10.05.2010

A special photo exhibit called “My Role Model” opened at Sderot’s Community Center on April 22nd, created by SderotYouth.com. The group’s teens spent the last six months learning the meaning and value of role models, discovering their significant role models, interviewing and photographing their role models and preparing the exhibit.  The goal of the project was, through their role models, to understand themselves and their values better and to work on the concept of “respect.”

Most of the teens chose role models from within their family.  Adi Cohen, an 11th grader, chose her Aunt Oshrit as her role model because of the influence Oshrit has had in her life.  “I wanted to study, like she did, and to succeed.  Everything Oshrit does, she does well because of her hard work, and I intend to do the same.”  Oshrit shared a tip for life with Adi:  Thought builds reality.  Adi, full of motivation and optimism, photographed her aunt all through the interview to get the perfect shot to represent Oshrit.

Hila Harush, 16 years old, chose her mother Natalie as her role model.  Hila says of her choice, “My mother was very happy that I chose her as my role model but at the same time told me that she would prefer that I go my own way, that I find dreams and goals of my own.”  Natalie’s tip for her daughter:  Challenge yourself, believe that you can do the impossible, believe in yourself.

Viki Yamnizki’s role model is also from her family - her grandmother, Neliya.  Viki admires her grandmother and tells us of the hard childhood her grandmother had after her family fled their home in the Ukraine to escape the Nazis during WWII.  As an adult, she was widowed and left with a sick child to care for.  Neliya raised her family in difficult conditions in the old country.  After the family immigrated to Israel, Neliya built a house for her family.  “My grandmother gives – she doesn’t take from others.  She is always happy with the little she has.  Most importantly, she’ll do everything necessary so that everyone around her has what they need.”  The message for Viki from her grandmother Neliya: Share with others, to be deserving of their reward.

 Nurit Benita, the Director of SderotYouth.Com sincerely thanked the United Israel Appeal of Canada for their long-term support of the program.  Without their help, she says, the program would have to close.  The Hackel Family of New York and the Steinhauser Family of Colorado have also been a great help with this project, donating the funds to purchase needed equipment and to develop the photos for the exhibit. 

After the exhibit opened, a panel discussion was held on the topic of “The privilege of receiving respect and the duty to respect others.” The panel speakers included the photographers and their role models, who spoke about the meaning of respect.  The audience included teens and adults.  Lilach Nisim, the panel leader and coordinator for Amen, (a youth volunteer program), asked the speakers to describe the difference between teens of years past and teens of today.  One of the youths responded with wisdom beyond his years; he summarized the proliferation of technological changes and their influence on us in two short sentences – “Once, a mother would call to her child after he’d been playing outside for hours – come home and eat something! Today’s mothers say – leave the computer and go outside to play!”

"My Role Model" Exhibit Presentation