Greater Mensch is Proud to Highlight Some of Our Affiliates
Each brings peace and unity to the Jewish people in their own way
Be a Mensch
For the last 5 years THE MENSCH FOUNDATION has fostered unity between Israel’s secular and religious populations.
It has run hundreds of “Dialogue Groups”,on Kibbutzim,in High Schools,Pre-military academies and Youth groups and has become one of the premier organizations creating unity in Israel.
Am Yisrael Foundation
An Umbrella of Non Profit Initiatives, Caring For The Jewish People and Bringing Jews Together
www.AmYisrael.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am_Yisrael_Foundation
Think of us as a Venture Capital investment fund for young Zionist action in Israel, helping to move the needle in terms of volunteerism, civil society, tzedakah, community building, Jewish education, civic engagement, and value-based social entrepreneurship. We can not take for granted that any young Jew, sabra or oleh, in Israel will have strong Jewish or Zionist identity. Investing in the young adults of Israeli civil society will go a long way towards building the country we love into the ideal nation we all want it to become. (www.facebook.com/AmYisraelFoundation)
TLV Internationals, which has been active for over 7 years, has grown to become the largest young adult & the largest Olim community organization in Israel with over 50,000 in our database, focusing on giving platforms of Zionist leadership to young internationals & sabras living around Tel Aviv. We are also the main post-Aliyah klitah service provider for young Olim.
http://www.LoveTelAviv.com
http://www.facebook.com/TLVInternationals
Adopt-A-Safta takes care of Israel’s lonely Holocaust Survivors by connecting them with weekly visitations from young volunteers on a Big Brother/Big Sister model,
http://www.AdoptASafta.comhttp://www.facebook.com/AdoptASafta
Tel Aviv International Salon is the largest speakers forum in Israel bringing top decision makers to speak & debate for audiences of young professionals in Tel Aviv. We encourage the grassroots involvement of young adults in Israeli society through substantive engagement.
http://www.TLVSalon.com
http://www.facebook.com/TelAvivInternationalSalon
White City Shabbat is the main portal for Shabbat life in Tel Aviv, regularly hosting large community Shabbat & holiday meals, Jewish learning, and a year ago we set the Guinness World Record for the Largest Shabbat Dinner
http://www.WhiteCityShabbat.com
http://www.WorldsLargestShabbatDinner.comhttp://www.facebook.com/WhiteCityShabbat
Tel Aviv Arts Council is a large community of young patrons of the arts celebrating Israeli creative culture, ensuring that the world recognizes the font of Israeli innovation goes well beyond technology
http://www.TelAvivArts.com
http://www.facebook.com/TelAvivArtsCouncil
ProjecT.A. that created the first ever young Olim volunteer police force with the Israeli National Police
http://www.facebook.com/ProjecTelAviv
Shomer Israel Fellowship hosts monthly lectures on Zionism and takes a monthly night trip to the Negev & Galil to help farmers and ranchers in the periphery.
http://www.facebook.com/ShomerIsraelFellowship
Loving Classroom
Loving Classroom trains a very large number of teachers from diverse backgrounds throughout the world with what it takes to cultivate loving classrooms, and thereby, a loving world. A loving classroom enjoys onederful communication, respect, compassion and communal-mindedness (relegated to the past are bullying, anger, selfishness and apathy).
In the short term wars will be fought, but in the long term, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King
The Loving Classroom program was developed by educators, social workers, psychologists, spiritual leaders, business people, parents and students from a diverse range of backgrounds. You are welcome to be in contact with its founder: David Geffen: David AT LovingClassroom DOT com.
Visit LovingClassroom.com
AYELET HASHACHAR
In 1997, Shlomo Raanan established “Ayelet Hashachar,” a nonprofit organization working towards creating a united society of religious and non-religious Jews in Israel.
In “Ayelet Hashachar,” we see every person for who s/he his, regardless of his or her religious practice or background. We have developed a platform that allows right to meet left and work together to bridge the social gap dividing Israel.
The Israeli public is facing a growing problem. Israeli society is being torn apart by a lack of understanding of what it means to be religious, what it means to be secular, and how all of us belong to the same people. Sadly, the average Israeli often looks at his fellow religious Jew with a measure of contempt and hatred, while on the other hand, the religious Jew cannot be open to the ways of his secular neighbor.
People all over are reaching out in search of meaning and guidance. Brotherly love, respect and acceptance are a few of the main issues we promote in “Ayelet Hashachar,” as we are here to fill a need and remind the Jewish people of our common history and roots. We work hard to break the stereotypes on both ends of the spectrum.
https://ayelethashachar.org/en/
Kesher Yehudi
Kesher Yehudi was founded in 2009 by Tsila Schneider (55), an orthodox mother of 11. A caring person who wanted to make a difference, she began by creating a project where people from secular and orthodox backgrounds learned about Judaism together by phone. After five years, she opened Kesher Yehudi in order to deepen the connections between the two sectors on the perimeters of Israeli Jewry and to allow an opportunity for anyone who was interested to broaden their Jewish knowledge.
Israeli society has erected a concrete wall of alienation and estrangement between sectors; Kesher Yehudi has begun the task of dismantling this wall using as our tools strong bonds of friendship between secular Israelis and their mitzvah keeping counterparts.
Tsila’s motto: “I established Kesher Yehudi from a strong belief that we can overcome alienation and fear. The government and legal system are not the people who can lead this process – only the nation themselves. We encourage and promote the connection, but the real work is done by the participants! A one on one personal relationship between a religious person and a secular person brings about true familiarity, joint learning, kinship, love and caring. These experiences can overcome everything!”
Kesher Yehudi has been working intensively for eight years as an answer to the tense atmosphere that has evolved between different streams in our country. A climate of foreignness, snobbery and fear has been created by the media, building on pre-existing stereotypes. Kesher Yehudi allows people from different sectors to get to know each other personally, using close-up encounters in a natural environment, centered around our deepest common connection – Jewish tradition. These encounters lead to the dissolving of stigmas, the breaking of stereotypes and a personal, human association.
With the encouragement and mediation of Kesher Yehudi, over 14,000 people all over Israel have already participated in our personal introductions program and have formed exciting and exhilarating long term friendships. Participants meet at least once a week to discuss a Torah topic that they have chosen to explore together. This journey not only deepens their personal friendship but leads to a wider involvement, a deep care for the people of Israel, and a partnership to overcome difficulties.
An atmosphere of acceptance, tolerance and brotherhood is created by this discussion between participants and influences their personal circles.
In June 2016, Kesher Yehudi was awarded the Jerusalem Unity Prize by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat for their work in creating unity in Israeli society.
Nishmas Kedoshim
Every Jew gets branded – Charedi, Chardal, Dati Leumi, Mesorati, Chiloni, and all of these terms take away from our real identity – Klal Yisrael. While the Jewish people are divided, our enemies are unfortunately united to destroy us. If we want to thwart their plans, we must find a solution to bridge this internal gap. One of our biggest obstacles to unity is the issue of yeshiva study vs. army service. In truth both guard us; Torah students provide spiritual protection while soldiers provide physical protection. How can we show each group the value of the other? Problems such as these were the impetus for Project “Nishmas Kedoshim”, literally the “One Neshamah of the Jewish people”, whose mission is to reverse the tide. “Nishmas Kedoshim” addresses the separation caused by the yeshiva / army issue – with the following question; How can we tap into this problem and use to it to help bring the Jewish people together? Nishmas Kedoshim is setting up Jewish learning centers on non-religious moshavim throughout Israel. All of the learning of that day is dedicated liluei nishmas the terror victims and soldiers who were killed defending Israel on that day. The students start their learning session by mentioning these names, and finish the day studying with members of the moshav and reciting kaddish for those terror victims and soldiers. Relationships that are forged in the learning centers are strengthened by social activities.
Machon Ahavat Emet
Formed in 1995 to solve the lack of unity among Israel’s people. Method – continuous saturation of the culture, especially school system with positive educational material which teaches and encourages, respect and love to all Jews regardless of their ideology or background.
Current Projects:
- Publication of “Ish Lre’ehu,” a high quality, four-page leaflet which teaches one to be a “mentsch,” to be considerate and sensitive to others. Published for close to 20 consecutive years.
- Curriculum Workbooks for use in the classroom from grades 2-8. Students receive weekly lessons which are very effective in influencing character development, awareness and behaviour. Over 7,000 students have benefited from these lessons for over 16 years.
Itamar Makes Friends
Women for Women
Partners in learning -women with diverse levels of observance interacting and learning together
Community initiative
Chaburah’s follow the basic idea of the need for SMALL social communities. In a large community people tend to get lost in the crowd, the individual is not heard. The women in general like to be independent. Being independent is wonderful but also easily leaves women feeling alone and not supported through life’s journey. A large community also has another problem of ‘diffusion of responsibility’, where in the time of need women can easily think ‘someone else is dealing with the issue’, when in actuality no one is dealing with the issue, or helping out with the challenge.
The Chaburah system works to help every women feel important and part of the Klal. Our mission is to encourage each woman in our community in her journey to reach her full potential as Jewish women and fulfill her unique tafkidim within her family while being aware and caring for others in her community. Our chaburah system is simple, it creates small social communities. What used to happen naturally in a small town, we are now facilitating. Our Chaburah’s are currently based on stage age appropriate groups. The groups usually meet once a week for, learning and facilitated discussions. The technical format varies in each group, but the idea is the same. Each women is important, each women is part of a supported chevra.
When you support an individual women, you support her family, many families make up a whole community. Many communities together makeup Klal Yisroel….. let’s be most powerful and start small.
All donations to the ONE JEWISH PEOPLE PROJECT will be used exclusively for projects promoting unity under the direction of the Administration of the
ONE JEWISH PEOPLE PROJECT staff.