethics@Work: Poverty Trap.” //The Jerusalem Post//. 25 August 2005. Web. 7 February 2011.

Answers. "Why did Michael Jackson write 'We are the World'?" 2/04/11.

Harowitz, David. ”Editor's Notes: The 'P' word.” //The Jerusalem Post.7 March 2008. Web. 7 February 2011.//

// Hunger in Israel. // 2004. Web. 7 February 2011.

Jackson, Michael. "We are the World". 2/04/11

Kepler, Tania. “Israel Releases Report on Poverty Levels.” //The Alternative Information Center.// 23 October 2010. Web. 7 February 2011.

// Pa’amonim. // 2010. Web. 7 February 2011.

Paz, Shelly. “Pa’amonim NGO helps Families Escape the Overdraft Trap.” //The Jerusalem Post.// 14 March 2007. Web. 7 February 11.

// “ // Poverty in Israel.” //eKonometrics.// 1 February 2010. Web. 15 February 2011.

“Poverty in Israel on the Rise.” //The Jerusalem Post//. 23 January 2006. Web. 7 February 2011. “Report: Despite economic growth, poverty in Israel is increasing.” // The Jerusalem Post //. 16 December 2007. Web. 7 February 2011. Ser, Sam. “Charity Begins at Home.” //The Jerusalem Post.// 25 September 2007. Web. 7/02/11.

“.מוקד יעוץ כלכלי חינם למשפחות ובעלי עסקים” //Netonews.// 6 January 2006. Web. 15 February 2011.

ניב, שי. "דו"ח בעוני" 1.65 מיליון עניים בישראל, מהם 783 אלף ילדים" 2 November 2009. Web.14/02/11