By Donna Gutman, member, NCJW Board of Directors

Recently, I joined a group of NCJW members and leaders on the 2009 Mission to Israel, an opportunity to see Israel through the eyes of NCJW. We visited sites associated with the NCJW Israel Granting Program, and met with the incredible women who are at the forefront of Israeli society. We participated in workshops, interacted with the directors and participants of the various granting sites, and spent time with women leaders in the arts, politics, and education. Each of us who participated in this very special trip left Israel inspired, affirming our belief that NCJW is truly an organization with a progressive vision marked by a faith in the future and a belief in action.

The NCJW Mission included a visit to Eden, a boarding school for at-risk teenage girls and an NCJW grant recipient. Here, these young women are protected from dangerous environments that include domestic violence, neglect, and sexual abuse. Of the twenty-four girls who currently live at Eden, approximately ten take part in the "Sweet Future" project, an inspiring program that is a very important part of their rehabilitation.

Sweet Future is associated with a "peer bakery," and is located in the southern industrial zone of Ashkelon -- a few minutes drive from the school.  As part of the project, the girls engage in various aspects related to operating a bakery, including theoretic studies conducted by a pastry chef, choosing the product line, designing the packaging, and then manufacturing, marketing, and selling the products. The participating girls work in the bakery for eight hours a week during the afternoon, as well as school vacations. Work is supervised and closely accompanied by the project’s professional team.

As a result of their work, the girls develop a strong work ethic, learning the importance of things like punctuality, sticking to schedules, and teamwork. Part of the money that the girls earn is given to them as an allowance and the rest is saved from them in a savings account. This way, the girls learn to wisely manage a budget and, when they leave Eden, a small yet significant amount of money will be allocated to each young woman to help her begin her life lives as an independent adult.

During our visit, we were able to see firsthand that working at the bakery has had a tremendous impact on these girls; the project gives them a sense of satisfaction and self-fulfillment. Thanks to the bakery, girls that were on the verge of leaving Eden have found a world in which their lives have new meaning and which encourages them to persevere and move forward toward a brighter future.

Personally, this visit to Eden and bakery affirmed my belief that passion and purpose changes everything. One of the conversations with a young woman resonates: when we asked her what she hoped for in her future she replied, "I want to be like the women in this room, giving back and helping others."