Yemin Orde

Ever since the birth of the State of Israel, Yemin Orde Youth Village has been devoted to the educational and social requirements of needy children. Founded in 1953 by the British Friends of Youth Aliyah, the Village cared for immigrant children during the great immigration waves of the fifties and seventies. Today, it is a thriving community for teens from 24 countries in the Diaspora and for Israeli children from dysfunctional homes. All the children have experienced severe emotional traumas and are defined by the social services agencies as ‘at-risk’.

Yemin Orde is an example to the world of how 500 thirteen to eighteen year olds from many different backgrounds and origins can live and learn together, harmoniously and without aggression. To date the Village has twice received the President’s award for excellence in education, and in 1996 the Village and its Director, Dr Chaim Peri, received the Prime Minister’s Award, Magan HaYeled (Guardian of the Child), the highest honour of its kind in Israel.

The dedicated staff recognizes and respects every child as an individual, acknowledging and addressing problems head-on. A hallmark of the Village’s value system is that a child is never sent away. On the contrary, Yemin Orde is open 365 days a year, with outreach programmes for even less fortunate children running through the summer months when some of the students return to their families. Israeli children suffering from cancer are brought to the Village for some respite, as are children of families who have suffered losses due to, or have been victims of, acts of terror.

Yemin Orde’s mission is to integrate youngsters into mainstream Israeli society, by educating them to a high standard and helping them manage day-to-day living. The success rate is high, and thousands of youngsters "at risk" have been helped by Yemin Orde. In addition, as a modern thinking community, the Village sees itself as an experiment for all social change in Israel. The Village promotes democracy, unity between populations, and Jewish identity in the broad sense for all.