The premise of The Jerusalem Winter Ball is to provide an outlet for Jerusalem residents to come together and support a charity that will benefit the larger community. In the past proceeds of The Jerusalem Winter Ball have gone to Hadassah Hospital’s Neonatal Center, Shachen Tov and The OneFamily Fund. The Crossroads Center has been selected as the charitable beneficiary for this year’s event.

The 2008 Jerusalem Winter Ball will take place at the Pavilion Ballroom on Thursday February 21st, 2008. Pavilion Ballroom 14 Ha’oman Street, Jerusalem

Tickets for The Jerusalem Winter Ball are 250 shekels and can be purchased at www.jerusalemwinterball.com .  

American-born social-worker Caryn Green, Director of Crossroads Jerusalem, was recently in Livingston, NJ, where she addressed a parlor meeting about the often unknown dangers confronting American Youth studying in Israel.  Crossroads, founded in 2001, is Jerusalem’s only organization dedicated to assisting at-risk youth from English-speaking homes.  According to Green, in recent years the number of English-speaking youth who have been caught up in Israel’s drug and crime trades has beenon the rise.  Crossroads conducts outreach and operates a drop-in center across from Zion Square.  For more information, visit www.crosroadsjerusalem.org

David (name changed to protect identity) distinctly recalls the moment he took his last hit of cocaine. Deep inside the stuffy confines of an Israeli prison in the unrelenting heat of the Negev, a fellow inmate and hard-core user gestured to him to take a hit of the pipe he was smoking. Revolted by the user’s incessant cough and the blood streaming from his nose, David says, “Something just snapped inside of me and from that very moment, I promised myself I would never again use hard drugs.”

Even while the American yeshiva student had a long road of recovery ahead of him, that day in prison marked an important turnaround for the then 19-year old whose life had led him down a remarkably strange and often dangerous path. While the details that brought him into the hands of Israel’s correctional system were far from the ordinary, his saga serves as a shocking reminder of a growing phenomenon wherein American yeshiva students and children of American immigrants to Israel, including many from the Long Island area, are increasingly getting caught up in the violent world of delinquency, drugs and crime on Israel’s streets.

While drug abuse and delinquency are epidemics that can be seen all over Israel, for the Anglo community, the problem finds most of its activity in the nation’s capital and its suburbs. In the heart of downtown Jerusalem, just at the bottom of the Ben-Yehuda thoroughfare is Zion Square, but to local Anglo youth it is more commonly known as Crack Square. It is this meeting point that for years had been the hangout where English speakers would gather at all hours of the night, often with the goal of getting drunk or high.

One of the foremost players involved with the effort to confront the scourge of Anglo delinquency is a local Jerusalem non-profit called Crossroads. In 2001, the organization opened the doors of the Crossroads Center located adjacent to the Square with the specific purpose of offering youth a safe, nurturing- and where relevant- therapeutic environment to address their problems.

Founded by Caryn Green, who made aliya from Tyler, Texas ten years ago, Crossroads currently serves as the only Israeli organization dedicated exclusively to English-speaking youth and sees over 700 young men and women through its doors each year. Green, who studied social work in New York, says defining what is an “at-risk” child requires looking at a combination of factors.

“We have children who come in here and say that they were beaten by their parents and want to be sure they don’t do similar things to their children, and young men who were smoking crack and living on the streets,” she says. “A common story we regularly hear is of both boys and girls who were sexually abused back in the U.S.”

In an effort to put those horrific experiences behind them, parents often send their children to Israel with the belief that a change in environment will lead to a change in situation - but once in Israel, they often turn to drugs and other self-destructive behavior as a means to cope with their personal crises. While children of immigrants to Israel find themselves in new surroundings for wholly different reasons, similar occurrences of “at-risk” behavior are also being increasingly found amongst that sector of the population.

According to Chaim Waxman, professor emeritus of sociology at Rutgers University and a senior fellow at the Jerusalem People Policy Planning Institute, while there is no specific evidence that shows Anglo youth are more “troubled” than their Israeli counterparts, shifts such as moving to Israel can have a drastic effect on a child’s behavior. “Immigration is a classic example of upheaval,” says Waxman who has extensively studied and written about the subject of American aliya. “And with that upheaval comes a certain degree of delinquency.”

This “at-risk” behavior is often exhibited by children of immigrants, years, even decades, after the original move, suggesting that the sense of upheaval is something which can never be completely erased. One father who asked to remain anonymous and had moved from California 15 years ago, said that while he wouldn’t say anything bad about Israel, “the school systems don’t always address each individual’s potential and is unable to respond to specific challenges and issues one might be facing.” Only after his daughter’s behavior became dangerous to the extent that she was recommended to the care of Crossroads was she able to get her life back on track. Today, his daughter is performing National Service and is on good terms with her family leading her father to say with regret, “it’s a huge shame that it requires kids to get involved in a whole bunch of trouble in order for them to get this kind of treatment.”

A mother, who similarly requested anonymity, had moved from Florida over 25 years ago and admitted that raising children in Israel presented certain challenges that required parents to look for help outside of the traditional family framework. Regarding her son who was helped by Crossroads and is now living and working in Baltimore, she said that the Center allows for treatment, “that takes the emotional involvement of parents out of the picture. Their professionalism allows them to help no matter what.”

As for David, his path down the slippery slope that eventually led him into an Israeli prison began when his drug use was transformed from a vice to a profession as he began to sell drugs - a pastime that he quickly recognized had become extremely profitable.

Green, who first met David on one her many forays onto the streets of Jerusalem to discover Anglo teens in need, says the American teen “always was carrying large wads of cash.” Recognizing that the real profits came from importing drugs from Europe, David along with several “mules” began to make regular trips to Amsterdam until in his words, “I got too greedy.” His operation had caught the eye of Israeli law enforcement and upon one re-entry to Israel, one of his mules was caught with a suitcase full of drugs. David was sentenced to fifteen months in prison- a sentence which was later reduced to ten for good behavior. Green, who regularly made the trip to the facility just outside of Beersheba, recalls one day early in his term when she confronted David saying “Who are you? He looked up at me and said I don’t know. We started from there and never looked back.”

On the day of his release, David went to the Western Wall to pray as a free man for the first time in months. There, by chance, he met a girl he had known from the U.S. and who would later become his wife. While required by the Israeli police to leave the country, he was well on the road to recovery and he now says he has succeeded in leaving this dark chapter firmly behind him.

Today, living back in New York as a father of two and with a solid job, he sees the work of Green and Crossroads as the catalyst that brought about the change in his life. Green recalls how at her protégé’s wedding she was approached by his parents and treated almost as royalty. “While I didn’t deserve such honor, I’m deeply proud of what role we could play in his life,” she says with a smile. Yet, as she prepares to head back out to the dark Jerusalem streets, she cautions that much work remains to be done, saying, “While David is one of our true success stories, we know that there are many others just like him, simply waiting in the wings to be discovered and helped.”

Jeremy Wimpfheimer is a freelance journalist living in Beit Shemesh, Israel.

The Crossroads center is often associated with the more intense parts of life, however; through our comedy shows, we connect ourselves to the most important type of medicine- laughter. When people think of Crossroads it puts a smile on their faces. -Caryn Green (TY ‘84-’88, YC ‘88-’89), Founder & Director

Every year, hundreds of English-speaking youth in Israel end up on the streets. The Crossroads Center, founded by Young Judaea alum Caryn Green, is located in the heart of downtown Jerusalem and is the sole intervention program targeting at-risk Anglo teens. The Crossroads staff of social workers and volunteers helps roughly 700 teens in Israel each year through a variety of services, including active outreach, psychological therapy, rehabilitative social activity, educational enrichment, and emotional support. These teens are offered an alternative to the drugs and violence of street life, the support they need to start over, and the services that will help get their lives back on track.

Caryn Green grew up in Tyler, TX. She attended Camp Young Judaea Texas for many years, Camp Tel Yehudah, Year Course, and was the Regional Director of T.O.L. - Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. In 1997 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Texas and completing a master’s degree in social work from Yeshiva University, she made aliyah and lived at Merkaz Hamagshimim. In 2001, she founded the Crossroads Center and has been dedicated to its growth and development ever since.

For the past three years Crossroads has been working with Young Judaea alum and comedian Avi Liberman (Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Comedy Central’s Premium Blend) to put on stand up comedy shows in which all of the proceeds go toward the Center. This year the shows have grown from three performances in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Ra’anana to shows in six different cities around the country. Green says, “The first shows did not make any money, but it did get the word out about what we do. This past June we made about $10,000 and we are still spreading the word and hope to grow even more.” Liberman has managed to bring in renowned comedians. This December’s show will feature Mark Schiff, who has appeared in Mad About You, Roseanne, and was an opening act for Jerry Seinfeld, John Mulrooney, Reggie McFadden and Liberman himself. Green and Liberman went to camp together as children. “It is fun to have a childhood friend invested in the project that I founded. We both get a lot out of putting together the shows,” Green shared.

Green believes that the reason all of the proceeds are able to go towards the Center is because of the generous people behind the project. However, much more is still needed in order to keep the shows operating at such a high level. Visit the website to find out more about Crossroads and upcoming comedy tours.

“When talking with other YJ friends, one of the things that always comes up is the fact that YJ taught us to lead, speak in front of groups, and move the world around us. I am sure that the foundation that I built from my experiences in YJ, helped me to envision and reach toward the creation of Crossroads. Ani v’atah neshaneh et haolam!”
– Caryn Green, Founder & Director, Crossroads Center

This year, YU’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work (WSSW) is celebrating fifty years of educating students. Since its inception, Wurzweiler graduates have been making impressive contributions to improve the lives of vulnerable populations and strengthening communities throughout the world. Wurzweiler is the only graduate social work education program in the US under Jewish auspices in a university setting. The program has a unique nature which stems from an historic emphasis on values and ethics, respect for ethnicity, and recognition of the importance of religious beliefs and spirituality. Over 6000 students have received Master’s degrees from Wurzweiler since 1957, and over 150 doctorates have been awarded. An important aspect of WSSW is that students have the opportunity to perform hands-on field work with organizations that are carefully screened and chosen for their excellence in the social work arena.

On December 26th WSSW Israel alumni gathered at the Jesselson home to mark together fifty years of the program. Alumni Caryn Green (’97), Gila Broner (’97), Amir Gilboa (’06) and Dahlia Krindler (’94), were featured speakers at this reunion of Israeli alumni.

The work of alumna Caryn Green (’97) in Israel serves as one example of the contribution that many WSSW alumni make to Israeli society. “It was a very good experience,” remarks Caryn about the Block Program of WSSW, “I still have friends from the program and they’re doing amazing things.”

Caryn came to Israel while studying at WSSW as part of the Block Program which places students in organizations in Israel as part of their required field work. During her year in Israel, Caryn worked at the Summit Institute, located in Jerusalem. The Summit Institute, a network of psychiatric rehabilitation services, uses the “Therapeutic Community” system. The work Caryn did at Summit greatly influenced her decision to make aliyah and eventually establish Crossroads, a Jerusalem based Center for English- speaking youth at risk.

Caryn founded Crossroads in 2000. It is the only intervention program facilitating the integration of English-speaking teenagers into Israeli society. The Crossroads Center serves an average of 700 youth per month. Its Jerusalem location, directly across from Zion Square, is a safe-haven for teens at risk offering an alternative to being on the streets, and social activities other than hanging out in bars. Additionally, the Crossroads Center offers services in three arenas: social activities, counseling and therapy as well as educational opportunities.

Caryn not only serves as director of Crossroads, but is also the clinical supervisor, has her own case load of clients, fundraises, and is in charge of administration. She and her co-workers engage in active outreach, visiting neighborhoods and schools by day, and streets and bars by night.

“The work experience that I received at the Summit Institute has played a significant part in making my aliyah successful. The fact that WSSW enabled me to work within an Israeli agency helped me to find a job within three months of my arriving in Israel. Wurzweiler started me along the way,” comments Caryn Green. “Without my experience at the Summit Institute and the education that I received at Wurzweiler, Crossroads would not be what it is today, if it even existed at all!”

A childhood friendship has brought some of America’s top comedians to Israel in order to benefit a group working to help at-risk children of English-speaking immigrants.

Thanking the crowd for causing the first sold-out show of the tour, Crossroads founder and director Caryn Green extolled the work that the organization does with at-risk English-speaking youth in Israel. “We seek them out, offer them a drug-free environment, help them find housing and jobs and graduate high school,” she said.

A handful of young people in the audience were helped by the program, including drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

Green introduced Avi Liberman, with whom she grew up with in Texas; she made Aliyah (immigrated to Israel) and he moved to California. Liberman warmed up the crowd with comedic observations of a lapsed Orthodox Jew on entering a Reform synagogue (“This place is NICE! I’ve been praying in a dump! Is that a Jacuzzi on the bima? It is!”) and Jewish day school sports leagues (“They really instill kids with a false sense of athletic ability – if we played gentiles, we’d get slaughtered!”).

Gary Gulman, the other Jewish entertainer of the four-member tour, humbly dismissed any notion that the comedians were somehow doing an exceptional thing by touring Israel. “What a great guy I am – I came to another country for free…I’m just sorry I didn’t pay attention during Hebrew school.”

The two non-Jewish comedians - Dwight Slade and Craig Robinson (‘Daryl’ on ‘The Office’) couldn’t help breaking out of their comedy routines to comment on experiences they had while touring the country. “I took a Schrute to Tel Aviv,” Robinson said, confusing the word for a shared cab (sheirut) with the name of one of the lead characters on his TV show. He also talked about visiting the City of David in eastern Jerusalem.

“Of course you guys are gonna be all critical of Avi and I and prefer the non-Jewish performers,” said Gulman to the crowd. “That’s what we do.”

The packed house laughed at all four, however. The tour continues Thursday night in the Gush Etzion town of Efrat’s community center, at 8:30 PM.

Many kids of English-speaking immigrants get into trouble in Jerusalem–just hang around Zion Square at the beginning of the Ben Yehuda Street pedestrian mall after dark any night of the week and you’ll see them floating aimlessly, doing all the things that troubled teenagers do the world over.

Caryn Green, a young American-born social worker, has made it her mission to reach out to help the kids and provide a safe alternative to the drugs and violence of street life. Six years ago she founded Crossroads, a program that provides counseling, case management, a resource center and a way for the kids to take the GED and get on with life.

Funding has never come easy for projects that deal with problems the community would rather not acknowledge, so Green started to look around for innovative ways to raise money for her kids.

Five years ago [in 2002], she recruited Avi Liberman, an old high school buddy and professional comedian, to come over to raise the spirits of then-beleaguered Jerusalemites and to raise money for Crossroads.

This week, her friend Avi brought three professional American comedians (known as “standupistim” in Hebrew) over to perform at the fifth annual Crossroads Comedy Benefit.

At the Jerusalem show, it was standing room only as a few hundred American immigrants piled into the Yellow Submarine club eager to laugh both at themselves and the comedians who put on an outstanding show.

The two Jewish stand-up artists, both veterans of Comedy Central and HBO comedy specials, were so obviously comfortable and appreciative of playing before an all-Jewish audience who got all their jokes about Jewish holidays and their Jewish upbringing, while the show’s two non-Jews, Dwight Slade and Craig Robinson (Darryl in The Office TV series) shared their hilarious impressions of the little pieces of Israel they’ve seen during their brief visit.

Both Slade and Robinson couldn’t get over the fact that it’s not so unusual here to find families with 10 or 12 kids and bantered with audience members who came from such large families. All four performers showed off the Hebrew they’d learned, with Robinson even making a successful rolling “chet” as he told the audience about the beautiful “Chana” he had met on a sherut to Tel Aviv.

The comedians who had never been in Israel before kept on proclaiming their awe at being in the Holy Land: “Today I stood in Jerusalem at the spot where Jesus spoke,” said Robinson, “…right next to Coffee Bean on Jaffa Road!”

Nothing wrong with a bit of comic relief for a good cause on a day when a look at an Israeli newspaper could make you want to weep.
————-
Judy Lash Balint is author most recently of Jerusalem Diaries II: What’s Really Happening in Israel (Xulon Press) www.jerusalemdiaries.blogspot.com

For four American comedians, the decision to fly to Israel to perform their stand-up routines was no joke. Gary Gulman of Dane Cook’s Tourgasm, Craig Robinson of NBC’s The Office, and professional comics Dwight Slade and Avi Liberman have now joined comedic forces to benefit Jerusalem’s Crossroads Center, an intervention program and community center targeting at-risk English-speaking teens.

Liberman, who was born in Israel, conceived the tour (now called Crossroads Comedy) during a visit to Jerusalem six years ago when childhood friend and Crossroads director Caryn Green jokingly suggested that he perform for the teens served by the center. Violence from the second intifada was at its peak at the time, and it occurred to Liberman that a group of American comedians would be able to provide a safe night out for Israel’s harried English-speaking families.

With the help of a Los Angeles promoter, Liberman rallied his colleagues and returned to Israel a year later with three of his peers, a small stipend, and his big idea. After their first show in Ra’anana, when a young girl approached Liberman to thank him for giving her a reason to laugh for the first time in more than a year, he knew he had to continue his mission. Now in its fifth year, the Crossroads Comedy tour will add a second round of shows beginning in December.

Liberman makes an effort to bring a range of comics here, not only to appeal to a wide audience, but also to create prominent emissaries of Israel, both Jewish and non-Jewish.

The Jerusalem Post spoke to Robinson, who recently appeared in the hit film Knocked Up, while he was exploring the flea market in Old Jaffa. So far, the trip has been an eye-opening experience for the comic. Though he had not seriously considered coming to Israel before receiving Liberman’s invitation to perform, his short stay has already transformed him into a devoted shwarma fan and a Zionist with plans for a return trip. “After being here,” said Robinson, “I will be a Zionist now. I am for Israel, and for the life of Israel.”

The Crossroads Center, which serves 30 to 60 young people daily, was started by Green, a social worker and American immigrant, who observed the dangers faced by at-risk English-speaking teens in Jerusalem who are often homeless and drug-addicted. Although there is an existing network of social services that cater to young people, Anglos are often prevented from receiving the help they need because of language barriers. Crossroads gives these teens a viable alternative to life on the streets, providing outreach to troubled young people, a drop-in center that provides both recreation and support, a crisis center with counseling and rehabilitation, educational services, and various support groups.

Thanks to an anonymous donation to cover expenses, the entirety of every NIS 100 ticket will go to Crossroads this year.

The remainder of the Crossroads tour can be seen at the following locations: Ra’anana’s Yad L’banim on June 26 (tickets: 09-761-0549), Jerusalem’s Yellow Submarine on June 27 (tickets: 02-624-6265), and Efrat’s Cultural Center on June 28 (tickets: 02-624-6265).

Doors open at 8 p.m.

“…[F]or the past nine months, I have been volunteering as a weekly counselor for an organization called Crossroads, a center for at-risk teens here in Jerusalem. Crossroads acts as a place of connections. Teens can come together and build a support network regardless of their differences that may exist outside the center. My volunteering time has allowed me to engage with and give to a population often neglected.

“They have taught me how critical community is at the very core. Community is built around its members, mutual respect and responsibility. As members of the Jewish community we have the responsibility to ensure this respect takes place.”

Washington Jewish Week, 31 May 2007: “Let’s Create Space for All Jews,” by Shirah Rosin.

When I was 16 years old, I participated in a Jewish Federation of Greater Washington program called Ambassadors for Tolerance. The program brought together student leaders from different denominational youth groups. I was representing Bnei Akiva, an international modern Orthodox Zionistic youth movement.

For the first time, I sat and met with representatives of Reform and Conservative youth movements. They were people different from me in life practices, but as we began our discussions, it became apparent that there was one big thing that united us all–Judaism.

Ten years later, I am proud to say that I continue to be actively engaged in this conversation.

In September, I began my studies at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, a co-ed, nondenominational institute of Jewish Studies located in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Talpiot. I came to learn text in a serious and comprehensive way. At a time in my life where I am looking to begin planting roots in a community, I chose Pardes because it allowed me to get at the heart of my studies in an open and diverse framework. Diversity was a necessity for me as I began my year.

This year, I had the privilege and honor to serve as the Irving Weinstein Memorial Leadership Fellow at Pardes. Irving strongly embodied the ideas of unity and the celebration of diversity within Judaism. Instead of letting our differences divide us, he believed that our passions for a common tradition should unite us. For me, Pardes has been an example of this unity.

My learning here has been enhanced by the different opinions my teachers and fellow students bring to the table. It is here that a traditional perspective of text can meet new ideas allowing for the possibility of multiple truths and contradictions within Torah. These differences allow for more vibrant conversation and engaging classes.

As the Weinstein Fellow, I have also striven to foster community and give back to it. This has led me to take on leadership roles both within and outside the walls of Pardes. Within Pardes, I have worked closely with faculty members helping shape special programming. These relationships have provided me with mentors and role models as individuals who live genuine Torah values through action and speech.

Furthermore, for the past nine months, I have been volunteering as a weekly counselor for an organization called Crossroads, a center for at-risk teens here in Jerusalem. Crossroads acts as a place of connections. Teens can come together and build a support network regardless of their differences that may exist outside the center. My volunteering time has allowed me to engage with and give to a population often neglected.

They have taught me how critical community is at the very core. Community is built around its members, mutual respect and responsibility. As members of the Jewish community we have the responsibility to ensure this respect takes place.

My time at Pardes, sadly, has come to an end. I have grown in my learning, I have fostered friendships that will last a lifetime, and I have had a wonderful experience of living life in Jerusalem. Yet, it has been the Weinstein Fellowship that has prepared me to be a better leader in the Jewish community. I leave here conscious of the continual importance of creating a space where all Jews are welcomed and empowered.

It is this framework of communication, openness and mutual respect that allows us to remain one Jewish people. I hope you will join me.