A neighborhood club, Sayeret Chesed Yechudit (SAHI)—in English, the Special Grace Unit—empowers disenfranchised Israeli teens by turning them into anonymous goodwill ambassadors.

SAHI youth engage in weekly food distribution, and help people with disabilities, the elderly, and Holocaust survivors with shopping, chores, and home repairs. They visit hospitals and nursing homes.

Each city where SAHI operates pays the salaries of SAHI counselors; local adult volunteers also participate. The remainder of the operating budget comes from donations from individuals and foundations, such as the Good People Fund and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

In response to requests from mayors, next year SAHI cofounder Avraham Hayon expects to adapt the SAHI model for Arab communities. “Because our program is based very much on Jewish values and lifecycle, we’ll research verses from Koran about giving and helping, and will adjust it to their needs,” he says. Two offshoot projects recently kicked off: SAHI Golani, which takes 18-year-olds the army initially rejected and works to qualify them for the Golani brigade; and GPS (Girl Power SAHI), focused on issues specifically affecting female teens in the neighborhoods where SAHI is active. An initiative called Palmach is aimed at stepping up altruistic activities in times of emergency such as last summer’s war, when Hayon and other SAHI leaders were called up to the reserves. (via Israel 21c)

[Photo: JDC Israel / YouTube ]