Mixing pain with humor, the film depicts the conflicts they face; the decisions they would not have been called upon to make in the world they left: What to wear? Who to marry? Lack of skills needed for the job market and ostracism from their families.
Knesset Hearing on Implementation of Tal Law, 7 November, 2009
"The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Panel on the Implementation of the Tal Law" held a Knesset hearing on the implementation of the Tal Law.
Representatives of Hillel Organization were invited to participate in the Hearing.
The panel's chairman, MK (Member of Knesset) Yohanan Plesner, set himself the goal of evaluating anew the Tal Law and its implementation, and of formulating, within a year, a proposal to change the policy for drafting yeshiva students into the army and national service.Witnesses invited to the hearing included Judge Zvi Tal, a representative of the IDF's personnel department, a representative of the national service directorate and also representatives of many social organizations, including Hillel, that have an interest in the Tal Law and its consequences.
Hillel's representative at the hearing was Irit Panet, the volunteer responsible for external relations, who was accompanied by two additional volunteers and two ex-haredi young men in IDF uniforms.
Judge Tal opened the hearing by announcing that the Tal Law implementation has failed!In his remarks he stated that while the law's goal was to regularize the legal basis for avoiding the draft but also to increase the number of yeshiva students actually entering the army or national service, in practice, the law serves only to provide legal cover for avoiding service.All the MKs except for Nissim Zeev of the Shas Party criticized the implementation of the law, which has been exploited year after year by more and more yeshiva students to avoid their civil obligations.According to the AKA representative, demographic trends indicate that within ten years the phenomenon will reach alarming proportions that will threaten the army's ability to perform its assigned missions.
At the hearing, Irit pointed out that many yeshiva students want to enlist but are embarrassed to do so because of social pressures applied at home, in yeshiva and within the community.Moshe and Yaki, the ex-haredi soldiers, did not actively participate in the discussion, but they affirmed her words, based on their experience, to participants sitting near them.
It is to be hoped that MK Yohanan Plesner will persist in his efforts and succeed in changing the awful practice of misusing God's name to avoid civil obligations.
Second Seder at Kibbutz Nir Eliyahu, 18 April 2009
Each year we have a second Seder to celebrate the spring and Pesach
Yotzim (ex-haredi), volunteers, their family members and all those who hold Hillel close to their hearts, attend this event.
This year we gathered to celebrate this event at the “Eden” events hall at Kibbutz Nir Eliyahu. Meeting all the friends was very pleasant; the music was good, the food delicious and the atmosphere - great.
Yael Zeevi, Chairman of the foundation, began the festive evening:
Good evening and happy Passover,
Every year, during the spring holidays, in the days between Pesach and Independence Day, we come together to celebrate Hillel’s Seder and the reading of the Hagada – our exit story.
Behind us is Pesach, the ancient story of the Exodus from Egypt, from enslavement to freedom. Ahead of us, Independence Day, festival of the rise of our nation in our land, revival and freedom of choice.
In the Hagada it is said“In every generation, a man is obligated to see himself as though he had exited from Egypt,” – the holiday of liberty is registered in the peoples’ hearts for generations, by passing of the exodus story from father to son. Independence Day - the Exodus of modern times. The story of the Yotzim – is the Exodus from Egypt, and is the private independence of each and every one.
The Yotzim – left behind closed world and exited curiously into the open world, in which life demands effort and abilities – the ability to choose a life style.
At the entrance to this free world, stands Hillel, and offers support and direction to those who have chosen according to their hearts desire.
The dozens of youngsters here tonight are a part of that group, and each and every one of them is at a different stage of his adult life, each one and his individual story of leaving the Haredi world,What they all share – the will to live their adult life according to their belief and understanding. At their side – those who believe in “the right to choose – and the right to help”, those who chose to do all they can to assist and ease the leavers path.
We congratulate and strengthen their hands, and wish them lots of luck.
Congratulations to the soldiers that are here with us tonight, and specially to Moshe who, on this upcoming Independence Day, will be invited to the President’s house to be awarded for being an outstanding soldier. Well done!!
Thanks:
To those who toiled over this evening: Raffi, Tel Aviv Centre Coordinator, aided by a group of Yotzim and volunteers. Thank you and greetings.
A special thanks to our dear friends, benefactors and supporters from Israel and abroad, who grace us with their presence every year.
The Schnabel Family, and the Shapiro Family from Los Angeles and all the guests that are here with us this evening.
I wish you a pleasant evening and a happy festival of freedom!!
Friends’ responses:
Rachela:
I would like to say thank you for the lovely evening that we had last Saturday:
The venue was magical – the pool at the entrance, the hall and the beautifully set tables.
The catering at the entrance, I personally enjoyed the Pastry Cigars and Pastry fillings (I didn’t get to eat the meat or the chicken).
Thank you to Varda who dealt with all the logistics of organizing the event.
Thank you to Gadi for seeing the place on his son’s wedding day, and immediately got a great deal for us.
Thank you to Uzi and the rest of the Kibbutz members who volunteered to serve the food – my you be blessed.
To the volunteers that greeted the event comers at the entrance, and the volunteers that collected money.
Thank you to Raffi for managing the evening courageously, to all the people who had reading parts, and especially to the wonderful M’.
And finally thank you to all the Yotzim, volunteers and supporters that just by coming contributed to the evenings’ success.
Rivki:
Aesthetic and pleasant, with abundance and love. This whole hearted giving, with no reward, this amazes me every time. Astonishing!
Aharon:
I got to meet people I have wanted to meet for a long time, and some I hadn’t even dreamt of meeting there. It was good fun!!
Under the title "The right to choose - The freedom to help"
In a festive ceremony in the "Chess House" in Tel-Aviv, on the 6th of September 2007, Hillel granted 70 scholarships to Yotzim who will study in the year 2007-2008.
This is the 11th year in which Hillel grants scholarships to Yotzim for the purpose of acquiring matriculation certificate, first degree and professional studies.
Hereby some impressions of the Scholarship evening:
Granting scholarships evening by Rivki:
We were gathered in the "Chess House" in Ramat-Aviv, where a fine buffet was awaited for us. After a quick dining, Mrs. Varda Lifshitz, the Chairman of Hillel association, gave a speech regarding the difficulties that involve leaving the Haredi world, and part of achieving the goal is acquiring education.
Afterward, Dr. Yossi Beylin, the Chairman of the political party Meretz-Yahad, gave his speech. He spoke about his childhood in a traditional family and about him becoming Haredi at the age of 13. During the war of Yom Hakipourim, at the age of 25, he lost a half of his classmates, and then he started to realize that the world is disordered. He also mentioned that Hillel is not a missionary organization, but one that helps a Yotze who is already willing to "cross the street". Yossi Beylin praised Hillel for granting scholarships that are so important to the Yotzim.
He was followed by Dr. Ravid Doron who lectured about the influence of drugs on the brain.
Afterward, the "team of the scholarships distributors" sat at the table on the stage, read the names of each scholarship receiver, mentioned what he/she studies and where, and granted the scholarships in generosity and charitableness to the sound of the audience’s applause.
For the closure of the ceremony, the Yotzim representative gave a greeting speech and thanked Hillel for its help in acquiring education for the Yotzim, a right which is given to every person in the modern society in the State of Israel.
Thank you Hillel!
You deal with the "public needs" with faith.
Hereby are comments from the forum:
Sarit
This is the second year that I participate in the granting scholarship ceremony- and I will not deny-I was overwhelmed with excitement. The scholarship evening is one of the highlights of Hillel's work – to watch each of the Yotzim- beautiful, excited, energetic, and determined to get an education and to progress in life.
Tehila
An evening of dreams that come true.
Of great victory in the voyage that each of you has been through.
An evening of pride of the talents which are among us.
Each name is a story of making efforts and of persistence, of hope and ambitions.
Without the scholarship I doubt if we could have succeeded.
Many thanks for those involved in the work.
Thanks for the special committee and for all the volunteers in Hillel!!!
Rina
Each year, the scholarship evening is our most significant and exciting evening of all. Each year we are granted with the privilege to see (for this is a privilege!) the efforts, the ambition to learn and the achievements- I am all excited anew, and each year-the number of the Yotzim who study increases. It fills our heart with pride and joy. This is an opportunity to thank Orit Dvash and all the members of the scholarship committee who succeeded, again, to make the best of it. And, of course, the Yotzim who were there and for these who will be and will study.... to all of you.
Rina interviews Yotzet who graduates her studies in “Bezalel Academy of Art and Design”.
In a tiny dark room Reut is sitting on a colored rug composed of thousands of bottle corks that she collected during one year and a half while working in a pub.
Picture: Reut sits on the cork rug.
The cork rug and the movie presented on the wall combines the final work of studies in the Visual Communication department in Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem.
Picture from the movie.
After I finished watching the movie we go out and over a cup of coffee I ask Reut a few questions in order to satisfy my curiosity.
What is exactly visual communication? Was it called graphic design in the past?
It is true; they used to teach here graphic design, but over the years the computer became much more developed. In the past, print was the only means of communication. The work was principally made by hand, nowadays by well-equipped computers, billboards with movement, change of letters, flashing lights and moving pictures can be created.
The advertisement at present has been through a great change. There are also movies, TV and Internet, naturally. In the visual communication department all the art techniques are combined in order to pass through practical messages.
Four intensive and demanding years – how did you manage?
It is very difficult to manage financially. Apart of the tuition fees, we need to afford accessories such as well-equipped computer, camera, colors, fabrics, papers, brushes and other expensive materials. It was not simple; I got scholarships from Hillel, from the University and from the “Center of town” scholarship (on behalf of the municipality of Jerusalem for students who rent an apartment in the center of town). I also worked in temporary jobs, recently in a pub, and it isn’t easy because you also need to put time and effort in studies in order to succeed, and there is always a pressure to finish the assignments by time.
What was the most difficult part?
The critic, Reut answers without hesitate.
You work for a long time, you make an effort, loves it and all of a sudden you need to face a harsh critic…sometimes it depresses. Critic is important, it is good to be criticized but it does not always build. You expect encouragement and instead you are been criticized and it can devastate you. As time goes by you learn to accept it, but it is difficult, very difficult.
Did you have a breaking point?
Yes, during the first year. There was a great pressure, I had some thoughts of leaving, but all along I said that I want to prove to myself that I can. I gathered strengths and moved on.
Here we are after 4 years with “The pub as a Campfire”. Why pub?
Reut answers the question with the explanation given in her final work:
“Couple of days ago I walked scented and tired on Bazalel St. on my way home from the “Slow Moshe” (I work in this pub). It was 3:00 o’clock at night. In a traffic light cross road I saw Giti, whom I know for years, from the pubs around. “You come from the Slow?” he asked, I nodded and asked him “Do you come from the Notz?”’, “Yes”, he answered. We had a quick chat of people who meet in the middle of the night in the street. I only remember that he told me that it has been six months since he smoked drugs or cigarettes, but he can’t lose the habit of drinking alcohol. “It’s the nights” he said, “I can’t sleep”. He stopped for a second and corrected “it’s the loneliness at nights”.
In the pre-western society the community was inseparable of the individual's life. People lived in small groups and knew all the locals; they helped one another and talked about each other. When it got dark, family members went to sleep in one room, next to each other while warming up together. Since the development of the western and urban culture, and the development of the individual's status, alienation among people was created. In most cases each person has its own room with 4 walls and when dark falls he doesn't go to sleep and the room shuts him down. In the secular society the individual and the public are almost disconnected in the personal aspect. The world becomes labeled and computerized also in the human aspect.
The individual exists in a sort of insanity and loses the natural sense of collectivity; loneliness entered his heart, without notice it.
The pub is a kind of a campfire of the western modern culture. It has a social function, which is GATHERING, an alternative for sitting alone between 4 walls. In pubs there is an interaction between aquatints and even between strangers.
One of the ways which make the interaction easy is the alcohol. People do not go to pubs for drinking only (they can do it alone at home) but for drinking in public, together. They bear the smoke and the noise, the fact that they need to shout at each other in order to hear one another, the costs and the smelly cloths afterwards. All of the abovementioned so they will be able to feel as a part of a certain community, in order to create a social interaction, even by gazes only.
Reut recognizes the importance of pubs; therefore she intends to build a web site which will contain information about the city bars.
“I intend to create a web site where the owners and the employees of pubs would be able to speak, 2 hours in a week, with lonely people so that the moment that those people will come to the pubs, they would feel more comfortable, knowing that they have someone to speak to”.
She adds: “so many people do not feel confident enough to enter alone to these pubs. I would like to create a situation where they know what will happen ahead, where they can get acquainted with places and people without being there physically”.
She spent six months on the work “The pub as a Campfire” which was born after many hours of wondering in pubs, interviewing people, photographing, choosing the right music, animating, editing...
The final product - a very special, nice and sensitive movie, 8 minutes long, in which we get a peek to the pub world of the center of Jerusalem at night time.
Picture: Map of the pubs in the center of town, classified to 16 categories (click full-size image).
Reut graduates her studies in Bezalel Academy of Art and Design this year.
What next?
She already gets job offers in different advertising agencies. I have no doubt that each agency that will hire Reut will benefit. Reut is talented and creative, and we will surly see her interesting and beautiful billboards on the streets.
Note: the name was change and the pictures were blurred for privacy purpose.
Awareness event on the subject of Leaving the Haredi World / February 2007
The purpose of the evening, which took place on Feb, 5th, 2007, was to bring to public awareness the difficulties involved in Leaving the Haredi World, and the existence of Hillel organization which helps and accompanies the "yotzim" (ex-haredim) in their voyage of self fulfillment.
In program:
Projection of the documentary film "Between Two Worlds" of the director Ziv Nave.
Symposium in the direction of the author and the communication man Israel Segal, with the participation of the author Yochi Brandes, the communication man Adam Shuv, Yakir, "yotze" (ex-haredi) who volunteers in Hillel and Effi, "yotze" (ex-haredi).
Many people gathered in the foyer of the Cinemateque- beautiful people in every sense.
It was clear that it was important for the volunteers and for the "yotzim" (ex-haredim) to come and support. People do care, they came in order to get familiar with the phenomenon of Leaving the Haredi World and with the work of Hillel association.
Since the hall was crowded, a few dozens of people were left outside.
During the event, the General Manager of Hillel, Rina Ofir, and Meir, "yotze" (ex-haredi), were interviewed in channel 1 on T.V.
The first dinner at Beit Shmuel was outstanding.There were around 40 yotsim be-sheela ("those who go out") and volunteers.Beit Shmuel gave us a spot so that we could have our privacy yet they still made us feel like we were their guests.The food was INCREDIBLE-in my opinion it was 5 stars...
It is important for me to note that the dinner was sponsored by a saintly and modest person -the owner of the catering hall in Beit Shmuel - Eyal Borman. Eyal was present during the meal and when we wanted him to come out so that we could thank him he said "Eat, have fun, feel at home - but don't embarrass me".
Even the waitresses were given instructions to be especially nice to us and also told us "feel at home - It's your home" and that is exactly how we felt.
Once again, thanks to Eyal Borman and Beit Shmuel.
Erev Shabbat - A New Project in the Jerusalem Branch
by Menashe Tsoref
Yotzim (ex-haredi newcomers) who were accustomed to having the traditional Erev Shabbat meal at home with their families find themselves alone in the modern world on this crucial evening, as a result of the break with their families forced upon them by their parents.
Volunteers from the Jerusalem Branch, among them senior yotzim, have initiated a new project, the Erev Shabbat for yotzim, which gives them an opportunity to welcome the Sabbath together, to sing Zmirot Shabbat and to enjoy familiar home-cooked food.
These Erev Shabbat gatherings take place once every two weeks and are made possible by the impressive spirit of the Jerusalem volunteers and by Hillel financial aid.
For each Sabbath meal two volunteers prepare the main courses. These delicious contributions add tremendously to the enjoyment of all participants.The yotzim also prepare some of the food for the occasions.
So far we have had five such evenings and they have been a huge success.They have been attended by 25-35 yotzim and several volunteers, and we expect more participants in the future.
The atmosphere is always joyous and often electrifying: the Sabbath meal begins with Kiddush (young women participate here fully), often in the authentic Ashkenazi pronunciation.
After the main course, the yotzim burst into song: Zmirot Shabbat and Hasidic songs.Often the songs are accompanied by Hasidic dancing.
At the end of the evening, to return to the world in which we now live, there may also be modern music and dancing.
All the participants would like to thank the Jerusalem Branch of Hillel, which makes these evenings possible, and the volunteers who respond enthusiastically to the challenge of making the appropriate dishes for these special occasions.
As of September the Tel Aviv Branch has begun its own program of Erev Shabbat meals.
.gif){kind=small}
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
