Tash is a Yahel Social Change Fellowship alumna from the 2016-17 cohort. She just represented Yahel at the Masa Israel conference in London, so this was a great time to catch up with her for an Alumni Spotlight!
What were some of your activities while on the fellowship?
During my 9 months in Israel I lived in Lod and taught English to small groups of students in middle school. In the afternoons I worked with Jindas, an NGO focused on the renewal of the Old City of Lod, to update their website, manage their fundraising prospects in salesforce and complete applications for funding. I also met with an elderly woman in a local retirement home and separately with the head of a local NGO, to speak with them in English every other week.
What are you doing now?
After I left Israel I started working at World ORT, a global education charity. In World ORT we work with local partners to support Jewish schools and education initiatives. My experience of working in an international context on Yahel and the passion I gained for community organising definitely helped me to understand my interests and aspirations. Now I get to use the experience I gained through Yahel in my work every day.
What has stayed with you from the fellowship? Through Yahel I learned that small steps and achievements add up to a big difference. By the end of the 9 months, and particularly in retrospect, I learned that the sum of all our work had an impact on the community as well as on each of us as individuals.
Do you have any favorite memory or story from your time with Yahel? Some of my favourite memories are from visits to Hana, who was the elderly woman I met with along with Sofy, another Yahel fellow. Hana told us very interesting stories from her life and gave us nice snacks. It was great to connect with her and learn more about Israel through her eyes. One story I like to remember is the time she asked Sofy and I to visit the shop with her. We weren't used to walking at Hana's pace and after we finally made it in the heat with very slow progress, Hana picked up two litre bottles of coke and packs and pack of biscuits (for us to enjoy) making the journey back that little bit more laden and slow, but it was worth it for the extra treats and to see Hana laugh and enjoy the journey so much.
Many thanks to Tash for supporting Yahel in London. We love to keep up with Alumni, so keep writing to us to share updates, adventures, and more!