Bus 151 Visits Yemin Orde Youth Village | Shorashim - Israel with Israelis

Bus 151 Visits Yemin Orde Youth Village

On this hot, sunny afternoon in the North of Israel, 35 American and Israeli educators visited Yemin Orde, a Youth Village full of caring, compassionate, selfless educators and caretakers who welcome refugee, abused, disadvantaged, and at-risk children and teenagers into their village; their home. At Yemin Orde, over 500 children and teens from more than 20 countries join staff and volunteers to form one big family, the reach and depth of which touches the lives of its inhabitants for their entire lives. The children and teens of Yemin Orde travel to Israel to live in a loving community that loves and accepts them, teaches them the language, traditions, morals and values of our beloved country of Israel, and teaches them through life and love what it means to truly be "family", to perform Tikkun Olam, and to be a Jew. At Yemin Orde, Teacher Trek participants visited the villsge synagogue, apartments, homes, gym, playground, ampitheatre, and the rest of the beautiful, welcoming grounds. We greeted happy, fashionably dressed teens with shouts of "Shalom!" and were received happily by a community that has come together to nurture and invigorate the children who come to Yemin Orde to find a home, and unconditional love. Each of the participants of our trip was deeply moved by the experience of traveling to and visiting the village of Yemin Orde, every man and woman touched by various elements of the village, and each learning his or her own lessons about the true meaning of being an educator. Throughout our tour, our inspiring conversation with the founder of the village, Chaim Peri, and fisrt-hand experience of the spirit of the village, we began to challenge the traditional roles of "teachers" that we have learned about in our pedagogy and methods courses we have each encountered on our paths to the role of "teacher". For me personally, the experience of visiting Yemin Orde struck a place in my soul that has never been been touched, and opened my mind to beliving in a kind of world that I have never before been given a reason to trust could be real. For me, the pride I take in my Judaism originates from G-d's commandment that each of us must must perform Tikkun Olam; that each of us must wake up each day and challenge ourselves to better the world we are returning to, no matter how or where or why. It is this commandment that elevates Judaism for me above all other forces influencing my life, the commandment I am most proud to fulfil, and the one that, for me, feels so incredible to live by. The existence of Yemin Orde is made possible by the commitment of the teens to make their new families proud, and by the self-confidence that the love they recieve from their teachers gives them to overcome great challenges and live up to their true potential. More than anything, however, Yemin Orde is a tremendous success thanks to the selfless, humble, awe-inspiring teachers and volunteers who dedicate their lives, relocate their families and their homes, and open their hearts to loving children with no one else to call family. For me, the most emotional experience over the course of our 4 days on our journey in Israel was realising and acknowledging the unbelievable dedication that these individuals have shown to fulfilling G-d's commandment of Tikkun Olam, and thus the tremendous responsibility that I have as an educator to find those who are in need of healing, and find my own way to make the world a better place. I, along with 34 of my peers, am driving towards the rest of this amazng country with this new challege my hearts that perhaps did not exist even hours before: each of us must strive to do all we are emotionally and physically capable of to help those that are less fortunate than us. It is what Israel, what Yemin Orde, and what JUDAISM stands for, and it is what I will carry in my heart forever. Lindsay Kutner, Smithtown, NY