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NOAM members of high school age, many of whom serve as counselors for the younger groups, convene for their own activities and seminars. Each year, between 20 to 30 members decide to form a Masorti Garin (group) to serve in the Israel Defense Forces together, within the framework of the Nahal (Pioneering Youth) Unit.
Members of NOAM’s Masorti Garinim devote a year to serving the community, during which they live together in a development town or on a kibbutz. They assist new immigrants with their absorption into Israeli society by educating both in schools and in the absorption centers. The Garin members also have their own educational program, overseen by NOAM officials.
The Garin members also take part in the nationwide activities of NOAM, often running the local chapter of the movement. Members of the Garin enlist together into the army and take an active part in the defense of the State of Israel, in combatant units as well as in the Education and Communications Corps of the IDF. The Garin, in effect, is a cultivating ground for the training of the future educators and leaders of NOAM and the Masorti Movement, learning through action and personal example.
Members of Garinim already on active service meet a few times a year for educational and social activities and are visited by NOAM staff on their bases. Some of them receive special leave from the army to work as counselors at the Ramah-NOAM Summer Camp.
Garin Keves spent 2002/3 living on Kibbutz Ketura, near Eilat. Besides regular employment on the kibbutz, Garin members worked with disadvantaged populations in Eilat, such as children from problem homes, Ethiopian immigrants and the elderly. They also volunteered for civic organizations such as Magen David Adom and the Civil Guard. The Garin also has a regular study program, with input not only from local teachers, but also from Masorti and guest lecturers. Garin members also took an active role in leadership counseling in NOAM and in the Ramah-NOAM Summer Camp. The 2003/4 Garin will also spend their community service year on Kibbutz Ketura.
Contact Information
Director: Ze’ev Kainan
Rabbi: Claudia Kreiman
Address: P.O. Box 7559, 91074 Jerusalem, ISRAEL
Telephone: +972 (2) 624 6850
Fax: +972 (2) 624 6871
Email: noam@masorti.org
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This program is supported by grants from
the Jewish Agency for Israel. |
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