Participant Perspectives: Welcome to South Tel Aviv

One week into Tikkun Olam 2012-13, the group is getting acclimated to their neighborhoods and packing in as many Hebrew classes and volunteering site visits as possible before the holidays.  Here, Dave Siegel, a Social Action Track participant from Boston, tells a bit about his first week:

As part of our orientation to living in South Tel Aviv, we took a tour of our neighborhood, Kiryat Shalom. The unique part of the neighborhood is the presence of Bukharan Jews from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Many of these Jews emigrated to Israel after the USSR was dissolved. The history of the Bukharan Jews is up for debate. Some claim they are one of the ten lost tribes of Israel, while others claim that they traveled to Central Asia after the Babylonian Exile and never returned to Eretz Yisrael. We stopped at a Bukharan bakery that makes sambuscas. Sambuscas are sort of like bourekas, but made with a dough that resembles bread dough. There was spinach and onion, mushroom, and meat and onion. I got the meat and onion. Sambuscas are a great snack to hold over ones appetite before lunch or before dinner.

We then headed to the Central Bus Station to get bus passes. After that, our program coordinator let us have free time. Hearing that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were coming to Tel Aviv, some of my new friends and I went to get tickets. Going to see them tomorrow. I am very excited about seeing one of my favorite bands. We then headed back towards Kiryat Shalom and stopped for lunch at a shwarma/shakshouka/falafel place. It was delicious. I got the mixed lamb and turkey shwarma with all of the fixing in a lafa, which is a larger flatbread that does not have a pocket like pita. After that we strolled through the HaCarmel Market. I am going to love going there for all of my food shopping.

We then went hiking near the location of the battle between David and Goliath. It was extremely hot,but worth it because it was gorgeous. We went through a vineyard and snacked on some raisins from the vine. You could taste the sunshine and the earth in the raisin. We then went into some of the caves that were used during the Bar Kochba Revolt. Very dark and scary, but worth it.

We then headed south to Kibbutz Gal On for program orientation and Shabbat. Gal On is absolutely beautiful. While there I got to find out where I could be volunteering and what level of Ulpan (Hebrew class) I will be in. 

Today we are starting Ulpan and going to the Bina Center. More to come from South Tel Aviv in the coming days. Lehitraot.

Applications are open now for Tikkun Olam Spring 2013, running February 12 - July 7, 2013.  Apply now online to join Dave in South Tel Aviv this spring!

Tikkun Olam 2012-13 has begun!

Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa 2012-13 is underway!

Our new group of 32 volunteers from the U.S., Europe and Israel landed last Monday.  They had a day of orientation to the program, an introduction to their neighborhoods, and then a weekend at Kibbutz Gal-On in the northern Negev.  Now the group has begun their orientation month, studying Hebrew and going on tours of potential volunteering placements.

Here are a few snapshots from the first week of Tikkun Olam 2012-13:

 The new Tikkun Olamers on day 1 at Beit Daniel

 Hanging out on the kibbutz

Poolside 

 "Heder Ochel" (cafeteria) at Gal On

 Anaelle shows off Israeli snacks

 Enjoying the kibbutz life

 Getting to enter the caves in Tel Azaka

 Ram and Anaelle enjoying a hike in Tel Azaka

 The group learned about Tel Azaka which, according to the bible, was the site of a major battle between the ancient Israelites and the Philistines, culminating in the legendary fight between David and Goliath.

This week the group is learning Hebrew and touring potential volunteering sites -- here the Coexistence Track group visits the Jaffa Multi-purpose Daycare Center

Tikkun Olam Stories!

We added a new entry to our Alumni Testimonials page on our website -- this one from Social Action Track alumna Melissa Cohen, who just finished the 5-month program this past June.  

Check it out here!

Tikkun Olam and Educational Equality

Recently, Tikva Levy, the director of the Hila for Equality in Education organization, passed away.  One of Tikkun Olam's volunteering places, Hila seeks to empower weaker populations and encourage educational equality through grassroots advocacy.

Rachel Smith, who recently completed the 10-month Tikkun Olam Coexistence Track program, posted this to her blog in memory of Tikva: http://werdtothewise.tumblr.com/post/28873887525/tikva-levi-remembered

A few months back, Rachel also wrote a story for Ynet (Israel's biggest news website) about the Hila organization: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4175666,00.html

Tikkun Olam participants encourage educational equality from inside the classroom and beyond.  Click here to apply now and join them!

A Tel Aviv Winter

With the hot Tel Aviv summer dragging on into August, here's a refreshingly-titled piece by Tikkun Olam alumna Melissa Cohen that appeared in the Daniel Centers' summer newsletter about her experience this past Spring on Tikkun Olam.

And don't forget -- you still have time to register to join us this September 4 for 5 or 10 months.  Get started on your application now, or contact us if you have any questions.

Tisha B'av in South Tel Aviv

Recent Tikkun Olam alum Tyler Fishbone was quoted extensively in this excellent piece from the Times of Israel, which tells about an event with Jews and African aslyum-seekers in south Tel Aviv for Tisha B'av. It also gives a good summary of the tensions surrounding the assylum-seeker issue in the neighborhood:

http://www.timesofisrael.com/a-celebratory-meal-for-tisha-bav-with-african-asylum-seekers/

Tisha B'av is a traditional day of mourning commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples and other tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people in the past.

To date, an estimated 60,000 African assylum-seekers have crossed into Israel from the border with Egypt, mostly coming on foot from Eritrea and Sudan.  The majority of them live in south Tel Aviv, an underprivileged area that is struggling to cope with this influx.  The Israeli government has left the asylum-seekers in a kind of legal limbo: The government will not allow them to work legally, but international law prohibits their deportation.  The situation has created tension between the asylum-seekers, neighborhood residents, and refugee aid organizations.

Tikkun Olam participants volunteer with both veteran residents of the neighborhoods, and with asylum-seekers.  As part of the program, they learn about the complexity of this situation, that is harmful to both sides.

Tikkun Olam en Francais!

Check out this post from Masa France's blog by recent Tikkun Olam grad Sophie Laloum, who joined the Coexistence Track from her community in Paris:

http://blog.massafrance.com/rencontre-avec-sophie-laloum/