Ariel

The Cycle of Giving

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=Research Paper=

Research Question
How does Brit Olam help the developing countries and communities around the world through its different volunteers, and how does it plan to develop in the future and reach its goals?

Rationale
As part of the "Israeli Faces" project I'm taking part of, I was told to search for an Israeli organization that helps overseas. It took a while before I found an organization that interested me and touched, though the amount of different organizations I found was countless. This specific organization I chose – Brit Olam – interested me more than others the volunteers they send don’t only come from Israel, but from the entire Jewish world. I believe that being able to work with all kinds of Jewish people from around the world is important because then you get the idea of what really is going on around the world within the people of our nation. Also, while helping the developing countries, the organization spreads the Jewish culture all over the world which I believe is very important.

Brit Olam[[image:Brit_Olam.jpg width="191" height="143" align="right" caption="http://litrom.com/amutot.asp?p=12&"]]
Brit Olam is an Israeli organization that assists overseas in all different areas, such as education, welfare and medical help. It sends volunteers from both Israel and the Jewish world to developing countries around the world. These volunteers give humanitarian help and assistance to those in need of it. The help given by the organization is divided into many different areas. These branches include treating children and teenagers, giving medical help, promoting the women's status, education, and more. One project Brit Olam provides is a project named "Hagar and Miriam", which helps promote African women who wish to find shelter in Israel, while pregnant or after birth. These women wish to seek shelter in Israel because of the bad conditions in their country- the welfare, gangs and lots of more problems and issues. These women are disconnected from their family and tribe. They have significant cultivated gaps do not know the language. They are not entitled of ant health and welfare service, and usually aren’t capable of paying for the medical treatments or insurance. All these reasons make it harder for the African women immigrants during their pregnancy, the birth and through the recovery. Here Hagar and Miriam comes into the picture. They support these women and escort them throughout the entire process- "The project allows these women to cope their pregnancy and transition to motherhood in light of the difficulties of moving to a foreign country where they don’t know the local language and where they have to find a way to support themselves while they acclimate to the local culture" (Hagar & Miriam – African Israeli women in friendship and motherhood). In order to help these women, Hagar and Miriam create support groups for them, guide and lecture them about preparing for the birth and care of the baby, track and supervise the pregnancy (by volunteering doctors, midwives, and more), give more medical tests and treatments, and lots more. Aside from the projects which are already in action, Brit Olam has many future goals. They include assisting the different developing countries and communities around the world through programs based on Israeli knowledge in education, medicine, therapy, arts, and other fields. They wish to pay it forward to the young Israelis and Jews, as well as to the entire world. They also include cultivating the values of Tikkun Olam (fixing the world) in the Israeli society by developing an international Israeli-Jewish volunteering movement which synthesizes most of the cultural, social and religious groups in Israel. Another one of Brit Olam's goals is to cultivate leadership and social entrepreneurship within the young Israelis and Jews while introducing them to the world around them and showing them how they could help. The final goals of Brit Olam are to stabilize and deepen the attachment between Israel and the Jewish communities around the world based on humanitarian partnership of young Israelis and young Jews from the all around the world in the international sphere, and to improve the Israeli status and image in the international sphere through international activities around the world. In other words, the goals we see here show that Brit Olam is trying to aid and influence the world. Together with several other teams and organizations, they send volunteers around the world instilling knowledge and values in needy countries. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Their strategies to achieve their goals involve developing an international Israeli-Jewish volunteering movement which will synthesize humanitarian work; community leadership and social entrepreneurship; initiating and activating a medical, educational and arts community developing programs in developing communities around the world; assisting refugees and shelter craving people in Israel and Africa; active partnership in the international emergency rescue teams around the world, and developing unique educational programs for children, teenagers and communities here in Israel (Brit Olam Strategies).

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">One example of this mission is Hagar and Miriam, though there are many more projects working to help the needy countries and people all around the world- projects which are already active and projects which are still in development.

= Profile =

Rationale
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">David Gorelik is a very devoted MDA volunteer, and works extremely hard in order to make sure that the volunteers he's in charge of are happy and get along well with the system and each other <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Every time I get to MDA, I wait for the moment he'd walk in because whenever he comes, the entire room lights up. In that way you could see how much David gives society even through the little bit he thinks he does <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is the reason I chose to interview David. The assignment was to interview someone who contributes society, and David does exactly that. He does not only give from his own time and energy to the community through his volunteering, but he also makes big changes within his smaller circle- his friends, family, and everyone who knows him.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Live to Give[[image:IMG_0596.JPG width="144" height="190" align="right" caption="David Gorelik (MDA Station, Romema)"]]
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">David Gorelik is a 17 year-old teenager. Any 'normal' teenager you meet would probably be studying, hanging out with friends, or just going out of the house and get away. In that way, David is very different. It's not that he doesn’t hang out with friends and does any of the other so called 'normal' things teenagers do. He does all these things, though not in the same dosage as everyone else. In addition to his 'teenage life', he volunteers at 'Magen David Adom' (MDA) for at least 4 hours a week. Every Tuesday, he finishes school at 13:00, and straight from there he goes to the MDA station in Jerusalem. He spends the rest of his day there until his shift begins. In total, David spends about 4 hours at the station finishing up some homework and preparing for his shift, and once his shift begins, he spends 4 more hours with his volunteers at the station and on the ambulance. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">At MDA he doesn’t only volunteer, though. He, along side two more second year volunteers, is in charge of the volunteers on the shift. He organizes the placements of the volunteers on his shift and makes sure that everyone is happy with the system and their fellow volunteers. This may sound like an easy job, though he puts all his energy into it. He spends a lot of his own time (not only during his shift), working hard in order to guarantee that his volunteers are happy, that the system is recognizing their hard work, and all this he does while volunteering. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This ambition David has to MDA didn’t come out of nowhere. Ever since he was in sixth grade, he dreamed of volunteering for MDA. At school, they had a drill to teach the students what to do during emergencies. As the school seniors, the sixth graders were divided into the different emergency rescue teams like firemen, police and MDA, and David wanted to be on the MDA team. Luckily, he was placed on that team. Ever since, he had this dream of becoming an MDA volunteer, and at the end of tenth grade he passed the MDA course and started volunteering. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now, David is at the beginning of his second year of volunteering and he feels like he is contributing to society: "I feel like I give society a lot, though you could always do more… there is always a place to improve." <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Even though David is doing a lot to contribute to society, he did go through a few difficulties on the way to where he is now. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">One of these difficulties was David's first case. This case was very hard- CPR. This kind of case is very rough because even though you practice this a lot in the course, you can't really prepare for something like that: "It was as if I walked into a very foggy room. I was half connected to reality, and half not." It took a while before he finally snapped out of it, and thank god, this was the hardest case he has had. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After getting this kind of case on his first shift, it didn’t take much time for him to acclimate to the mentality in MDA: "This kind of shock makes you realize that MDA isn’t all about the small accidents people have: it's a lot more than that. Sometimes there are some pretty difficult cases and you have to move through them, though at the end you really feel like you made a difference." <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As David says, this difference is not only apparent in his volunteering life, but in his personal life as well. His friends and family can see the difference in his attitude and personality- they now see him not only as 'David Gorelik their class-mate', but as a friendlier, more open guy who can be asked out of class in order to set their twisted ankle, or bandage their sore finger. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">David could see these changes in him as well. He said it affected his social life for the better and that he now sees and understands the people around him better. "At first, I looked at the case through a book- this is what we learned and that’s what we do. Now, though, throughout my volunteering in MDA, I've realized there is more to it. You have to know to look at the case not as a case but as a person, and this changed a lot in my attitude towards people not only at MDA, but in my personal life as well." <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Aside from his current volunteer work, David is also thinking about the future. He plans on going to the army and becoming an army medic, and after that to studying medicine and maybe even returning to MDA one day. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">He aspires to being able to get the most out of himself and his volunteers as well as to do his best in order to make sure that they are as professional as possible. He hopes to be able to pay everything he does and knows forward, so he also does some volunteering in his community while training it what they can do during emergencies. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Even though David is very happy with the way his life turned out, there is one thing he wishes he could’ve had a chance to change- throughout his volunteering last year David didn’t really have a chance to connect with his fellow volunteers. He would’ve liked to have a chance to get to know them better and keep in touch with them because he believes that when you go through this kind of process together, you also build up together, and if you don’t end up keeping in touch with the people you grew with, what is the point of going through this process together? <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After talking with David about his life as an MDA volunteer, I asked him one last question about how MDA blends in with his life. He said that his motto in life explains exactly that: "There is a saying in MDA- MDA is not everything, there is also a life. My motto is- MDA is life." And as for his message to the youth of Israel, he said: "your success in life isn’t measured by how much you've worked and made, but by how much you've given others."

= <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Personal Connection =

==<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Giving == <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Helen Keller once said: “**I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble**.” <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I agree. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Keller says that in order for one to be able to accomplish his main, most greatest and noble task, he must first accomplish smaller tasks and treat them as if they were great and noble. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The reason I agree with Keller is because I believe that in order for one to find his duty in life, and them reach it, he must go through a developing process. This process is very private, and changes from person to person, though eventually, you like many others, find your duty in life and do your best to accomplish it. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Another thing I believe is that it's not the end of the process that matters the most. It's the process itself. In that process you discover new things about yourself and the world, and you learn how and what to do in different situations. This process is made out of the small things in life, which you learn how to make great and noble – such as a smile or just plain kindness. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Another person who has something to say in the matter is Humphrey Davy. He said: "**Life is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties, but of little things, in which smiles, and kindnesses, and small obligations, given habitually, are what win and preserve the heart and secure comfort**." This quote basically summarizes what I believe a person in Israel and all over the world must do in order to be a good friend and neighbor. You need to smile and be kind and give any small gestures in order for you to be able to reach your own personal goal which is your duty in life. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“**Make it a point to do something every day that you don’t want to do. This is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain**.” (Mark Twain) <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As Twain says, it really is hard making all these small duties a part of your day to day life. Though, once you begin and make even the smallest thing into your little task of kindness, you learn that it isn’t that hard giving back to society and reaching out to those in need, even just with a smile! <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wilfred Grenfell said once: “**The service we render others is really the rent we pay for our room on earth**.” Based on these words, one must give back to society because these acts of kindness he does are what earn him his place on earth and give him the right to get back and take from society as well. I believe these words are very important, and should be there in the back of your mind 24/7. Once you reach the point in which you do every thing out of the acknowledgement that you’re here for a reason, and that in order for you to take for your own selfish self, you must give from your selfless self first – I believe you’ve earned your place in the world and society, and you now have the right to take.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">One cannot live in a world with only taking from society and not giving back to it. But he can't live in a world in which he only gives and doesn’t take back, either. You must find your balance – you give and you take – and only then can you reach your great and noble goal and duty.

= <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Reflection = <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I was first learned what the subject of the project was going to be, I thought that it would be boring. Furthermore, I thought there would be nothing to say about Israeli organizations because I found it hard to believe that there were so many of them. Though, once I started researching the subject, I found that not only was there a lot to say about the different organizations, but there were countless organizations working to make Israel and the world a better place. I've learned that the even though the Israeli society sounds (sometimes) very selfish and inconsiderate, there are plenty of Israeli working to achieve the exact opposite – to reach out and help the people around them. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">From David Gorelik, I've learned that you can give in all kinds of different ways – some are bigger, and some are smaller. He taught that you can always do better, try harder, there is always something for you to do. You can also learn this from Helen Keller, Humphrey Davy and Mark Twain. They, like David, claim that giving is something infinite, something you can give in every way you can think about. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Throughout the writing of this project, I also learned new things about myself. I've learned that even though something sounds impossible to me (like the subject of the project, at first…), it doesn’t mean it really is. I've learned I have to trust myself more – with my research skills and writing skills. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was always told I have very good writing skills, which I should do something with it – but I never believed them. Though not anymore. After writing this project, I finally saw what others saw in my work for myself. I finally realized the talent others saw in me, and I feel like I've done something with it for the first time. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Something ells that developed in me throughout the process of writing this project were my research skills. I learned how to choose my keywords and what resources are worth using while others are not. It took a while until I had this skill under control, though I now feel a lot more comfortable searching for information on the web. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After reflecting on this project, I realize how glad I am for doing it. I've learned a lot about the Israeli society and myself and I now understand life in Israel better.

= <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Notes =

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Brit Olam, 7.11.11 <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> < []<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">>

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">David Gorelik, MDA station (Romema), 13.11.11

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">הגר ומרים" – למען נשים הרות פליטות בישראל, 7.11.11"  **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">(Hagar & Miriam - African Israeli Women in Friendship and Motherhood) **   <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">< []<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">>

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">זה הסוד שלי, 25.12.11  <[]<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">>