Sari's+Project

toc = = = = = = = = = = = = =Rationale =

Research Question: What does an Israeli citizen do to help Israel and what can we learn from that?

The purpose of this project is to find a person who contributes to Israel. I chose Rachel Berger for two reasons. Firstly, I wanted a female role model as the subject of this project. Secondly, Rachel works at “Nefesh B’Nefesh” helping new olim find work in Israel. Rachel Berger does not only help new Israeli citizens, but all parts of Israeli society.

Through this project I hope to understand Rachel’s job at Nefesh B’Nefesh and its role in Israeli society. I would like to show that one person can affect so many people’s lives.

As an immigrant, I have seen my family integrate into Israeli society. Now that I’m older, and don’t really remember my aliya (11 years ago from Cleveland, OH), I hope this project will show me and remind me of some of the struggles that olim go through.

I think this project can open my eyes to the problems and struggles of people living around me, and to the work and effort that are being done to help.

___

= = =Profile Rachel Berger =

As I walked to Rachel Berger's house for this interview, I thought about the topics we would discuss, but the second we sat down at her dining room table, I knew that I was in for much more than just a typical immigrant story, but a story full of powerful experiences.

Rachel Berger was born in 1965. She grew up in Hillcrest, Queens, New York in a Zionistic family and in a B’nei Akiva environment. She went to Yeshiva University’s high school that at the time was called Central Manhattan. After that she came to spend a year in Israel in Michlala and then returned to Queen’s College. Rachel graduated Queen’s and got married. She spent a year in Israel with her husband, Shalom, went back to the US for three years and studied to be an optician. Rachel and Shalom made Aliya in 1991 with two kids.

“I think the most powerful experiences were when I was in my year in Israel and I spent two summers in Chatzor”, Rachel said, as I tried to understand what motivated her to make Aliya and leave everything in America. The summer after Michlala, and the summer after college, Rachel spent in a program in Israel called “Tchiya” which was like Sherut Leumi in a development town. It was located in Chatzor Haglilit. “We were giving nothing. Crayons, a couple of bottles… we didn’t even have coloring paper” Rachel explained. “It was a good day if we got glue”. Rachel said that she felt very welcome even though she was the stranger.

As an eighteen year old learning in Michlala, “It was really an Israeli experience”, she said. Rachel explained that the Israeli experience she had then is not the same experience that the 18 year olds have today. “There was this real sense of 'Kitbutz Galuyot’”. Rachel used to go to people’s houses that she had never met before for Shabbat. She remembers spending Purim in an old Yeminite town called “Rosh Ha’ayin”. She stayed with a Yeminite family that was celebrating Purim with the grandma sitting on the floor baking bread for Shabbat.

Rachel felt that it was a different mindset back then, not the mindset of the American middle class modern Jew, rather a mindset of Kibbutz Galuyot! “We are coming from everywhere and we’re going to build the country”. At that point I felt very proud to be living in Israel and be part of the country.

Rachel made aliya by herself (Shalom had made aliya a month before) with two kids and two other families, before Nefesh B’Nefesh started. “Everybody was really nice to us” Rachel said as she described her experience on the plane ride to Israel.

Four months before Rachel made aliya, there was The Gulf War, and the other Israelis that were on the plane were very excited that Rachel and her family were making aliya, despite the fact that it was terrifying time to be in Israel.

Rachel and her family first lived on the campus of BMT, where Shalom was a Rabbinical teacher, for four years. Then they moved to Har Nof and lived there for five years. After that, they finally moved to Alon Shevut, because of Rachel’s sister, who was planning to move there. They moved across the street from me, but moved to a different house in Alon Shevut a couple years later.

Hearing about all of Rachel’s powerful Israel Zionistic experiences and about her aliya story was quite interesting and I started to get sidetracked by all my thoughts and questions about her life. But then I realized that she has a whole other side to her, and that is her job at Nefesh B’Nefesh.

Before Rachel and I talked about what she does at Nefesh B’Nefe sh, Rachel gave me some background on the organization first. She explained that it started in 2002, by Josh Fass who wanted to live in Israel in memory of his cousin, who was killed in a terrorist attack. A very wealthy man, Tony Gelbert, thought that not only should Josh make Aliya, but they should start an organization and get more people to join, so he donated money to start the organization.

Rachel began working full time in Nefesh B’nefesh in 2003, helping new immigrants find jobs in Israel. “We have a whole process”, Rachel said. Meaning that there is a whole system when it comes to finding a new immigrant a job. First, the immigrant comes to Nefesh B’Nefesh for help to find a job. The immigrant doesn’t know anything about the Israeli market so a team of five helps this person. They do some career counseling, they talk to them about their resume and then Nefesh B’Nefesh connects them to companies and networking contacts. “We take them through the proces s, we show them what needs to be done, and then we work like recruiters”.

Rachel feels that her job affects her family in a positive way. “You’re always thinking about how do you best prepare, have the right skills, how can you find the things that you’re looking to find, and be the type of person you want to be, if you want to have a certain profession… “. Rachel explained that just like a doctor is always thinking about health, same with a Director of Employment, always thinking about what is good for employment, especially with her children.

Some people view Rachel as “The lady who solves the aliya problem”. That was just one of the moments that Rachel has felt satisfied with her job. But she really feels satisfied when there is somebody with a real problem, and she is able to make a difference. For example, a new ole that wanted to work in social work was advised by Rachel to work in an “Immigrant job” which doesn’t pay much money, but makes you valuable to work in other agencies because this job included working with Misrad Haklita and Misrad Hachinuch. A year past, and because he did that job, he got offered his “dream job” which was to work with youth in distress.

“Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael, Torat Yisrael”, (The Jewish people, The Jewish land, living by the Torah) was Rachel’s quick answer after I asked what her values are.

Rachel’s message for the adults of tomorrow was: “Care, make a difference, impact… Every single person counts. All you have to do is if you see a situation you don’t like instead of complaining, do a plan of action and execute it. Make it happen... You have to happen to things, things can’t happen to you. Have to impact and make a chan ge and every single person has the power to make a change… **all you have to do is care a little bit, put that caring in to a plan of action and then just carry it out**… ”



___

=**Research Project** =

﻿ Research Question: What other organizations other than Nefesh B'Nefesh help people make aliya?

Nefesh B'Nefesh might be the biggest organization that helps people make aliya, but people tend to forget the other organizations that help as well, in their  own way.

O ne organization, according to their website, "whose purpose is to encourage and support religious Aliyah", is an organization called Tehilla which started in 1982 and is a voluntary movement for religious aliya. This organization "stimulates Aliyah within Jewish communities around the world and accompanies individuals and families in the process for Aliyah and absorption". (1)

 Another long-established immigration support service is the Jewish Agency. For over 80 years, it has taken a big part in building the Jewish community in  Israel. According to the Jewish Agency website, there mission is "To ** inspire ** Jews throughout the world to ** connect ** with their people, heritage and land, and ** empower ** them to build a thriving Jewish future and a strong Israel". (2)

This organization pursues this mission with the following programs: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">· **Forging strong connections to Israel** through a sequence of Israel experiences for teens and young adults. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; margin-left: 1.25in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">· **Facilitating aliyah** for those who choose to make Israel their home. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; margin-left: 1.25in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">· **Engaging young Jews from Israel and around the world in social activism**. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; margin-left: 1.25in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">· **Reconnecting Jews from the former Soviet Union** to their Jewish roots. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; margin-left: 1.25in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">· **Rescuing Jews** from countries of distress and re‐settling them in Israel. <span style="direction: ltr; display: block; margin-left: 1.25in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">· **Serving as first responder** to crises in Israel and around the Jewish world. (Jewish Agency, 1)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 18px;">According to the Jewish Agency's website, part of what they do involves aliya, meaning // "bringing a substantial number // <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">// of //// Jews to live in Israel and ensuring their successful // // integration". // // They also help with // Jewish-Zionist Education by // "connecting the next generation with Israel and Jewish peoplehood as a core part of Jewish identity". // Furthermore, the organization is involved with Partnerships with Israel //- **"**//// involving world Jewry with Israelis in shaping the future character of Israeli society". (2) //

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">// Recently, The Jewish Agency helped a Tunisian family make aliya, and according to the Jerusalem Post’s website, “t //he family of 10 had been contemplating immigrating to Israel for a while but the recent political instability was the last straw”, which was said by a Jewish Agency spokesman. (Shefler, 1)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Yet another organization that helps with the aliya process is AACI, which stands for Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel. It is a voluntary, non-profit organization.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px;"> AACI started in 1951 “to help North American immigrants acclimate to Israeli society and to build strong ties between North American <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"> Jewish communities and Israel”, according to their website. (1)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">In an article that was written on the Jerusalem Post’s website about AACI’s move to a new building in Talpiot, a veteran member Yehuda Brumberg, who made aliya, and was assisted by AACI in his first years through its counseling services, says in the article that “On occasion I’ve attended their programs like concerts and lectures, classes in Tai Chi and Shakespeare. AACI programs are on such a high level that other English speakers are attracted, not only North Americans.” (Pomerantz, 1)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">As good of a job as Nefesh B’Nefesh does, there are more organizations in Israel that help immigrants. Examples include Tehilla, Jewish Agency, AACI, and many more. In my opinion, there is a need for a broad range of immigration support services for many reasons. First, each organization can compensate for the other. Second, more options make it more likely that a person will feel comfortable with the organization with which he is working.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">Aliya is a big deal, therefore a person should know that he or she is in good hands, with the right organization.

___

=<span style="color: #008000; direction: ltr; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 150%; unicode-bidi: embed;">Creative Connection =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">As a part of the IFaces project, I interviewed Rachel Berger. She told me about how she felt a sense of //kibbutz galuyot// when she was an 18 year old spending her year in Israel. This got me thinking about what //kibbutz galuyot// meant to me.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">I thought to use the Creative Connection part of this project to express how I interpret and understand this term. I decided to cut out a lot of faces from Israeli newspapers and magazines. I used these face pictures to write the words //am yisrael// (the Jewish nation). To me, //kibbutz galuyot// is when Jews who have so many different faces, backgrounds, thoughts, beliefs and views, all consider themselves part of the Jewish nation.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">I love knowing that there are so many different types of Jews and the thought of them coming together amazes me. This is one of the extraordinary and beautiful parts of living in Israel. For example, when I go to the Western Wall, I of course see people praying and beggers sitting on the side giving out red bracelets. I also see, however, all the different Jewish people uniting with the common denominator that __we__ (me included!) are all part of the Jewish nation – this to me is //kibbutz galuyot//.



___

=<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; line-height: 28px;">**Reflection** =

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">When I started working on this project, I thought that Rachel Berger, the person I interviewed, would be the focus of my report. However, throughout the project, I found myself learning new things about Israel and more specifically about aliya. Furthermore, as I wrote the section- personal connection, I learned more about myself and how I feel about the Jewish Nation. I feel that this section was the most successful part of my project. Not only am I pleased with how the art work came out, but I feel that I expressed what //kibbutz galuyot// meant to me in a personal way.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">In conclusion, I am very happy with what I accomplished and produced.

___

=<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; line-height: 150%;">WORKS CITED =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, aaci.org.il. Web. 16 March 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Berger, Rachel. Alon Shevut. Sari Hirschfield, 19 December 2010. Interview.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Jewish Agency, Jafi.org.il. Web. 20 February 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Ou.org. Web. 20 February 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Pomerantz, Batsheva. “Renewing its services.” //The Jerusalem Post.// 26 February <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 150%;"> 2010. Web. 20 February 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 21px;">Sacramento Airport (SMF), Sacramentoscoop.com. Web. 20 February 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 20px;">Shefler, Gil. “10 Tunisian Jews make aliyah after violent riots.” //The Jerusalem Post.// 19 January 2011. Web. 20 February 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Tehilla The Movement for Religious Alyia, Tehilla.com. Web. 20 February 2011.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">GRAPHICS

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">http://www.ou.org/israel/nbn/ default.htm