Like many people around the world, recent reality has been teaching us some important lessons in flexibility and perseverance.

After working hard during the spring and summer to raise lost funds and to adapt our programming to the constantly changing Covid-19 conditions, the 2020-2021 Yahel Social Change Fellowship has begun! 

22 new fellows have arrived in Israel excited to begin volunteering with our host communities, especially under these unprecedented circumstances, and will be with us for the next 9 months.

Depending on the type of visa, whether individuals were coming from green countries and additional criteria-- our current fellows were allowed into the country by Israeli authorities on different dates over the past month.  Each group of arriving fellows was welcomed by our staff at the airport and directed to their Yahel apartment for a mandatory two week quarantine period. 

Special thanks to Masa Israel, a central partner for the Yahel fellowship, for working night and day to help navigate the regulations around the entrance of many of our fellows into the country during the recent lockdown. 

We are excited to begin a new partnership this year with VOIS – Volunteer in Israel. VOIS is an official program of the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services of the State of Israel. 1,000 volunteers from 45 countries come each year to volunteer in VOIS social service placements in Israel. We are thankful for their assistance in bringing our fellows to Israel and thrilled to be a part of this initiative. 

Parallel to arrival in Israel and quarantine, Orientation is taking place in the fellows' small apartment groups and on Zoom. Fellows are learning from prominent Israeli activists and speakers about key issues relevant to their service, starting their Ulpan (Hebrew language training) with our wonderful Ulpan teacher Maayan Sharet and beginning introductions to volunteer placements. 

This past week, our first group of fellows finished their quarantine and began volunteering in Lod, assisting at the Agricultural Farm with maintenance and planting and delivering food packages with at risk youth at SAHI. 

We wish our Yahel fellows, staff and community partners the best of luck in this unusually challenging year. Together we will find the paths to meaningful collaboration, initiative, service and learning. 

As part of a joint educational initiative with Masa Israel, we will be offering participants from other Masa programs the opportunity to learn about some of Israel’s unique and diverse communities through Yahel Educational Seminars. Masa programs of all sorts will be invited to learn about the history and cultures of the Ethiopian Jewish community, the Druze community, Arab citizens of Israel and Bedouins of the Negev, through in-person meetings and visits (Covid-19 permitting). In addition to encounters with community members, participants will also learn about social issues and challenges that these communities face in Israel today and how activists are creating change on the ground. Click here for more information.