Yahel is an educational organization that offers service learning and social action programs in Israel. The Yahel Social Change Program, Yahel’s flagship 9-month service learning program for post-college participants, combines hands-on volunteer work with in-depth learning and immersion in Israeli society. Participants live, learn and volunteer in an Ethiopian-Israeli community in Gedera and experience Israel through the lens of social change.
 
 
I’ve been asked to convey the spirit of Yahel with an anecdote.  How do I convey Yahel with one story?  I could write about the giant crossword puzzle we made for the kids at school.  I could tell you about the intense concentration they had when trying to figure out which words and letters to use and the giant smiles on their faces when they finished it.  I could tell you how proud I was of one student, normally in the “remedial” group, when he completed the puzzle by himself, how happy I was that he was finally excited about learning English.  Or maybe I could write about my tutoring session with Ortal, a 15 year old who lives nearby.  We were going over the lyrics to one of her favorite songs, and she began to understand the song so much better.  As we were working, her four-year-old brother walked in and started singing “Adon Olam,” which he had just learned at kindergarten.  I could tell you how surprised Ortal was when I started singing along with him, and I could try to tell you how adorable her brother was as his eyes got wide with excitement and his singing got louder.
 
Or maybe I could tell you about the time I was walking home from the store and saw some children from school playing outside.  After asking why I wasn’t wearing a skirt (since they usually see me at the religious school), I asked them if I could join their game.  It involved throwing a ball at others and getting people “out,” but I’m pretty sure they changed the rules on me several times.  No matter, because we were all laughing, running around and having a good time.
 
But I could also tell you about the time I found myself in a debate with my roommate, Benson, over a passage from Pirkei Avot.  Should we give without expecting anything in return or should we hold the belief that everyone has something to offer us as an empowering tool?  I could tell you how we continued our discussion outside of our learning session, in our living room while eating lunch, and how it seems to keep coming up in our work.  I would tell you because besides the larger community we are belong to, the eight Yahel participants are also a community, a family that lives together, eats together, fights together and shares this experience together.
 
You see, I don’t think one story can really convey Yahel, our community and our experience.  Trust me, I wish I could, but it just might not be possible.  I think the best experiences are those which can only be fully understood if you live them.
 
 
Support our efforts!
Samantha and the other participants in this year’s Yahel Social Change Program are running together with local youth in Gedera in the Tel Aviv marathon.
They are running to raise awareness about their work in the community and to raise funds for the programs they run together with the Israeli nonprofit Friends by Nature.
 
You can learn more about their campaign and donate here: http://www.indiegogo.com/YahelFriendsByNature/x/1853047
 
All donations will be matched dollar for dollar by the ROI Community.
 
 About the author
Samantha Sisisky was born and bred in Richmond, Virginia. She has always been active in her local Jewish community, where she taught Sunday school, actively participated in BBYO and worked at the JCC's day camp. Samantha recently graduated from the University of Virginia, earning a degree in Religious Studies with a minor in Latin. 
The Jewish community has always been a big part of her life, and living in Israel has been an important part of her Jewish experience. Samantha’s future plans include continuing to study Judaism and working in the Jewish community, either at home or abroad.