Latest Articles OU Israel Program

Members of the Jack E. Gindi Oraita Club in Acco recently visited Retorno near Kibbutz Tzora, southwest of Jerusalem. Retorno is a substance abuse rehabilitation center. The teens who visited Retorno in early December are 17-18 years old and have a variety of problems, says Chaim Pelzner, Oraita Director. “Most...

With the Jerusalem Marathon 2014 just 4 months away, members of Team Yachad are already training. In mid-November 800 Yachad supporters made their way to Ganei Yehoshua in north Tel Aviv for the first Running in Color 5 km race. This year’s Running in Color had an estimated 3,000 participants....

It took a gaggle of giggling grade 10 girls on a sabbatical here from their rocket-pounded homes in Ashdod to prove, yet again, that Israel’s strength lies in its twin bitachon (trust) in God and the IDF. Standing in front of the Kotel, Anael - one of 33 students from...

“Welcome.  Hashem is With You” reads a spray-painted wooden sign posted at the entrance to the army base at Gaza’s southernmost tip.  This is the Israeli army’s main infantry training grounds and for the past several weeks it has been the site of major activity as Israel’s soldiers...

The kollel in Mitzpe Yericho didn’t feel like enough anymore. Netanel Siman-Tov, a native of Mitzpe Yericho in the Judean desert, had lived in and loved the community all his life. But he felt a growing discontent after the disengagement from Gaza. “Mitzpe is a very nice place to...

The Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center, located on Rehov Keren HaYesod in the center of Jerusalem, is a heart pulsing with life and hope for the Jewish people—all Jews, of all ages, of all backgrounds. With the vision and leadership of its Executive Director Rabbi Avi...

In the U.S., we use phrases like “kids off the derech” or “teenagers at risk”, but Israel’s Dati Leumi (religious Zionists) have termed it “youth on the edge”. The following letter was submitted to Olam Katan, a popular Shabbat newsletter in Israel. The author offers a personal opinion that...