Merkaz Ma'ase

A leadership program for young adults in Israel, Merkaz Ma’ase engages young people in a year of volunteer service after they have graduated high school and before they begin their army service.

The program was founded in 2005 by the Israel Venture Network and the Rashi Foundation to address social gaps in Israeli society by working with at-risk youth, particularly in the peripheral regions of Israel. By 2009, Ma’ase had more than 700 full-time volunteers working in 65 municipalities from Eilat in the south to the Galilee Panhandle in the north. More than half of these volunteers came from peripheral areas and minorities themselves. Today, Ma’ase is a well-recognized organization with partnerships with the Ministries of Defense and Education, as well as with Israeli youth movements.

Funds from the Federation Annual Campaign support Ma'ase volunteers working in our partnership region in the north of Israel, several of whom volunteer with Beit Vancouver and other Vancouver-related initiatives. More...