Project Spotlight: A Seder Celebration for Homeless Youth

The Fellowship  |  April 26, 2016

The Elem Fellowship House provides a home and haven for homeless youth in the Jerusalem area. Fellowship staff recently attended a model sedermeal at this Fellowship House, an event that provided these young people in need a chance to truly celebrate Passover.

We recently received the following thank-you letter from Nava Barak, chairman of Elem, expressing how important this support is for Israel’s at-risk youth.

I’d like to thank you for your participation at the holiday meal that took place at the Fellowship House in Jerusalem.

The meal took place in a homey, familial, and moving atmosphere with the participation of our young people, the volunteers, and the dedicated workers.

Your presence at the event contributed greatly to the festive atmosphere and the feeling we all have of how important the warm and longstanding cocoon that you, our friends at The Fellowship, provide to this important and unique project.

The moving and touching words of Tehilla, a graduate of the center, still echo within me:

“Thanks to Elem and The Fellowship, I personally feel that I’ve gone from slavery to freedom. They’re the family that I never had; they’re everything to me.”

In light of these words, I feel that we have all been privileged to take part in the journey of many young people who have no family support, and to give them hope and a chance for both change and independence.

Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the strong partnership, and I wish you, Rabbi Eckstein, and your families, a happy Passover!

Yours in Fellowship,

Nava