Caring for Klal Yisrael During Times of War Conference
for English-speaking community leaders in Israel
OU ISRAEL
OU ISRAEL IN ACTION
VISIT OU ISRAEL
To ensure that English-speaking olim integrate successfully into Israeli society by providing educational, community-building and spiritual opportunities.
To support and empower Israel’s atrisk youth, helping them reestablish connections to civil society and improving their socioeconomic mobility.
Our initiatives and programs for olim include:
ATID is a community-building effort providing social and spiritual programming for lone olot in their 20s.
NextGen is a network of women — single and married — in their 20s, 30s and 40s who meet to socialize, learn and grow.
JCHAT is a network geared toward single professional olim in their 30s and 40s.
Hebrew-on-the-Go provides young families with programming designed to expand their Hebrew vocabulary and help them get to know Israel.
The Bais, created in memory of Mrs. Charlotte Brachfeld, is an evening beit midrash program for men that includes shiurim and a safrut course.
OU Israel Women's Division offers weekly shiurim, monthly Rosh Chodesh seminars, Nach Yomi classes and other learning opportunities.
NCSY Israel is the premier youth movement in Israel dedicated to connecting, inspiring and empowering English-speaking teens through Zionism, Torah and Jewish tradition.
Yachad Israel offers assistance to families with special needs children.
OU-JLIC has put couples on 10 college campuses in Israel to foster community for English-speaking students.
Expanding to reach more communities
OU Israel expanded its weekly programming to six locations in Jerusalem: Beit Knesset Nitzanim in Baka, Beit Knesset HaNassi in Rechavia, Beit Knesset Shai Agnon in Arnona and Kehillat Hashivenu in Ramot, Har Hotzvim and a Women's Hub in Rechavia.
Organizing local Torah summits
OU Israel provided a day of Torah learning in preparation for Tisha B’Av and the Yamim Nora’im in three communities — Torah Efrat, Torah Modiin and Torah Yerushalayim. Stay tuned as we expand to more communities.
Celebrating Israel
Thousands of people of all ages joined in musical prayers organized by OU Israel for Yom Ha’atzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim.
Training leaders to provide wartime support
On March 14, more than 70 rabbis, rabbaniot and educators from all over Israel attended our conference, “Caring for Klal Yisrael in Times of War,” a centerpiece of OU Israel’s effort to build a network of English-speaking leaders that support Anglo communities in Israel.
OU Israel Teen Centers (the Jack E. Gindi Oraita Program and Makom Balev), which operate in 20 locations, help youth in the country’s disadvantaged neighborhoods overcome their backgrounds. A key mechanism for breaking cycles of poverty is IDF service, which offers individuals the chance to gain the self-esteem and skills necessary to be contributing members of society. On average, 94% of our graduates serve in the IDF or National Service (compared to 35% of non-program teens from similar neighborhoods), which gives them skills and relationships to help them succeed in life.
We provide a lifeline for at-risk teens from religious backgrounds who are estranged from their families. Often, they are also dealing with substance abuse, other antisocial behaviors and crises of faith. For them, the Pearl and Harold Jacobs Zula Outreach Center is a safe haven, providing psychologists, social workers, counselors and educators to assist their return to normative frameworks. The Center has helped more than 35,000 young people since its inception in 2000.
When the war turned the lives of these teens upside down, our staff immediately answered their call for help — and they continue to assist our teens in adjusting to loss, trauma, evacuation and disruption. Whether meeting with 200 teens during their leave from battle, collecting kids from 20 hotels around the country for a Shabbaton or starting a teen crisis hotline, our team has demonstrated remarkable commitment to helping 10,000 teens heal.
