Hakfar Hayarok
Encyclopedia
HaKfar HaYarok is a youth village
in Israel
, located at the south of Ramat HaSharon
. It is one of the biggest youth villages in the country.
in 1950 (later it was renamed after the third Prime Minister of Israel
, Levi Eshkol
) and originally was an agricultural village for immigrants. In 1986 Zak, together with HaKfar HaYarok, won the prestigious Israel Prize
for lifetime achievement to education. Over the years, the number of students began to grow and so did the village.
Today, the village has close to 1,200 students, from ages 12 to 20 (both residential students and external students). Many teachers on the staff make their permanent home on the campus of the village. Each year a group of recent high school graduates doing "Shnat Sherut" volunteer service prior to their IDF
induction, come to live in the village as program counselors for the residential students.
HaKfar HaYarok took steps, in 2004, towards becoming an experimental youth village, with the support of the Ministry of Education. This program is based on the educational precepts of humane and democratic education, tolerance, acceptance of the environment, and connection to the land.
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.
The college offers one-year and two-year courses.
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, English and Russian or French. 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.
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.
Youth village
A youth village is a boarding school model first developed in Mandate Palestine in the 1930s to care for groups of children and teenagers fleeing the Nazis...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, located at the south of Ramat HaSharon
Ramat Hasharon
Ramat HaSharon is a city located on Israel's central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon region, bordering Tel Aviv to the south and Herzliya and Kibbutz Glil Yam to the north. It is part of the Tel Aviv District, within Gush Dan metropolitan area...
. It is one of the biggest youth villages in the country.
History
The village was founded by Gershon ZakGershon Zak
Gershon Zak was the head of the Sea service which became the Israeli Navy, at that time there was no commander till Paul Shulman came and both Paul Shulman and Zak were in charge, Shulman as commander and Zak as Administrative from MOD.-Biography:...
in 1950 (later it was renamed after the third Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
, Levi Eshkol
Levi Eshkol
' served as the third Prime Minister of Israel from 1963 until his death from a heart attack in 1969. He was the first Israeli Prime Minister to die in office.-Biography:...
) and originally was an agricultural village for immigrants. In 1986 Zak, together with HaKfar HaYarok, won the prestigious Israel Prize
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
for lifetime achievement to education. Over the years, the number of students began to grow and so did the village.
Today, the village has close to 1,200 students, from ages 12 to 20 (both residential students and external students). Many teachers on the staff make their permanent home on the campus of the village. Each year a group of recent high school graduates doing "Shnat Sherut" volunteer service prior to their IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
induction, come to live in the village as program counselors for the residential students.
HaKfar HaYarok took steps, in 2004, towards becoming an experimental youth village, with the support of the Ministry of Education. This program is based on the educational precepts of humane and democratic education, tolerance, acceptance of the environment, and connection to the land.
Schools
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
method.
The college offers one-year and two-year courses.
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, English and Russian or French. 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.
In partnership with the Gifted Students Department of the Ministry of Education, HaKfar HaYarok offers a special program for gifted students
Gifted education
Gifted education is a broad term for special practices, procedures and theories used in the education of children who have been identified as gifted or talented...
. To be accepted, students are first evaluated by the Karni Institute in Kfar Saba.
Notable alumni
- Yaron LondonYaron London-Biography:London was born in Tel Aviv in 1940 to actor Bezalel London .London studied in the Herzliya Hebrew High School and later left it for the agricultural boarding school HaKfar HaYarok. In 1961, after his service in the IDF, he moved to Jerusalem to study graphics at Bezalel Academy of Art...
(born 1940), media personality, journalist, actor, and songwriter - Micha UllmanMicha UllmanMicha Ullman is an Israeli sculptor and professor of art.-Biography:Micha Ulman was born in Tel Aviv to German Jews who immigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1933. As a teenager, he attended the Kfar HaYarok agricultural school....
(born 1939), sculptor and art professor