The NGO: “Me'Omek HaLev” (From the Depth of the Heart)

The Me'Omek HaLev NGO was established 19 years ago to foster Judaism and to rehabilitate girls in distress for personal reasons. To this end, the Be'era Shell Miriam seminary was established that offers a helping hand to girls who have left home for the streets – where they have been exposed to dangers such as drugs or stressed relationships with some Arabs that have miss used their vulnerability which lead them to physical and emotional crisis. The Me'Omek HaLev NPO, through the Be'era Shel Miriam seminary, developed a special rehabilitation program for girls who were exposed to (emotional and physical) risk, while providing a professional solution to the problems unique to them. The rehabilitation program includes two stages: Stage 1: activities to locate and remove girls from the street and their integration in a supportive framework, developing a unique rehabilitation program for every girl, solving problems of daily survival, (meals, lodging, a listening ear), providing professional studies, direction to welfare institutions. Stage 2: Evening activities – with a professional team for caring for the girls, integrating them in a protected residential framework, providing rehabilitation workshops, lectures on strengthening belief and on observing Jewish laws in practice.

The seminary has a unique character that accepts every girl regardless of who she is, in a warm and supportive and loving atmosphere. The girls can study and receive Jewish inspiration without pressure on observing the commandments and without any distancing criticism. With God's help, we have facilitated the marriage of more than 260 girls who have established stable homes based on Torah and the commandments. Until recently the seminary had four warm homes in Jerusalem with 45 girls living there (and about 150 girls living outside these homes) and lately we painfully had to evacuate one of the apartments because we were not able to pay the rent. We also have a large learning center in the middle of the city and recently we opened a center with professional training courses for these girls. This particular project is still in its early stages, being now in its first semester, and we hope to be able to afford it and expand it with additional subject matters.

To foster Judaism and to rehabilitate girls in distress for personal reasons. It is still possible to save this project before it is getting too late.

Another new project started last year in response to a great need of the “street kids” when we opened on the top of the building – the 'ZUOLA' crash-pad on the roof – a project for “street boys” from an ultra-orthodox background. Synthetic grass was laid down there, lighting was installed, and an enormous tent constructed to protect them from the cold & rain. The target population is youth from ultra-orthodox homes that were wandering in the streets without a framework and therefore are exposed to dangers and distress. We have been surprised by the large number of youth seeking for help. The boys have asked for the opening of an evening learning program and together with the other demands including the above activities and the intensive individual care that each teenager needs the seminary has encountered severe economic difficulty.

Just in time of growing needs and economic crisis the existence of the project is threatened and we urgently need $50,000 to cover the budgetary deficit from all the banks, and another $15,000 monthly for the center's ongoing activities, as well as money to repair and weatherproof the 'Zuol'a on the roof' that collapsed last week under the heavy snow fall that was the heaviest in the last 100 years. We hope to build another tent next to the one that needs to be repaired and equip the place with the minimal equipment that will enable us to properly run the place and keep the place warm in the winter. With the help of an amazing team of volunteers we managed to run the place as a place of hope and transformation for thousands of young lost souls that were saved from falling deeper into crime and were able to re-build their life and build with Great Gratitude their new young families. It is still possible to save this project before it is getting too late.