Giving Back to the Community
Ohr Torah Stone’s Neveh Shmuel Yeshiva High School, in Memory of Samuel Pinchas Ehrman is renowned for its high level of Torah and academic studies. Yet when asked what makes their school special, students often talk about the school’s values.
Eleventh grader Natan Fuld explains, “The learning is ‘lishma’ (for the sake of the learning) and not just for the bagrut (matriculation exams), and the faculty is available to help us with anything we need. They really care about the students.”
Natan’s friend Chagai Goldbloum adds, “Neveh Shmuel emphasizes the learning alongside the importance of strengthening bonds among students and contributing to the broader community.” The school recently received an award of excellence from the Israeli Ministry of Education based on these three areas: the learning, school environment and commitment to volunteerism.
Students Embrace the Value of Helping Others
Central to this value of “giving back,” Neveh Shmuel has created a thriving volunteer program. Tenth grade students volunteer weekly in the local community, and all grades participate in “one-time” projects to help residents of Efrat and Gush Etzion.
Last year, Natan and Chagai both volunteered at a day center for people with dementia. “Going there every week, I got to know the participants and I felt like the time I spent really made a difference to them. When I ran into a man from the center over summer vacation, he told me how much he missed me,” shares Chagai.
“Neveh Shmuel helped me build weekly volunteering into my schedule again this year so I can go back. The school helps us find ways to do things that are important.”
Students organize grade-wide one-time programs, as well. Chagai and Natan recently ran a program to help a local farmer prepare his fields for planting following the shmita (sabbatical) year in which Jewish law prohibits planting and harvesting in Israel.
The event was run in memory of Ari Fuld, z”l, Natan’s father, who was murdered by a terrorist in 2018 at the Gush Etzion Junction. As Neveh Shmuel Principal Chezi Zecharia notes, “It’s not just about helping students fulfill their required volunteer hours for graduation, but about actualizing the Jewish value of helping others, something that was very important to Ari. The program Natan and Chagai ran was a beautiful tribute to his memory and we were honored to help make it happen.”
