Words that help to Close Ranks
August 2020
We hope you are well!
This September we will mark the fifth anniversary of “Closing Ranks” (see a notice at the end of the newsletter). The annual event will be dedicated to bringing the young people, the mentors, and community partners closer, encourage the exchange of information, and highlight talents and skills. For the first time, six of our mentees will take part in the production of this year’s event.
Young people involved in relevant areas (e.g., hydrotherapy, coaching, photography, and the like) are invited to present their works and propose their services.
What’s App guys?
We have opened three WhatsApp groups (North, Center, and South), which we will use to provide direct updates on attractive opportunities that may help our mentees in a range of areas.
Our online secret spot
Mentees, mentors and partners of our NGO are invited to join and follow our Facebook page to reinforce their ties. On our page, you can comment and exchange information on scholarships,
Closing Ranks: the Community Facebook page is here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/closingrankscommunity
We are the light that drives away the darkness
Not sure what to do with the National Insurance Grant being transferred these days?
We have opened a one-time Aid Found, to help young people accompanied by "Closing Ranks" and their families, who really need our support at this time. The Found is managed separately from the association current account. We guarantee to transfer your full donation to our mentees.
Intel for the Community
Elli Meir, a mentor at the NGO and an electronics engineer from Jerusalem, hooked us up with Intel Israel's community affairs group.
For every hour volunteered on Closing Ranks by an Intel employee, Intel Corporation donates $10 to us!
Doing good
A happy donation from the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Foundation
The wonderful donation was transferred to us by the Jewish Federations of North America. We used the donation funds to buy laptops for 16 of the young participants we mentor and coupons for ten others.
One of the members who got a laptop is Miroslava Kovel, who came to Israel from Ukraine at the age of 14 as part of the Naaleh Program.
Today she is an instructor at the Johanna Jabotinsky Youth Village. Her mentor in the NGO is Yael Maoz.
The excited mentors handed out the gifts to the young people they coach, who were overjoyed.
And the Welfare Ministry too
As part of our participation in the “Mekusharim” (Hebrew for “Connected”) venture of the Yated Project and the Welfare ministry, we were asked to name eight young people in need, and they too received new laptops, this time directly from the Welfare Ministry.
The eligibility criteria included the duration of the mentoring, the need for a PC (school/work), and the individuals’ dedication. We hope to be able to give gifts to more people soon.
The Aviv Runners: Running to Give
This item talks about the beautiful legacy of Eliram, our VP, and the running group established by the Aviv Zohar.
By running across Israel, the group raises awareness and donations for young people at risk.
Following several years of cooperation between the Aviv Runners and the boys living at the Tiberias Hostel (which Eliram managed for ten years), we decided to collaborate with the hostel’s graduates as soon as they complete their military service.
Working during COVID-19 times
We are doing our best to adjust to Coronavirus restrictions.
As a substitute for face-to-face meetings, we recruit new members and volunteers by digital means. To date, we supported 420 young members. Ten more will be interviewed and assigned to mentors in the coming month.
- The personal meetings between mentors and members and the training sessions of the mentors are held face to face in the open and in line with the Health Ministry’s instructions. Most of the meetings are held on Zoom.
- We extend the Class No. 5 year until December 2020 and hope to launch Class No. 6 on December 2020 or January 2021.
- Our staff maintains personal contact with the members and is available to support and counsel at any time.
Staff reshuffling
Alon Schuster (I), was named as Minister of Agriculture. Based on legal consulting received, I need to step down from all non-governmental entities, including my membership in the executive committee of Closing Ranks. Let me assure you that mutual love will remain!
Nava Pesach was named as the NGO’s office and human resources manager. Nava was born in Kfar Vitkin, served as a recruits’ commander at Base No. 80, holds a B.A> in Behavioral Sciences from the Ruppin College, and studies to an M.A. degree in Organizational Behavior at Tel Aviv University.
Hadar Yizrael is our new South Region coordinator. He is 27 years olf, grew up in Beer Tuvia, did one-year service at the Nirim Youth Village before enlisting with field engineering, where he served until being named a company commander at the Special Field Engineering Task Force. He is completing his first year at the Atidim program of municipal cadets in combination with Geography at Ben Gurion University. He lives in Beer Sheba.
Gal Fradkin joined us as the coordinator of the northern region. She is 30 years old, married, and a mother of a 9-months baby. She lives in Moshav Amirim. Gal holds a first degree in social community education and civics from the Oranim College, and a diploma in psychodynamic group moderation from the Tel-Hai College.
In recent years, she worked with youth who lack a supportive family, and as an instructor and training coordinator at the Tzur Shalem pre-military preparatory school. Previously, she worked as a girl coordinator at the Hadar Neighborhood in Haifa, as an administrator in a pre-military preparatory course, and as a facilitator of volunteer group during a service year at Ma’ase Voluntary organization.
Saying goodbye to Moshik Siegel and Omri Castelnovo
This week we held a low-key even to part from the two psychotherapists that supported us over the past two years at utmost professionalism and sensitivity, helping conceptualize the unique know-how accumulated at Closing Ranks. This is what Moshik wrote to us after the event:
“Dear friends,
I joined the NGO two years ago, to discover a place where the heart is the common denominator that brings us together: youth who open us their hearts, mentors who give their heart, and staff that works from the heart.
The simple, yet so precise goal, the sense of partnership, closeness, and trust illustrate how similar we are, the young and the old, in sharing dreams, hopes, and beliefs. We all aspire to a society which is more enabling, fair and solidary
Thank you to all those who shared their thoughts and feelings with me, allowing me to get closer and help.
I step down, feeling I have learned a great deal from you and that I am a better person today.”
The NGO’s annual meeting, on September 11, will focus on the creation of a robust, sharing, and supportive community.
It will host some 400 young members, as well as 500 mentors, volunteers, and partners.
We planned the event carefully to take place outdoors in smaller groups in compliance with the regulations.
Alon Schuster,
(officially saying goodbye but forever deeply involved), and the entire staff of Closing Ranks
Closing Ranks
On our fifth anniversary, we will hold a meeting for members and volunteers under the motto of “Creating a Community”.
Save the date: Friday, September 11, 2020, at the Ofer Wood
The program:
08:30 – gathering
09:00 – outdoor activity
11:00 – brunch + performance
11:30 – the artistic program and general meetings
13:00 – coffee and cake, farewell