Special to the JTA American, Israeli Highschoolers in Joint Effort to Aid Underprivileged

A unique program of volunteering has brought American and Israeli highschoolers together in a joint effort to help Israel’s underprivileged. The project involves some 50 highschoolers studying at Kfar Silver near Ashkelon in the American-oriented Mollie Goodman High School and in the regular Israeli agricultural and technical high school on campus.

Together they decided at the beginning of the present school term to devote at least one afternoon and evening a week to help their neighbors in Ashkelon overcome some of their most pressing problems. Specifically they have concentrated on backward children, neglected neighborhoods and lack of play areas.

As a result of their efforts dozens of backward youngsters have been helped to catch up with their studies, numerous apartment buildings have received a much needed face-lifting and a clubhouse has been created where none existed before.

DESCRIBED AS UNIQUE PROJECT

The project is unique in Israel, it was pointed out by Eytan Paldi, Kfar Silver’s director, since it is strictly voluntary and not part of any social study course as in the case in many other Israeli high schools; the effort involves both American and Israeli highschoolers working together since they happen to be studying together on the same campus; and many of the Israeli students come from similarly underprivileged circumstances as those whom they are helping.

One of the most pressing problems in many of Ashkelon’s lower income neighborhoods is the neglect of the large apartment building complexes by their tenants who have neither the background nor the inclination to organize house committees to maintain the building and the grounds, according to Laurie Seagel, social worker for the housing company which built the apartments. Only 5 to 10 percent of the tenants in these neighborhoods have taken the initiative to form such committees.

Consequently, Seagel said he welcomes the help of the Kfar Silver students who do not seem in the least bashful about knocking on every door until they find someone ready to help organize a house committee. Once the ice is broken success seems assured, provided the youngsters return at least once a week to prod and guide the tenants.

The housing company provides necessary materials and funds once a house committee is formed, but prefers not to give such assistance unless the tenants themselves take the initiative and make the major effort. “This is the only way any permanent improvement can be brought about,” says Seagel. “If we should send an outside worker to put things in order, the building will soon fall into neglect again since the tenants themselves are not involved in the effort.”

AIDING HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

A second phase of the Kfar Silver students volunteer effort involves helping handicapped children with their homework, Paldi noted. They like to call this their “Big Brother (or Sister) Project.” A typical example is David Sinai, 17, who himself came from a lower income family in Ashkelon. He has been helping 11-year-old Yossi for several months now to overcome his backwardness in reading and his general withdrawal from most school activities.

Yossi is one of six children who suffered a severe trauma a year ago when an older sister to whom he was very attached contracted polio and became almost completely paralyzed. David not only helps Yossi with his studies every week but also meets with the school psychologist from time to time to review progress and get some pointers. On his own he has already invited his young ward to visit him at Kfar Silver, has taken him for walks and generally has become a much needed Big Brother to the shy, withdrawn youngster.

Perhaps the most gratifying and at the same time most frustrating part of the entire volunteer project has been the attempt, only partially successful so far, to create a clubhouse in one of the more neglected neighborhoods, Paldi said. The Kfar Silver students found an abandoned kindergarten and with the enthusiasm of youth set about to convert it to a clubhouse. They got the municipality’s approval after some effort but that was all; no furnishings, no facilities.

Undaunted, they began inviting the neighborhood kids and organized games and hobby activities, outdoors when the weather permitted and indoors when not. Not having tables they brought benches from Kfar Silver, or they simply worked on the floor. Even light bulbs had to be brought. When the rains came, the ceiling leaked. Undaunted, the youngsters simply continued with their activities around the puddle while one of them kept sweeping out the water.

Many of the Kfar Silver youngsters working on the Big Brother project began to bring their wards to the clubhouse as well. At one point, the municipality asked them to close down the operation. “But we organized the neighborhood kids and their parents to demonstrate against this decision,” Paldi said. The municipality backed down. Kfar Silver and the schools on its campus were established and are maintained by the Zionist Organization of America.