Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A Bittersweet Goodbye to Bat Yam

This past week Section II moved from Bat Yam to Arad. Last week we went to the center for the last time and said goodbye to our friends we have made in the Center. Adam was sad to see us go and really appreciated us coming for the past 2 months.Cera, Nathan, Ittai, and Emilie also had to say goodbye to the children's house and the families. It was sad.

Over the past 3 months Section II has done a lot in Bat Yam. We raised awareness by having a movie night with Adam's story as well as other Sudanese refugees highlighted in the film. Adam and Nick from ARDC also came to speak to us one Dessert and Discuss. We raised a lot of money from the Shabbat Dinner and selling snacks in between classes every day and attending the fundraiser at the Dancing Camel. And we hopefully made a difference, even if it was only a small one, in the lives of the Southern Tel Aviv Darfuri community. Section II Garin Tzedek also had a couple events to build kehila such as Rikud Night and a Tiyul.

Now we are in Arad and there is a lot of potential here. Currently we have Ittai and Laura working in Ganim, and David working in construction for their volunteering. Cera and Emilie are going to do social work for the Sudanese and work with the families trying to help them with specifics needs. Also the Business Track hopped on the Garin Tzedek train by making their business project in Arad helping Sudanese set up a business for themselves. At this moment it is projected that the Business Track will help them set up a coffee shop, so they can help employ themselves and gain some entrepreneurship.

Altough as a section we are sad to leave Bat Yam, Arad is full of great opportunities for the Garin and we are already on the path to taking advantage of them.

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ZIONISM:

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SOCIAL ACTION:

Social action is a part of both our Jewish and Zionist identities. Yehudah Hatzair works to help Jews and others in need, aid Jewish communities both local and worldwide, protect human rights everywhere, actively strengthen Medinat Yisrael, and strive to form a better world. Yehudah Hatzair will take stands on issues that it feels are important based upon the basic principles of the movement.

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JEWISH IDENTITY:

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Our Mission

Garin Tzedek Statement of Vision, Mission, Action and Expectations

Vision: We the members of Garin Tzedek envision a world where every human has the right to dignity, opportunity and life and we believe as Zionists that Israel, as a state deeply rooted in Jewish morality, should embody this ideal.

Mission: Therefore we, the members of Garin Tzedek, have made the collective, conscious decision to support the rights of Israel’s Darfuri Refugees to dignity, opportunity and life.

Primary Action Plan: We intend to do this by engaging in meaningful work, supporting organizations, committees and individuals in Israel who are working toward this end. While on Year Course, our work will include, but is not limited to:

· Volunteering at the B’nai Darfur Refugee Shelter and Learning Center in Tel Aviv during the Bat Yam Section

· Working with Darfuri Refugees in Arad during the Negev Section

· Focusing our Jerusalem-Israel experience on Social Justice in Israel and Social Justice Advocacy

· Educating other Year Coursers about Darfuri Refugees in Israel

· Additional collective actions as decided by the garin

After the conclusion of Year Course, the way in which the garin will continue to advocate for Social Justice and Darfuri Refugees will be decided by the garin while on Year Course.

Expectations:

There are a number of actions that the garin expects of its members in order to most effectively represent and advance the cause of Social Justice. There are also expectations individual members’ have of the garin collectively. These include:

Preparation: to prepare for the task of furthering Social Justice in an educated, intentional manner, members of Garin Tzedek are expected to:

· Attend Young Judaea’s National Summer Convention, from August 14^th-17^th at Camp Tel Yehudah in Baryville, NY in order to meet all other members of the Garin for face-to face conversations before the beginning of Year Course

· Read “What is the What?” by Dave Eggers

Behavior:

Members of Garin Tzedek are expected to act as “Dugma’ot Ishiot,” (Hebrew for role model) and act according to the basic values of Zionism, Judaism and Social Justice.

Individual Members’ Expectations of the Garin: In creating a garin along these guidelines, we aim to create a group that acts at the forefront of Social Justice. We also aim to build a vibrant, caring community. We strive to do this by protecting and supporting our individual members and enhancing each person’s efforts in changing the world for the better. We aim to maximize our individuals’ efforts through preserving and promoting our identity and actions as a unified community.