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HaKfar HaYarok

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HaKfar HaYarok

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HaKfar HaYarok (Hebrew: הכפר הירוק‎‎; "The Green Village") is a youth village in Israel, located in southern Ramat HaSharon, along the northern border of Tel Aviv-Yafo.

Contents

Map of HaKfar HaYarok, Ramat Hasharon, Israel

Name

Gershon Zak, the founder of the village, called it in 1950 "Green Village", without a definite article, with the intention to name it after David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973), whose original name was Gryn or Grün, lit. "green" in Yiddish or German. However, many people did not understand the message contained in the name, and over the years a definite article became added to the institution. Another 20 years later, once the death of Israel's third Prime Minister, Levi Eshkol (1895–1969), occurred before that of the older Ben-Gurion, "the green village" was called after him, becoming since "The Levi Eshkol Green Village".

History

The village was allegedly founded by Gershon Zak in 1950 and originally it possibly was an agricultural village for immigrants. In 1986 Zak, together with HaKfar HaYarok, won the prestigious Israel Prize for lifetime achievement to education.

Roughly a quarter of the students at Kfar Hayarok are boarding school students. Other students commute from communities across central Israel, they been are attracted by the special study courses offered. Some of these programs include an educational track taught in English, veterinary studies and an arts program.

Today, the village has 2,200 students, from ages 12 to 20 (both residential students and external students). Each year a group of recent high school graduates do "Shnat Sherut" volunteer service prior to their IDF induction, it's possible that they come to live in the village as program counselors for the residential students.

HaKfar HaYarok has taken steps towards becoming an experimental youth village, with the support of Ministry of Education. This program is based on environmental leadership.

Anthroposophical school

Within the village there is an anthroposophical school: the Waldorf Urim school, which houses a teacher training seminary and a kindergarten that operates according to the Waldorf (or Steiner) method.

College

The college offers one-year and two-year courses.

Junior High School

The Junior High School, which includes 7th, 8th Grade Mofet Science Classes, is intended for highly motivated students with scientific orientation. The program includes classes in mathematics, chemistry or biology, computers, chess. The Mofet section prepares students for matriculation exams in the 10th and 11th grades, enabling them to start their higher education during the 11th-12th grades.

The high school offers a unique program called "Manhigut" ("leadership"), that emphasizes the less scientific more humanic classes.

The Junior High School also offers a 7th and 9th Grade Life Science program, which focuses on biology and animal behavior.

The high-school is one of the most advanced of its kind, incorporating advanced teaching methods and following the "22 Project" framework, using demonstrates alternative methods of teaching and student assessment. The school offers various majors in life-sciences, agriculture, music, multimedia, fashion design, computer-aided vehicle diagnostics, electronics, and information systems.

Special program for gifted students

In partnership with the Gifted Students Department of the Ministry of Education, HaKfar HaYarok offers a special program for gifted students. To be accepted, students are first evaluated by the Karni Institute in Kfar Saba.

Eastern Mediterranean International School (EMIS)

The village is home to the Eastern Mediterranean International School, an international boarding school with students from more than 40 countries who take the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. The school was established in 2014 and there are approximately 140 students enrolled in year 1 and year 2 of the programme.

Notable alumni

  • Yaron London (born 1940), media personality, journalist, actor, and songwriter
  • Micha Ullman (born 1939), sculptor and art professor
  • Micha Tomkiewicz (born 1939), scientist, writer and professor
  • Yisrael Poliakov (1941 - 2007), comedian, singer and actor, member of the "Pale-Face Trackers" (Gashashim) ensemble.
  • References

    HaKfar HaYarok Wikipedia