To Life!
THE SCENE
The Next Generation
Jewish Agency cultivates young leadership via Jerusalem forum.
Michael Horowitz, Jane Sherman, Brian Satovsky, David Gorosh, David Jacobson,
Richard Krugel, Larry Sherman
Vivian Henoch
Special to the Jewish News
W
hat's the most important
thing the Jewish community
can do for Israel today? Focus
on its youth? Develop its next generation
of leadership? Strengthen its connections
with the worldwide Jewish community?
In search of the answers to "all of the
above the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI)
hosted a group of nearly 50 young leaders
from 17 Federations across North America
as well as representatives from Italy and
Israel at its Annual Assembly recently held
in Jerusalem. Detroit was well represented.
The purpose of the initiative was to
engage young leaders with the heroic
work of the Jewish Agency. As Federation's
arm overseas and largest partner on the
ground in Israel, JAFI works to rescue
Jews in distress, strengthen Jewish ties
'Youth Futures' Initiative
will Assist At-Risk Israelis
• The need: The figures on poverty
in Israel show a marked increase in
inequality between the center and the
periphery. Based on figures reported
by the Council of Child Welfare, 1 of
every 3 children younger than 18 lives
in poverty in Israel today.
The alarming rise in the number of
children and youth at risk remains one
of the most serious social problems
facing Israel. Particularly in the Negev
and Galilee, priority areas for the State
of Israel and the Jewish Agency, the
already widening socioeconomic gap is
consuming the future of literally tens
40
July 26 • 2007
to Israel and renew Jewish communities-
at-risk throughout the world. Since its
inception in 1929, the Jewish Agency has
brought approximately 3.3 million new
immigrants to Israel.
Participants in the group, desig-
nated as the "Next Gen" delegation, were
nominated by local Federations based on
their leadership roles in their respective
communities. Representing the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, Brian
Satovsky, David Jacobson and David
Gorosh attended the conference at the
invitation of Federation Chief Executive
Officer Robert Aronson together with
longtime Detroit community leaders and
JAFI board members Jane and Larry
Sherman and Michael Horowitz.
"Getting to Israel can be a transforma-
tive experience said Satovsky.
Sharing that he has been to Israel
many times, first as a college student and
more recently as a participant and leader
of thousands of Israel's children ages
6 -18.
74.4 percent of children from the
upper two deciles of the population will
continue on to high education. Only 7.4
percent of those born to families in the
lower two deciles will have this future.
• Community response: To address
the needs of disadvantaged children
and teens in Detroit's Partnership
2000 Region of the Central Galilee,
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit is now funding a three-year
commitment to a pilot program called
Youth Futures.
Launched in June 2006 in Nazareth
Hit and Migdal HaEmek, the program
on Federation's Young Adult Missions,
Satovsky explained that the trip marked a
new level of his engagement with Jewish
community work and a turning point in
his path as an emerging leader.
"To meet people from all over the world
who are equally committed to the future of
Israel was indeed an honor and a privilege
and an opportunity to step up to an excit-
ing challenge he observed. "Listening to
speakers at home and talking about issues
abroad only takes you so far. There are
things about Israel you have to see with
your own eyes, and feel in your heart"
Satovsky added that his original inten-
tions were to participate on the United
Jewish Communities' national Summer
Mission to Israel with friends from home;
but when he received the invitation to be
a part of the first-ever Next Generation
program, it was an opportunity he could
not pass up.
"We had the great pleasure of meeting
some of the most prominent and influen-
tial figures in Israel's history in an inti-
mate atmosphere he said. "And it was also
fascinating to meet and get to know some
of my peers from around the world. The
"David's (Jacobson and Gorosh) and I had
an incredible visit that none of us will
soon forget"
Visiting Tel Aviv to gain insight into
Israel's new economy and entrepreneurial
spirit, the group met top Israeli profes-
sionals in the areas of business, enter-
tainment, fashion and sports. During the
Jewish Agency Assembly sessions, the
Next Gen delegation joined delegates on
field visits to absorption centers, an Israeli
army base and to Jewish Agency hi-tech
programs and a new educational initiative,
called Youth Futures, for youth-at-risk in
peripheral towns in Israel. The group also
participated in Assembly events and meet-
ings, which included addresses from Israel
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, President
Elect Shimon Peres, Likud Chairman
Binyamin Netanyahu, Diaspora Affairs
Minster Yitzak Herzog, Tele Aviv Chief
Rabbi Yisrael Meir and former Minister
Natan Sharanksy.
Commenting on the Jewish Agency
Assembly and its "Next Generation Track"
of delegates, JAFI executive board member
Jane Sherman said, "One of the most suc-
cessful programs that the Jewish Agency
has initiated in a number of years is Next
Gen. The program is conceived as an entrée
to the work and decision-making process of
the Jewish Agency and an opportunity for
young leaders from the U.S. to interact with
like-minded Israelis. We anticipate that
many of these young people will become
future leaders of the Jewish Agency:'
What a way for this year's group to
begin, she said. "It was exciting to see their
reactions to the Jewish Agency's programs
for new immigrants and children-at-risk.
We intend to continue this program in the
future — and involve many from the Next
Gen delegation in the committee process
of the Jewish Agency." 7
is part of a nationwide intervention
administered through the Jewish
Agency for Israel working in partner-
ship with the Jewish Federation. The
goal is to reach youth-at-risk in their
primary and high school years in order
to empower them to improve their
academic skills and to help break the
cycle of poverty and underachieve-
ment among Israel's most vulnerable
populations.
designated as "Trustees" who are
trained and assigned to individual chil-
dren, to serve as mentors, role models
and advocates in school and through
Israel's social service networks.
In addition to one-on-one mentor-
ing, students meet with their trustees
in support groups of 20. So far, the
program in Nazareth Hit and Migdal
Haemek has identified 490 children
and have assigned them 22 Trustees,
largely recruited from those cities.
Federation's current financial com-
mitment to Youth Futures is $225,000
for the first year of the program, with
funding for the second and third year
to be further assessed based on prog-
ress of the program. 7
• The scope: As of January 2007,
Youth Futures operates in 22 munici-
palities throughout Israel, involving
more than 5,000 children.
A unique component of the program
is the recruitment of young adults,
Viviian Henoch is associate director of market-
ing at the Bloomfield Township-based Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.