Stories and Pathways

My first taste of fieldwork with the Ethiopian National Project was a mission in the southern city of Beer Sheva. Grace had given me an introduction to the transforming work done at these centers, and I was hoping a mission experience would provide me a deeper understanding of the outreach program and the individuals it empowers. Upon arrival, we were greeted with open arms by the center's directors and ENP leaders. Their warmth was so overwhelming that language was no barrier in communication; the excitement and hope was evident in the faces of the center's leaders and youth awaiting our arrival. A large group of community leaders across the world were scheduled to visit the center and experience the impact of ENP's youth programs on a grassroots level. The group was brought to the Beer Sheva center to represent Karen Hayesod and the future leaders of Jewish communities across the world. They arrived with an exciting energy, eager to learn about the people and the center...

With a background in tutoring and working with underprivileged youth, I thought I knew what to expect when I met the seven students with whom we would be working. I had no idea, walking up the stairs to the school on the first day, slightly anxious about using my Hebrew and teaching my own first language to someone as a second language, that I would be so deeply and profoundly affected by the “talmidim,” or students with whom I work. On our first day, they were all a little bit shy, some more than others. As the days went on, though, and the kids began to open up, I began to realize how each of us, tutors and students, were being affected. Not only did we help them with their English, but we also talked about our lives and theirs, and the similarities and differences between them. The girls, for the most part, all love “One Direction,” a new British boy band, and spent a lot of time talking, in English, about each band member. The boys love to play sports, and found some common ground ...