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A few years ago, Mina Levin and Shalhevetya (Shelly) Tannenwald were both struggling — unlikely to be tapped as school ambassadors.
Until they began their journeys at the Hadassah Neurim Youth Aliyah Village.
From rocky starts, they’ve made smooth transitions to model students, leading them to Hadassah’s July 2024 National Conference in Las Vegas as representatives of the village — students who embody everything the village strives to do: develop productive, well-adjusted members of Israeli society.
Mina, almost 16, and Shelly, 17, both starting their third year at Hadassah Neurim, were there to tell their stories of once being lost and now finally being seen.
Before coming to Hadassah Neurim, Shelly, who made aliyah from South Africa as a 2-year-old, faced bullying at school, not only from her peers but, remarkably enough, from her teachers. “I was bullied by my peers for being short and for my acne, and my teachers would always call me the worst student.”
She wasn’t succeeding academically and her teachers didn’t take the time to support her learning. She wasn’t very social. And she was extremely bored after school.
“When I came to the youth village, I made my first actual real friends,” she said. “I started succeeding in school, and I started volunteering. I started all these activities after school that I never would have done before Hadassah Neurim.”
Shelly now surfs; trains dogs in the village’s Dog Rehabilitation Center, the program that attracted her to the village in the first place; is a junior counselor, making connections between Ukrainian and Israeli kids through fun, nonverbal activities; and she’s in combat training. Also, she said, “I’m finishing 11th grade with an average of 91. I’ve got tons of friends.”
“I have a purpose,” she added.
The village, she said, “makes you a friendly person. And then you just learn to open yourself up to new opportunities. I mean, I've done many courses through the school. I was a first responder. There was a course last year. I did it to help injured people.”
After Hadassah Neurim, Shelly wants to go into the army, on the police side, and then go to university. Down the line, perhaps she’ll open a bakery/coffee shop.
For Shelly, these goals are attainable thanks to Hadassah Neurim. She said she wouldn’t have been able to set goals for herself if it wasn't for Hadassah Neurim. “I didn't know what I was gonna do the next day. Now, I’m having a whole life planned out in a school that’s giving me tools, and they give me programs that are helping me.” Shelly refers to one specific mentoring program, which provides ongoing support until students turn 25.
Had her dad not done his research to find her a new school that was a better fit, Shelly said she probably would have gone “down a bad path with a messed up, lost crowd.”
What would she say to the bullies of her past? On the one hand, she says, she’d say thank you. “I have opportunities that you missed because of what you did.” Her other sentiments aren't so gracious.
Mina, who’s from the Gaza Envelope, says that without Hadassah Neurim, she probably would’ve dropped out of school because she hadn’t found the right place for her — a place where she is seen for who she is. (Although she also daydreams about playing basketball for the US or Israel.)
“I was not good in school. I didn't really have a lot of friends. The teacher didn't really pay attention to me. They didn't have the things that I need to succeed.”
Her mother found Hadassah Neurim online. It’s on the beach and has a surfing program. They decided to give it a try.
“I remember when I got out from the car, and I just stuck my legs on the floor like, Oh my G-d, I'm home. I felt the warmth and wind on my face. I thought, Everything's so good.”
And it’s been good ever since. Mina’s doing much better in school. She runs the village’s radio station and is a student counselor, making sure the needs of her fellow students are met. She was a co-captain of the robotics team. And she loves being able to surf.
There’s a lot of things she’ll miss when she graduates. Mostly, she said, she’ll miss the people. “They're my family. We do everything together.”
When it does come time to say goodbye to the village, Mina knows she now has the tools she needs to flourish, especially in her future endeavors volunteering with at-risk youth at a surf club or serving in the army. She said that when you are down, Hadassah Neurim won’t just lift you up. They teach you how and give you confidence to lift yourself up. “You’re going to see the world from different perspectives.”
“I know I have a lot of doors open for me.”
Back in the US — their first time in this country — both girls enjoyed meeting all the different Hadassah women at the conference. Mina and Shelly also had the opportunity to share their stories with Hadassah leaders in Chicago and New York City.
But it wasn’t all business for the teens while in the States. They had their fun: shopping for fun hats at Target, or as they call it, “Tarjay”: visiting a car museum, an aquarium and more. While in the Big Apple, the conflict in Israel escalated, with many airlines canceling flights to Israel, including Mina and Shelly’s flight home. “We were both very angry and sad,” said Shelly. “We just wanted to be with our families.” But, she said, “We’re so glad that we got an extra few days to see more of New York. And we’re happy that we had each other because we kept each other sane.”
Mina and Shelly have the following message for Hadassah: “A big thank you for making our lives better and for the opportunity to make a statement.”
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