Gar’in

The Gar’in are committed to and feel a strong responsibility and obligation to the entire Shapira community.

These are the parameters that determine the success of the program:

1. 75% of the Gar’in members will be involved in the community (at least one person per family)
2. 80% of the Gar’in members will be present at the Gar’in meetings (beit midrash, meetings, weekends)
3. Gar’in Members: 16-18 families / singles; 50%+ Ethiopian Israelis; at least 4 families from the Shapira neighborhood.
4. The Gar’in will work with 150-200 Shapira neighborhood residents.
5. Gar’in representatives will join 1-2 steering committees in Gedera (Matnas, Welfare department etc.)
6. Programs and Activities

Each Gar’in operates a number of programs, with the goal of making them become part of the regular services in the community. Each Gar’in works in cooperation with the local institutions, including: high schools, Welfare Department, and more; some of the programs operate jointly with the municipalities.

Community Renewal – Ethiopian-Israeli Community “Gar’inim”

Successful Ethiopian Israelis move back to the neighborhoods, form groups of activists who are aware of their identity and strengths, and assume social-education responsibility on the community.

Ethiopian Jews began to immigrate to Israel in the late 1970′s, with the largest waves of Aliya taking place in 1984 (Operation Moses) and 1991 (Operation Solomon). Today, after the children have become adults, the Ethiopian-Israeli community as a whole is going from the stage of “absorption” to the stage of initiating and taking responsibility of its own future.

Nevertheless, globalization has greatly affected this community, causing its traditional structure of mutual caring to begin to disintegrate and resulting in economic and social polarization of the community.

The Community Renewal program addresses these needs:

1. The need of young-adult Ethiopian-Israelis (ages 20-35) to strengthen their Jewish-Israeli identity,in a way which will connect them both to mainstream society and to the strength and pride of their parents’ generation.
2. The desire of young-adult Ethiopian-Israelis to get involved in community action. Many who are interested in expressing themselves in this way abandon the great contribution that they can afford their community as a result of everyday difficulties and the nonexistence of suitable frameworks. The Community Renewal program provides the necessary framework.
3. The need to provide long-term and responsible solutions to Ethiopian Israelis, in a sustainable and professional way, with true understanding of the challenges – which are mainly a result of an identity crisis.
4. The establishment of informal security networks in the community in an era of globalization and disintegration of such networks. This is especially true among the Ethiopian Israeli community that, until recently, knew how to provide this security network for itself.

With a desire to become an integral part of these positive changes promoted by this organization, in 2006 a group of families and young adults, mainly Ethiopian-Israelis, established the “Community Gar’in” in the Israeli town of Gedera. The group includes approximately 45 people; they work and volunteer with about 190 youth in the city.

As a result of its great success, the organization is establishing similar “Community Gar’inim” in additional cities based on the same model, aiming to create 3 new Community Gar’inim every year. Our goal is that within 2-3 years, these Gar’inim become completely independent organizations, maintaining a connection with Friends by Nature based on choice, not on need. Today, Community Gar’inim exist in Gedera, Kiryat Gat, Yavne, Be’er Sheva and Beit Shemesh. In addition, we are establishing Gar’inim in Ashkelon and Rishon Le’Tzion (Ramat Eliyahu).

Each Gar’in constructs its own program to unite itself as a group, and determines which activities and programs to incorporate into its city. The group activities for the Gar’in members include a “Multicultural Community Beit-Midrash” (Learning Groups); joint weekends; meetings; and more.