Hagshama participates in PresenTense – The lab for development of Jewish–Zionist initiatives
For 6 weeks during June and July, 20 young adults who were handpicked from around the world gathered in Jerusalem to participate in an intensive summer Fellowship program that enables socially-minded entrepreneurs from the fields of hi-tech, business, social action, education and the arts to turn their envisioned projects into reality. Accepted fellows have access to skill building sessions in project management and execution; meet with leading figures in the fields of venture capital, philanthropy, hi-tech, social action, education and the arts; receive mentorship from a leading innovator in their field; and network with socially-minded entrepreneurs from around the world.
The Hagshama Department accompanied the project in two senses: First, the department assisted the group in planning and implementing special tour days to Tel-Aviv and to northern Israel where they met with Israeli entrepreneurs and cultural icons such as Yossi Vardi, the "father of Israeli start-up", with Ruth Calderon, who established the Alma institute in Tel-Aviv, visited Tefen, and saw how Israel Prize Laureate Stef Vertheimer's vision turned into reality, creating a large and prospering industrial park, visited Google Israel in Haifa and more…
The second way that Hagshama supports this project is by sponsoring one of the participants in the project, Erin Kopelow. Erin proposed a model that would help olim better integrate into Israeli society. The reality unfortunately shows that many olim face difficulties when trying to adapt to the new environment. They move from absorption centers to small and sometimes isolated communities, and often find themselves in secluded in an olim-only environment, thus finding it difficult to form meaningful relationships with the established local population.
Erin suggests " Protecxia", an organization that initiates gatherings between olim and the veteran population around cultural events, trips, volunteering, workshops and more. She hopes that these will form meaningful social relationships, which are the most important elements in successful absorption at work, in society and in life in general. For more information see www.protecxia.com
