By Jennifer Levine, Senior Director, Israel & Overseas Department
In 1995, out of the blue, JFMD received a knock on its door from an attorney who informed them that Abraham Gertzman (z”l) had made a $7 million bequest to “be used exclusively for charitable purposes in Israel.” And with that, the Gertzman Fund was born. Today, that fund produces about $350,000 a year that Federation’s Israel & Overseas Allocations Committee grants to various NGOs in Israel. Thanks to Mr. Gertzman’s generosity, thousands of lives have been touched over the past 28 years through a variety of non profit organizations in Israel. One such program is The Etty Hillesum Israeli Youth Theatre – The Voice of Youth – (Kol Ha’Noar).
Etty Hillesum (z”l), was born on January 15, 1914 in the town of Middleberg in the Netherlands. She began keeping a diary which described the persecutions of the Jewish people in Amsterdam during the German occupation. The diary, which was published 40 years after her murder in Auschwitz, reflects her ideas about the need for human compassion, art, and aesthetics in order to overcome the many obstacles that life presents. Even in the darkest hours of the Holocaust, Etty did everything in her power to alleviate the suffering of those around her through dialogue, compassion, and an unexplained belief in the good that resides in the human heart.
The Etty Hillesum Israeli Youth Theater Program (Kol Ha’Noar) is an organization that helps youth at risk – Arabs (Muslims & Christians), Jews, and asylum seekers, three days a week, in Jaffa in one of Tel Aviv’s toughest and most underprivileged neighborhoods and in the mixed city of Ramla.
Despite their difficult backgrounds, these diverse young people have found a sense of home, passion and a tool for life in the theater. They also receive a hot meal at every session (something not guaranteed in many of their own homes) – which they all cook together.
Kol Ha’Noar is the only non-profit in Israel using theatrical tools to work with teens. The program consists of 3 years of courses for about 90 youth at risk. Kol Ha’Noar is an alternative to street life, delinquency and neglect. Social values are embodied in their uncompromised daily syllabus, allowing adolescents at risk to collaborate with new peers and find passion, interest and commitment during afternoon hours. With self-made shows, the youth perform in Jaffa, around Israel in leading festivals (Jaffafest, Acre and Haifa) and even abroad (Avignon Festival). They are obliged to volunteer and initiate community-based activities (with children at-risk or seniors). They graduate with the abilities and will to join the army, civil service or pursue higher education. Their professional framework combines and encourages values such as tolerance, reciprocity, cooperation, respectful discourse, learning and reducing cultural gaps through reading relevant texts thus reducing prejudice, hatred and alienation among the youth.
Last November, the Israel & Overseas Allocations Committee visited the program and were treated to a live performance of a scene from their current play – a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet with an Arab girl and a Jewish boy in the lead roles. The group also had the opportunity to hear from the participants on what the program means to them and how it has positively impacted their lives. The committee was very impressed with the young adults and with the leaders of the organization.
The Abraham Gertzman fund is currently supporting Kol Ha’Noar with a grant of $30,137 to purchase furniture and equipment for their new permanent home.