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Lana Sobko, Afula (photos by Douglas Guthrie)
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Partnership 2000's Shnat Sherut - Year of Service to the Community program, pioneered so successfully in recent years by young adults from Afula-Gilboa who spend a year volunteering at SNEC communities has now been extended to additional partnerships. In addition to the 14 Israeli teenagers who have just flown out to New England, three volunteers from Sovev Kinneret are volunteering in Milwaukee and two young Israelis from Tzahar (Tzfat, Hazor, Rosh Pina) are spending the year in Florida.
"I really feel that for the first time in my life I achieved something significant," said Uri Dotan, 19 from Moshav Moledet in the Gilboa region, who recently returned from the US after spending a year working in the Westport, Connecticut Jewish community.
Dotan spent his time teaching Hebrew at the synagogue and school complex in the city and helping look after the community's elderly.
"I was surprised at how strong the support for Israel is and how much people care about being Jewish," observed Dotan, who will be inducted into the army in November. "I also learned a lot myself especially about Judaism and daily prayer."
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Uri Dotan (left) and Gal Ben-Ami
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"As an Israeli I was surprised about the impact I had on the community," he added. "Everybody wanted to listen to my views about the security situation. I had a lot of influence and it was an awesome responsibility. I never seemed to be off duty. I must have spent hundreds of hours at dinners explaining Israel's actions."
Uzi Inbar, coordinator of the Shnat Sherut program for the Jewish Agency's Partnership 2000, explained that this hasbara element is a new aspect of the program, which has emerged since the start of the Intifada. The program is now in its fifth year.
"These youngsters are not best equipped to be spokespeople for Israel," remarked Inbar, "but we have added courses in hasbara to the year-long training program that they receive before traveling to the US so that they can present and argue the facts about Israel's need to defend itself."
Alina Yermonenok, 19, from Kibbutz Emek Hayarden in the Sovev Kinneret region is among the first group of Israelis from that partnership volunteering in Milwaukee.
"I think it is important for the Jewish people to stick together," she stressed. "I was born in the Diaspora, immigrating to Israel from Donyetsk in the Ukraine in 1991, so I know how vital the Diaspora is to Jewish life."
"I expect this will be a thrilling year," she continued. "I was in Milwaukee for two weeks two years ago as part of a Partnership 2000 delegation so I know what to expect. I'm very excited.'
Like all the participants Yermonenok has completed her high school matriculation and received an army deferral for a year. As a volunteer she will be given a car by her adopted community and in addition to being housed by a local volunteer family, she will receive $250 pocket money per month.
In Afula-Gilboa there were 115 candidates for this year's program of which the final high quality 14 were selected. One of them is Ongy Zisling, 18, from Kibbutz Ein Harod who will be working in New Haven, Connecticut.
"This is a real adventure for me," he said. "I heard from friends that the program is great so I decided to apply. I was really excited to be accepted. I have never been to the US but I have been briefed about the really strong Jewish community that New Haven has."
Shai Revivo, 18, from Kibbutz Ashdot Yaakov in Sovev Kinneret is also serving in Milwaukee. "I hope to teach a lot and learn a lot," she explained. "I am very traditional but I expect to learn a lot about Judaism and community involvement."
Gal Ben-Ami, 18 from Afula has just returned from a year-long stay in Providence, Rhode Island, where he taught Hebrew in the Solomon Shechter Day School and synagogue and helped the elderly in the Jewish sheltered housing project.
"To be honest I didn't think it was possible to lead a meaningful Jewish life in the Diaspora," he explained. "But I was wrong. There is a tremendous community in Rhode Island, which is very supportive of Israel. I was skeptical that Israel and the Diaspora really is one people but I discovered that it is true."
"I had such an enjoyable year," he added, "that I felt really guilty. My friends back in Israel were facing danger in the army and constant terror attacks in Afula threatened my family and there I was working hard but having a good time. It was a wonderful experience but I'm glad to be home. I go into the army in November."
Lana Sobko, 18, from Afula has taken Ben-Ami's place in Rhode Island. "I'm really looking forward to this challenge," she said. "Gal has told me so much about Providence that I feel I already know the people there. I was born in Kiev, Ukraine and immigrated to Israel in 1990 so I understand that the Jewish people is comprised of both Israel and the Diaspora."
Elul 5762 - September 2002