There's a lack of young Jewish-Israeli leaders in the Tikkun Olam world, contend Adam LeAdam [Human being to Human being] founders Uri Amit and Yarden Tenenbaum.
AN ADAM LeAdam volunteer with orphans in India. The organization chose India for its project in hope of engaging in dialogue between Israelis and Indians.
Photo: Courtesy
Recognizing that lack in the field of humanitarian projects abroad, the two, both former emissaries of the Jewish Agency came together to form Adam LeAdam and develop a program to train and support future leaders, both Israelis and Jews from the Diaspora.
Their philosophy is at once avant garde and traditional. Unlike others of their peers who divide their "Jewish" and "Israeli" identities, they see the two as inseparable parts of a complex whole - which should anchor and guide one's actions.
"Right now, a lot of the field of 'Tikkun Olam' is divided into people who either do humanitarian projects with communities abroad out of their common humanity but deny any Jewish influence, or people who reach out from a place influenced by Judaism generally to other Jews," Amit observed to The Jerusalem Post this week.
"We have a moral imperative to go out from here as Israelis, Jews and human beings," Amit insisted.
Drawing on a network of friends, colleagues and professionals in the worlds of Jewish education, Israel-Diaspora relations and ecology, the two founded the NGO in February and are putting together their flagship project with an expected launch date of September 2009.
Joining forces with Masa, Amit and Tenenbaum say they've created a unique program.
"Leaders for Tikkun Olam" is an eight-month long project consisting of three parts. The first part is an Israel immersion experience for the 25 participants from Israel and abroad.
The second part will be a three-month long mission to southeast India to build an organic farm and a training center for sustainable farming. The idea was actually a request by local leaders.
"We answer the needs of the populace rather than creating a need," Tenenbaum explained, "This is practical environmentalism."
Strong believers in cooperation, they will be joined in the organic farm project by two local NGOs - The Center for Cultural Development (CCD) and Sodhana Forest.
The final part of the project is a return to Israel, where the participants develop their own projects and then use the seed money and connections of Adam LeAdam to become educational leaders.
Amit and Tenenbaum, both in their early 30s with a background in Jewish education and international aid projects, credit growing up in Israel's socioeconomic periphery with their passion for social justice.
Tenenbaum is from Holon and Amit from Kiryat Shmona.
Tenenbaum is a former emissary with a degree in geography and environment, and Amit has been an emissary of the Jewish Agency or the Foreign Ministry to the FSU, the Ukraine and in Vienna. He's also a former spokesman of Meretz youth and helped create the Nahal Haredi.
The members of the NGO come from both the volunteer world and the Jewish education world. "They are a mix of friends, colleagues, and professionals we sought out," Tenenbaum explained.
They have a basic operating budget that covers the bare essentials, but are looking for funders to cover the costs of the flagship project, which will cost $13,000 for an overseas participant and less for Israelis.
But Amit and Tenenbaum will help find as many grants as possible to help defray costs. As of now, they've lined up a $3,000 grant to help reduce costs.
While preparing their big project, the NGO has helped out refugees in Tel Aviv and engaged in a few other projects here and abroad, but they are keeping their eye on the big goal. And depending on the success of the project, Adam LeAdam is considering expanding to the African continent as well as offshoots of the Indian projects.
"Our biggest liability is also our biggest asset: we're young. In Israel, you only get the responsibility and money if you are a public figure or 60 years old. We want to break that cycle. Our organization is filled with impressive, dynamic people who are ready to take things forward," Amit concluded.
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