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December 5, 2003
Israeli teens get new lease on life
Modern-day Janusz Korczak gives youth in despair a home and a
bright future in an agricultural community.
SHARON KANON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
In a raw Jerusalem wind, almost a decade ago, three ragged, unwashed
and exhausted teenage boys sat hunched at the edge of the pavement.
None of them had a place to call home. Abandoned and abused by their
parents, rejected by teachers, they gazed forlornly at the sidewalk.
That was until soldier Yossi Sadeh offered them the use of his empty
apartment – a spontaneous act of kindness that heralded the
beginning of Sde Bar.
A working farm that provides a warm, nurturing living environment
for some 100 young street kids, Sde Bar helps these youngsters develop
responsibility and emotional maturity through caring for animals,
tending hothouses and actively participating in every aspect of
maintaining and developing the farm.
"I came here to get away from the police," said 16-year-old
N., taking time off from a math lesson to talk about his new life
at Sde Bar. Like many of the teenagers at Sde Bar, he had been a
street kid, often eating garbage and stealing to get money for drugs,
after he ran away from the violence at home. A year later, the youth
with clear blue eyes and long blond hair is responsible for the
two herb and tea hothouses in the fledging community.
The nurturing atmosphere of the desert farm (in a stunning location
in the Judean Desert, 20 minutes south of Jerusalem) has had a miraculous
effect, transforming kids with "distinguished" police
records into productive, responsible adults for whom life has meaning
and direction.
"There are no bad boys, there are only boys to whom bad things
happen," said Sadeh, initiator of the community, known as
Abba (Dad) to many of the 100 young people he has "adopted"
since he first began his heroic rescue mission in 1994. "In
Sde Bar, home, warmth, love and understanding are key words. I try
to serve as a beacon."
It all began one cold winter day when Sadeh, 33, who served in a
secret, elite commando unit in the Israeli army, noticed three forlorn
teenage boys hanging around a park in Jerusalem, when he came home
from the army for the weekend.
"There was a look of despair about them," said Sadeh softly.
"I offered them the use of my apartment during the week, and
said that at the weekend we could be together. They just had to
keep things in order." The homeless, hungry youths jumped at
the offer and later brought in two other boys.
Realizing that he could give a home to other such youngsters, Sadeh
decided to move to a larger house. He found a place in Beit Shemesh
and then in Kiryat Arba until the Israel government allocated land
(more than 50 acres) for the current farm in Gush Etzion.
At Sde Bar, there are only two rules: no violence and no drugs.
"This is the boys' home for life; it is not an institution,"
asserts Sadeh. In fact, some of the older boys act as big brothers
and spend Shabbat and holidays at the farm, even after they have
been drafted into the army, have left for university or taken a
job in the city.
"Conversation is the strongest tool," said Sadeh, who
uses every opportunity to reach out to the teenagers, many of whom
are withdrawn and distrustful when they first arrive.
Meeting Sadeh in the olive orchard in the heat of the day, I heard
him respond quietly and firmly to a young man who complained, "I
have blisters on my hands from pruning the olive trees. Get someone
else to take my place."
"Why don't you go get a drink, then come back," said Sadeh
without raising his voice. "I'll be there soon. It's a chance
to talk. I'll work and you can talk."
"I try to understand each boy. I give them warmth and love.
A smile is like a piece of candy for them," said the intuitive,
self-taught educator.
"I don't get much sleep," admitted Sadeh. "Boys frequently
wake up at night with nightmares and I help calm them." Healing
emotional scars (including bedwetting) is a primary task.
Sadeh's inspiration was Janusz Korczak (1878-1942), the legendary
Polish educator whose passion for helping disadvantaged youth prompted
him to set up homes for orphans. He believed that children should
structure their own world and become experts in matters that interested
them. A doctor and an author, he wrote about the rights of the child.
Although his fame could have saved him, he refused to abandon the
children when the Nazis sent them to Treblinka. He died with them.
Many of Korczak's progressive ideas have been applied at Sde Bar.
"When a boy first comes to the farm, we try to find what his
interests and innate abilities are," said Sadeh.
A 14-year-old boy is in charge of the sheep and goats, takes care
of their medical needs and even helps in birthing. Other youths
make goat cheese, including herbed cheese, and very fine olive oil.
Youngsters are also in charge of the horses and have won medals
in competitions, while others built the dining room, complete with
an earth-en oven.
To improve the quality of the hothouse crops, N. took a six month
course at Hebrew University's faculty of agriculture in Rehovot.
A bright boy, he has thrived on the one-to-one flexible system of
learning at Sde Bar. "Sometimes I learn math for half an hour
and sometimes for two hours," he said. Six teachers tutor the
boys, many of whom lack basic reading and math skills. With personal
tutoring and motivation, they move ahead fast.
"I have a good mind and I like to learn, especially literature,"
said N., his candid sense of self-worth reflecting a 360-degree
change from his past. He has already taken several exams towards
his high school matriculation. Many of the young men go on to university
and six of the Sde Bar family have become officers in the Israeli
army. Some of the boys have married.
Whatever emotional or practical problems they have, "Abba"
Sadeh is there for them – to discuss romance or career, or
to help negotiate reduced rent for an apartment.
A $1 million US-a-year operation, including four apartments in Jerusalem,
Sde Bar is under pressure, funds permitting, to take in 200 more
teenagers.
With a success rate of more than 90 per cent, compared to a 60 per
cent rate for other programs, the farm has become a model for other
initiatives by the Ministry of Education and Department of Welfare,
and approval has been received to establish a new farm in the Galilee.
To learn more about Sde Bar, visit their Web site at www.sde-bar.org.il.
Sharon Kanon is writer with Israel Press Service.
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