During my recent trip to Israel, I was able to meet with Adi Romem, Director of Magshimim; hosted at the Israel Association of Community Centers (IACC). Magshimim is around 20 programs spread throughout Israel which is funded by the Honeycomb Foundation Board Incubator, and these programs serve the Israeli youth, as well as their communities.  From the moment I touched down in the Holy Land, I was on the go. Here are some of the amazing views from the trip to see Magshimim in action. On a hazy Wednesday, morning Adi picked me up from Ben Gurion Airport and whisked me away to Netanya to visit the community center and many of our programs over the next several days.

At this center, Eliran Moyal, Assistant Director of Magshimim Programs, met with us to show us around the different areas in the community center, as well as the surrounding community.  Eliran and Adi sat with me to discuss a major program the youth take part in called the “White Night.” This is when the youth spend an entire night at the community center to create requests for funding from five business and private funders in the surrounding areas. The youth spend half the evening creating a presentation, and then they present in a very “Shark Tank” way. The businesspeople then decide whether to fund one, or some of the organizations which have been presented to them.

While in Netanya, near the community center, we saw many of the youth spread about at different markets with banners asking for any non-perishable foods to collect. After several hours, these young people will bring the donations to the community center where other Magshimim participants will organize them and box them up for delivery around town to those who need some help with groceries. Not only are these young people involved in the typical philanthropic processes, but they spend a lot of time volunteering in their communities, and have become pillars in those communities; when people need something done they call the Community Center and the youth come, sometimes the same day.

As we moved around the city of Netanya, I was shocked by the amount of people who were using the Community Center as a hub for after school gatherings and care for the young children. There were hundreds of people moving about the center as we gathered a cup of coffee from the café in the community center, and went to our next stop around the corner to meet with the members of the Liga HaTzedek program, which goes around the community and assists with small home repairs. When I was there, the members were scraping, spackling, and painting the interiors of a house in the community. On top of this, the members of this experience are collecting chametz (items not kosher for Passover) and will be organizing all the items and redistributing the items to those in need after Passover.

That evening we spent with the participants in the Volume program. A center for youth who are musically inclined to come and share in the creative process and experience. These people were so talented, and I encroached on their talent with my own singing… Let’s just say, I will continue to write, and they should continue to entertain. These participants were rehearsing for the next day’s performance in Jerusalem. This performance is an important aspect of this group’s philanthropic experience, because the money raised from the ticket sales is then granted to nonprofit organizations which are decided by the teen group. Although I was not able to see them perform for a large audience, I know from their rehearsal, that the concert was AWESOME!

As we were leaving the community, a couple young men, participants in the program, wanted to practice their English with me. I asked a couple of them why they come to this community center, and what do they like about it, their response was that they come because they can do good for their community. They can give to those who need it more than they do. Then they pointed to a mural on the wall which has their motto: The greatest thing I could ever do, is to do something good for someone else.  The power and resilience of the Israeli youth is very evident through philanthropy, they are raising money together, collecting groceries, cleaning for Passover, and giving of themselves, their time, energy, and their strength to their neighbors. To me, there is nothing more Honeycomb than this.

Written by

Matt Bergman

Communications and Engagement Manager

Honeycomb