Participant Spotlight: Daniel Egea

Daniel was born in Brazil and grew up in a small town called Sao Caetano do Sul near São Paulo, where he lives with his sister and mother. Daniel has always been Jewish, but this identity did not become important to him until the age of 15 after he studied his family’s genealogy. As he learned more and more, he realized Judaism was a central value of his ancestors. Compelled to feel more connected to his roots and his family’s religion Daniel began to go to the small shul (synnagogue) in his community and has been an active member ever since.

A few months ago, he decided to leave Brazil for the first time to spend a year of his life in Israel, volunteering and learning about Judaism with Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

Until he arrived to Ben Gurion Airport, Daniel had had hardly any connection to global Judaism. However, since the moment his feet touched ground in Israel, with the chagim (holidays), the ruach (energy), and his desire to understand this country, its history and its society, he found what he had lacked all these years: a sense of belonging to the Am Israel.

Daniel left his job as an accountant to volunteer in Israel in two different Elderly homes, where he helps with lunches and shares his passion for Brazilian music and dance by teaching classes to residents.

For Daniel, being in the Holy Land is a dream. His eyes are alive with the joy of learning and his heart is overflowing with love for Torah and the Jewish people. His fellow participant have said “Daniel is the heart of our group, he brings love and smiles to us all.”

This Thursday, Daniel becomes a Bar Mitzvah!! He did not get the chance to when he was 13, and this year as he is turns 31 (the opposite of 13), Tikkun Olam participants and staff will gather at Daniels Center to celebrate as he commits his adult life to Jewish values.

Mazal Tov, Daniel! We are so happy to have you on Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa!

Participant Spotlight: Erin West

Hey y’all, I’m Erin West from the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. I vacillate wildly between being a granola hippie and a medium-maintenance millennial, often both at the same time. I do, however, maintain an unwavering love for dogs (with mine at the top of that list) and a personal mission to have even the tiniest positive effect on the world around me.

I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in May 2016 and here in Israel I am volunteering with Holland Center for children with special needs, Porter Elderly Center, and the Clinic for Asylum Seekers. The volunteer opportunities at Tikkun Olam vary widely across the non-profit sphere. As such I was able to select placements that fulfill me personally, gain experience in my desired field, and to give my time and energy in a way that benefits the communities I am serving.

I found Tikkun Olam through BINA’s Taglit (Birthright) extension program, where I was able to volunteer with Tel Aviv’s asylum-seeking community. I wanted to engage with the people of Israel and learn about the complexities of society and politics. In general, to learn about Israel beyond the rose-colored glasses of Birthright or the fear-mongering of American media. After the brief volunteer and educational program I participated in, I realized BINA was the kind of organization that asks and listens in order to provide a service which is actually needed. After establishing that and finding Tikkun Olam, it was just figuring out the details! Now, after 2.5 months, I know I made the right decision.

Participant Spotlight: Rachel Fried

My name is Rachel Fried. I am a tree-hugging vegetarian from Fredericksburg, VA. I have a Masters in Health Administration from Tulane University. I chose the Tikkun Olam in Tel-Aviv-Jaffa program to make the best use of my degree and further my career, while deepening my connection to tikkun olam and Israel. I am interning at Public Clinic Terem TLV, located in the Tel-Aviv Central Bus Station, which provides non emergency healthcare to those outside the national healthcare system, mainly asylum seekers from Eritrea and Sudan. I am also volunteering at an after school program for at-risk children in South Tel Aviv - Bialik Rogozin School For Immigrant Children. Tikkun Olam in Tel-Aviv Jaffa believes it is important to volunteer in the communities where we live, so once a week my roommates I and are volunteering with Nofim School in Kiryat Shalom, where we will be teaching English through theater and drama games. Over the next 10 months, I am looking forward to learning Hebrew, exploring Israeli culture, and traveling around this beautiful country. I can already tell this will be a year of immense personal and professional growth for me.

Life In Jaffa

Rachel Smith, a current participant in the Coexistence Track, wrote about life in the diverse, and tense, atmosphere of Jaffa.

Jaffa is a twisted maze of streets and alleys, winding through and across each other, taking you to new parts you may have walked past dozens of times and never knew existed. And not because you didn’t look. Party because they developed that way; partly because they’re designed that way. It is a neighborhood where everything shifts rapidly, from public housing for the poorest of Arabs on one block to immaculately manicured gated communities for the wealthiest of Jews just down the street. It is an area with a complex history of numerous entwined communities living more in parallel than in coexistence.

Not surprisingly, obvious tensions exist within Jaffa, evidenced by the recent appearance of a small community of right-wing Jewish settlers, the racist activities of the political group Tag Machir (price tag), or the issue of Palestinian collaborators. These are Palestinians from the territories or Israel’s Arab neighbors that help supply the Israeli army with information. To protect them from retaliation, the Israeli government moves them inside Israel’s borders to Arab communities (like Jaffa) where the presumably-sympathetic Arab population unequivocally shuns them. These tensions are always there, though efforts are made to gather community support through counter-initiatives. Following the first Tag Machir incidents in September, my roommates and I joined a protest on our street to show our support for the citizens of Jaffa, chanting “Arabs and Jews against racists” and holding signs declaring that, “Arabs and Jews refuse to be enemies.” This past Saturday was “Tolerance Day” hosted by the Arab-Jewish Community Center (AJCC). A bunch of us came out to watch our friend march in a parade down Yefet Street that ended in music, food, and games at the AJCC. There is still much to be done but it’s a start.

Stretching along the water, Jaffa literally runs the spectrum from wealthy artists and gated communities in the north to the pardesim in the south, where even the police won’t enter. It is an incredible mix of rich and poor; young and old; Muslim, Christian and Jewish; Arab and non-Arab. The incredible diversity of architecture reflects its historical roots and the different groups that have helped build Jaffa. The juxtaposition of extreme wealth and abject poverty is heartbreaking and the rare areas of mixed meetings heartwarming.

My friends and family living in Tel Aviv always ask about life here with a tilt in their voice expressing confusion about why I would choose to live here. I am still trying to understand myself though I know I would never trade living here for the tree-lined streets and glitzy shopping malls of downtown Tel Aviv. I love living here. I love the cars with vibrating subwoofers blasting Mizrahi beats that roll down our street every night. I love the gathering of people on our street celebrating Eid al-Adha and the Santa decorations with fake snow in the store windows. I love that I can go to the corner store and speak a mix of Hebrew and Arabic without them addressing me in English. I love the old men driving horse-led carts stopped at the street lights and the constant smell of nargila wafting through the streets. Jaffa is a difficult, though beautiful place and for now, it is my home.

We're free. We're free! Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade

Lisa, a 10 month Social Action participant, recently attended the Gay Pride Parade here in Tel Aviv. Here's an excerpt of her blog post about the parade:

Parties. DJ's. Extravagant floats. Little to no clothing. A lot of sun. A fabulous beach party: this is how Tel Aviv celebrates Gay Pride. 

I feel that this is a necessary event to blog on. I had been hearing about the gay pride week in Tel Aviv pretty much from the moment I arrived, so naturally I was pretty excited. In the week leading up to the actual parade, there are nightly celebrations at clubs and daily dj sessions at the so-called "gay" beach. I was unable to make it to any of the parties during the week, but I had mentally prepared myself for the parade. My friend Rachel was visiting for the day (I met her at the leadership conference) and we, along with a few other of my friends, were ready for what was to come. We enjoyed a delicious buffet at a local vegan restaurant and then walked up the beach hoping to run into the parade...and run into the parade we did. As we reached Bograshov St., we found ourselves literally smack in the middle of the gay pride parade. As half of the parade headed south down Ben Yenhuda, we chose to follow the parade north. Good decision.

Up ahead we saw an amazing pink float that lured us in with it's blasting music (most likely Lady Gaga- this was a constant theme throughout the day). When we got close to the float we understood the large crowd. A pink float, donned in only pink, hosting a constant dance party of men and drag queens. What is not to love? We followed the float to the north of the city, dancing to it's music and celebrating the day. My favorite part had to be when a guy was frolicking through the parade yelling out "Hag Sameach!!" to the parade-goers. (Happy Holiday!!). Not only did I yell this back to him, but I have to say that this is my new favorite holiday of the year. 

You know you would follow this float...

a few of my friends enjoying the parade

The parade was absolutely amazing. I have never seen so many men dancing so fabulously in high heels. They need to give me some pointers on how to dance without falling on my face. The parade ended with the floats going one way and the crowd of people heading down to the beach. What would a parade be if it didn't end at a giant party on the beach? I don't hate it! After quickly changing into my bathing suit, I followed suit and jumped into the sea. Definitely the best way to cool off after being in the sun. After some time in the water, my friends Dante and Tiffany, decided that it was time to dance. Luckily Tiffany lives close to the beach and we made a pit stop at her apartment to drop off our belongings so we could dance care free. I have discovered that it is completely normal to walk around the streets of Tel Aviv wearing only a bathing suit. This city ceases to amaze me. With nothing to worry about, the three of us claimed a great spot on the "dance floor" and danced to the numerous performers that strutted across the stage. Let me just say that I have never been surrounded by so many beautiful men. Is it wrong that I wanted to be a gay man that day? 

beach party anyone?

Yes, this was another excuse to party, but it was actually amazing to see the crowd that showed up to celebrate. People were celebrating from there apartments as the parade went by- they were even nice enough to throw buckets of water on the paraders. In a lot of cities (especially in Israel), gay pride does not receive such a big celebration, and I felt honored to be there. One of the best things had to be that as the music blasted on the beach, the MC announced only 30 min left due to the start of Shabbat. In what other city would a beach party end due to the start of Shabbat? Sometimes I wish that Shabbat wasn't observed so strictly, but it added another element of Israeli society to the already ridiculous day. Tiffany, Dante, and I went back to her apartment where we cooked up an amazing Shabbat dinner. As I walked back down the beach at the end of the night, I was shocked and impressed to see that the beach that had been host to a fabulous party had been cleaned and there were only a few remains of the days happenings. I mean, not every rainbow flag could be picked up....