A Kavkazi Teen Committed to Returning JDC's Investment

When the bell rings at the end of the day, David and his buddies at The Comprehensive High School in Hadera, file into a classroom just off the library. They take their seats dutifully, engaging in typical dialogue recapping the day's events – an unusually difficult test, a friend's biology presentation, cool jeans that so-and-so was wearing. David runs his hands through his frosted hair as the study session begins.

Like David, 1500 students in 14 Israeli cities, remain after the regular school day to participate in OFEK ("horizon"), a JDC-sponsored academic support program for immigrant youth in grades 10 through12 studying for their matriculation exams.

OFEK employs a three-pronged approach to helping teenagers overcome their circumstances and literally expand their horizons as they succeed academically:

• Encouraging the child to learn and study through ups and downs;
• Improving the child's support system by engaging his/her parents, through workshops, in what the child is experiencing; and
• Involving high school teachers in the OFEK program so that the after-school academic support is being given by the same instructors as regular classes.

As OFEK is designed to empower youth from the most vulnerable immigrant populations, many of David's classmates are Kavkazim – Jews who originate from the Caucasus Mountain region in the former Soviet Union. In fact, the program builds on the efforts of PELE, a dropout prevention program for Kavkazi junior high and high school students initiated by JDC and now run by the Ministry of Absorption and the Community Centers Network.

Leanna, the City Coordinator for PELE and OFEK programs in Hadera and herself a Kavkazi woman, explains that the program is particularly important for these youngsters, whose culture can pose obstacles to their academic success. "Many of these kids' parents cannot help them with their homework, particularly because of the language. They can speak well but can't read or write Hebrew fluently," she says.

In fact, about 65% of the adult Kavkazi population started working immediately upon their arrival to Israel, learning basic Hebrew on the job and never receiving formal language training. The intergenerational communication gap that has resulted, amidst other challenges of integration can often prove too overwhelming for some Kavkazi youngsters. JDC intervention has helped bring the drop-out rate of Kavkazi schoolchildren from 25% down to 14% - a tremendous achievement, but still far higher than the national average of 3.9%, A 1997 study showed that 25% of Kavkazi youth ages 16-18 dropped out of high school. Thanks to programs such as OFEK and PELE, that number has been drastically reduced to a rate of 14% according to a 2003 study conducted by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute. While these numbers show the crucial impact that these programs have, with a 3.9% dropout rate among the general Israeli population there is still a long way to go.

"You would not believe how highly motivated these students are," remarks the principal. "They have amazing ambition and drive to succeed," he says, proudly. They must, as the demand for participation in the program is great and selection is highly competitive. Students are chosen on the basis of their overwhelming dedication to academic excellence despite their family circumstances.

For many OFEK participants, the privilege of benefiting from the JDC-sponsored program inspires them to give back to their own community. "I help young neighborhood kids with their homework because I want them to learn early on that it is important to study and to make their future," David explains. One of his classmates, Julian, also volunteers as a tutor in the Kavkazi community. "I am very proud of what I have accomplished through PELE and OFEK and want to share it with others," he says.

Last summer, David also participated in the Ronald S. Lauder/AJJDC International Summer Camp in Szarvas, a three-week program in Hungary for Jewish young leaders throughout the world. The camp is a unique medium through which JDC helps young Jews to nurture their cultural identity and leadership skills, and then imbue this renewed passion into their home communities.

A natural leader, David and others were chosen from among hundreds of the Jewish Israeli youth. Applicants had to take exams to determine their level of English proficiency and general knowledge. "I would never have gotten through the selection process were it not for my involvement in these programs, which helped me with my studies, and also gave me the opportunity to spend hours with good friends."

David was thrilled for the opportunity. "It felt as if we had just been told that we had won the lottery," he says of being chosen to participate in the camp.

On their arrival in Europe, David and the other Israeli representatives visited the Great Synagogue in Budapest, and spent Shabbat there with the American delegation. "I was overcome with a feeling of unity with the Jewish people," David recalls. Then at camp, he was met with cheers of "Israel! Israel!" from the other delegations, who, David reports, were curious and enthusiastic about the Jewish homeland. "It was a moment of true pride to be an Israeli," he exclaims.

David enjoyed the song-filled mealtimes and learning about Jews from the Diaspora. "I formed connections with different cultures. Now I’m in touch with many, and one day I’ll maybe even visit them." JDC programs such as PELE, OFEK, and Szarvas have helped David to hone his academic and leadership skills. "I still don’t understand how I have been so fortunate to participate in such a moving journey, since after all I am just a normal kid with an above-average ability to make friends," says the modest teen. But he is committed to putting his abilities to good use. "I am grateful. I am so grateful."