Dear Supporters of Yahel,

Friends, family and alumni – all of you have had some personal connection to Yahel and the family that we have created over the past few years which is continuously growing. This year we launched a new long program in Rishon LeTzion and we hope to expand to another city in 2015. This coming summer we will host more than 3 groups who will provide much needed assistance to local NGOs and programs from  Hurfeish in the Galil, to Jerusalem, Gedera and Beer Sheva in the south.
 
There has never been a more important time to come to Israel – to come not as a tourist – but as someone who seeks to understand the complexities of Israeli society, to be in solidarity with and contribute to efforts to create positive change within Israeli society. For all of the incredible good that Yahel does for the communities where its volunteers serve, an equally important impact is on the volunteers themselves. For these young people, the experience is a truly transformative one which helps them become the leaders we want for our future- those who will be committed social change agents in Israel, in the United States and around the world. 

Yahel remains a unique organization, existing autonomously from the mainstream institutional Israel trips. But in order to remain independent, Yahel must fundraise independently.
We at Yahel are like a family. So during this holiday season when you buy gifts for your loved ones, please consider  Yahel on your list and make a gift to ensure the continuation of this important work. Yahel wants more people to know what you have already learned: 
That in order to build a better world, we must dig deep, we must open ourselves to others and we must believe that we are the people we have been waiting for. Click here to give your end of the year gift to Yahel today.

Dana Talmi
Founder and Director, Yahel - Israel Service Learning

Yahel Social Change Program | Fall 2014
This September, we welcomed a fantastic group of 10 individuals into our Yahel Social Change Program! After a wonderful orientation period filled with learning, travel, and immersion, the group has settled into their new home in the Ramat Eliyahu neighborhood of Rishon LeZion. Each participant spends about 25 hours a week volunteering in various programs, ranging from helping children with English language study to working with local nonprofit organizations to assisting with a community garden. We are looking forward to more to come!

Participants have also started contributing to the Yahel Blog! Check out what they have to say here and stay tuned for new posts each week!


 

Spotlight | Seminar in the North  
Last week the Yahelnikim embarked on a 5-day seminar in the north, opening their second educational unit of the program that looks at Community. The group explored different communities in the Galilee including the Arab Village of Yafia, Nazareth, Hurfeish, Kibbutz Eshbal and Kibbutz Hannaton. They learned about the birth of the traditional Kibbutz movement in the Kinneret courtyard, visited the urban kibbutz Mishol in Nazareth Elit, met a Druze religious leader and much more. This is the first of three regional seminars as well as several day trips that explore different corners and issues in Israel.