Walk the way of Derech Eretz
Who We Are
The Programs
Alumni Community – a place where shared values and responsibility can serve as a platform for social initiatives, fueled with our guidance and resources.
Avnei Derech [Milestones] – A three-week training program that prepares participants for the transition to civilian life, while processing their military service and utilizing the skills and experiences gained during service as valuable and forward-thinking tools for the future.
Derech HaNegev (The Way of the Negev) – A program that combines educational work throughout the Negev, community life, training, and personal development, in partnership with the Ramat Negev Regional Council.
A Pluralistic, Diverse Community of Leaders
Derech Eretz programs reach out to youth from all segments of Israeli society, fostering a group dynamic that reflects the rich diversity of the “people of Israel”, including traditional, secular, and religious Jews, new immigrants and veterans, graduates of comprehensive schools, youth villages and boarding schools, development towns, kibbutzim, moshavim, and cities. The focus is particularly on youth from peripheral areas and families with lower socio-economic backgrounds. For the vast majority of youth in this population, there was no pre-military educational framework available to them before the establishment of Derech Eretz.
Our dream is for every young person in Israel to have access to these valuable programs, enabling them to choose participation and shape their personalities and identities as they transition into adulthood.
Derech Eretz is driving profound social change and laying another cornerstone in the effort to create a more just, equal, and tolerant society in Israel.
Program Pillars
Rise to Purpose
Derech Eretz works to educate the younger generation in order to create a unified Israeli society based on shared values, a sense of belonging, and mutual responsibility among its diverse citizens.
We emphasize in our programs the importance of creating deep dialogue, healthy conversation, and striving for shared living.
At the heart of Derech Eretz’s educational programs are:
- a process of personal development
- establishing identity and worldviews
- the development of mental and emotional flexibility
- living together with others
We aspire for every graduate and educator in Derech Eretz to be able to embrace complexity, differences, and diversity, treat others with mutual respect, and build meaningful friendships. When we succeed in fostering all of this within the ‘Derech Eretz’ programs, we can believe and hope that this way of living can also be realized in broader circles within Israeli society.