By Laurina Driesse

What is better than helping transform lives, especially with love, encouragement and guidance?

The ICEJ is coming alongside single mothers and new immigrants in Israel to advocate for them and ensure they receive essential help and a path towards a good future.

Twenty years ago, an outreach program opened for Israeli families living below the poverty line which provided basic weekly aid. Soon, however, it became apparent that truly effective assistance would require more than a food basket, but a new way of thinking and operating.

From that point, a new comprehensive plan developed using professional mentors to help Israeli families make a new start. This plan brought a hopeful message: ‘The family budget not able to last through the month? Let’s see what can be done to increase your income. Struggling to know how to access the best care for a disabled child so you can work? There is a mentor waiting to advocate for you and help you understand what must be done. The main thing is – you are not alone! In short, ‘poverty is not your destiny’’.

Today, the mentors operate in different cities, providing essential support. While practical assistance such as food vouchers, school supplies, furniture, and electrical appliances are still distributed, the goal is to help families work towards financial independence.

Nicole Yoder, ICEJ Vice President for Aid and Aliyah, noted: “Much can be done by utilizing available community resources, and we’re excited that today more and more Israeli families are learning effective financial management and are paying down their debts. They are also locating better paying jobs and enjoying a host of other successes on their way to a better quality of life.”

Pondering the recently celebrated holiday of Tu B’Shevat, the new year for trees, Mentorship Program director Yehuda Armshalem shared: “I have always wondered why we plant trees and celebrate Tu B’Shvat in January or February when we do not see any leaves or fruit yet. However, this is a picture of celebrating the potential of the tree. We do not see it right now, but the life inside comes to fruition when it gets warmer. In a nutshell, this is our philosophy: We see the potential in people from many different backgrounds, and with the right help from the community this potential can materialize.”  

The generosity of our ICEJ donors currently enables fifty single parent families in Israel to receive mentoring support. In Jerusalem and Beersheva, struggling single mothers are participating in a one-year program offering them guidance, a listening ear, emotional support, and practical help like childcare so they can find employment. By the end of the year, we anticipate that the majority of these mothers (87%) will be employed and able to provide for the families’ needs.

Meanwhile, new Jewish immigrants to Israel often feel overwhelmed upon arrival. Lacking Hebrew skills and local knowledge makes it tough to access services, navigate employment options, and bridge cultural norms without family or friends to help. In many instances, educational qualifications are not recognized in Israel – requiring them to take additional courses or even redo entire degrees to be recertified. Otherwise, they will need to accept lower paying jobs.

The mentors are there to assist new immigrants in their first year of arrival in Israel, as well as immigrant families who have fallen on tough times years later. In addition to one-on-one sessions, mentors provide courses, training and workshops in particular subjects as needed. Each family mentored is encouraged to dream about their future. Then they create a work-plan, set goals, and monitor progress towards those dreams. The focus is on employment, financial management, family/community, and quality of life. If these key areas are stable, their Aliyah can be considered a success!

David and Sofia* and their two children recently arrived in Israel from South America. Before coming here, David worked in hi-tech, and Sofia taught Hebrew for 25 years. However, Sofia discovered that her certificate to teach Hebrew was not valid in Israel and she needed to undergo retraining. Lital, a veteran mentor of eight years, immediately helped her with the recertification process. Today, Sofia is enrolled at the Open University and has started taking classes towards a new degree.

Meanwhile, David was determined to learn Hebrew and made the difficult choice to take a low-paying cleaning job to concentrate on learning Hebrew. Although his wife encouraged him to take a job working remotely for a hi-tech company overseas, he prefers to clean for now in hopes it will pay off in the long run.

Meanwhile, Esther*, a single Jewish mother from the Netherlands, arrived recently with her teenage daughter. Braving cancer treatments abroad, she arrived in Israel with the cancer in remission. But neither Esther nor her daughter could speak Hebrew, a fact which caused much stress for the daughter when school began, leading to behavior issues.

Then Esther discovered the cancer had returned and her health deteriorated. Fortunately, they were introduced to Lital, a mentor who work with them closely. Although Esther wanted to leave Beersheva for Jerusalem, Lital encouraged her to continue with her medical treatments in Beersheva, knowing she otherwise would have to wait longer for treatment. This sound advice allowed Esther to quickly undergo a needed surgery and recover faster. Only six weeks later, she began a job search.

Along the way, Lital also discovered that Esther had not yet received her government child support grant. The right knowledge and some well-placed Israeli “chutzpah” (daring) resolved that right away, and now Esther not only receives her monthly stipend, but also full back-payments. Now they are applying for a disability pension as a result of Esther’s health condition.

During a recent mentoring seminar Lital gave at the Beersheva Aliyah Center, Esther walked in and went straight up front to give her a big hug. Despite the difficult journey, Esther was grateful for the remarkable victories – big and small – along the way, which left few dry eyes in the place.  

The ICEJ is thrilled to support this professional mentorship program that helps needy Israeli families reach for a better future and regain hope. Thank you for helping ensure professional mentors are available for those in need.

Give today at: give.icej.org/givinghope

*Names changed to protect privacy.

Photo credit: Pexels