2022
ESRA is Israel's largest English-speaking community, aiding the integration of olim,
while working toward equality in Israeli society through its education and welfare projects.
Oct2023

ESRA, the home of English speakers in Israel, is committed to making English speakers feel right at home in Israel by serving as a supportive community network. It provides services, offers activities, and acts as a platform to give back to olim of all ages and at all stages of their integration. Our emphasis lies in three key areas:
1. Strengthening personal resilience (emotional, financial, improving understanding of the Israeli systems, skill development, and more).
2. Offering a rich social and cultural framework (learning and enrichment, social and business networking, leisure activities, knowledge of Israeli heritage, and more).
3. Meaningful volunteering opportunities in English, both within ESRA and in the community through educational and welfare projects that we run for various populations in peripheral areas.
As a platform for giving back, and with ESRA’s growth, we have expanded our aid to additional waves of olim, primarily from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. We lead projects aimed at narrowing socio-geographic gaps, including those stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, for immigrants from Ukraine.
Our projects focus on educational reinforcement, English promotion, excellence in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), enrichment, self-growth, and the development of social skills for children, youth, students, special needs individuals, and families in need.
Both ESRA and its founder and honorary life president, Merle Guttman, have received numerous awards for their initiatives and achievements, including the President's Award for Volunteering, presented for contributions to Israeli society and immigrant absorption, and the Midot Seal of Effectiveness awarded for ESRA's commitment to results-driven projects, constant improvement, leadership, and social impact.

Quickly adjusting to the new pandemic reality, ESRA expanded its welfare services, held many events online, and creatively continued running important education and welfare projects. Such as ESRA Students Build a Community, whereby financially stressed students receive free housing in exchange for mentoring local schoolchildren and becoming community activists alongside shifting ESRA English Tutoring Programs online.

ESRA Ramat Hasharon Branch of ESRA is both old and new. We were amongst the first of ESRA’s branches to be established and in our heyday we were very active.

Over the years, as the English-speaking population either integrated fully into Israeli society or moved to other areas, the branch became less active until it was ‘resurrected’ in 2018 by Hertzel Katz a former Ramat Hasharon resident. In many ways, we are a ‘virtual’ branch since there are few English-speaking new residents in the city.

Our branch, run by a very small and aging committee, organizes regular fundraising events to support the joint project we run with ENOSH, a nationwide organization that provides facilities for mentally challenged young adults.

Our joint venture has enabled ESRA members and others in the community to learn more about the ENOSH Center and the valuable work for it does. More importantly, thanks to this joint venture, participants in the Social Center receive weekly courses led by trained professionals to build their self-confidence and a belief in their ability to integrate into normative life in the community.

For three years they were taught the digital skills required in the modern world of technology.

Currently a program of drama therapy is being offered for a second year. This program gives participants an opportunity to talk about their challenges and discuss how to deal with them.   

At the center in Ramat Hasharon, they make a variety of well-crafted ceramic items which are sold to the public. Proceeds of all items sold, go to the person who made the piece.

Fundraising events, attended by a wide variety of audiences, have since COVID been on ZOOM,  and we are fortunate to have had leading personalities like Israel prize laureate, Ruth Berman share their expertise online.

A very popular fund raising event has been a bridge morning at the Ramat Hasharon Bridge Club supported by ESRA bridge players from the central area. Two such events were held before the Corona Pandemic and the third, in May 2023. On each occasion, the venue was donated by the owners of the club, Yakov and Vered Mintz, whose magnanimous gesture encouraged other local business to donate light refreshments and prizes.

If you are a resident of Ramat Hasharon  and speak English fluently, we warmly welcome you to join the ranks of other volunteers who enthusiastically and successfully assist pupils with their English studies in local schools. They do this as part of ESRA’s very successful English Tutoring Program (ETP), recognized and endorsed by the Ministry of Education. To join just click here 

Another very rewarding activity is the Ramat Hasharon Knitting Circle established in 2020 by Arlette Kaplan. The knitters who meet each week are not only ESRA volunteers but also old-timers of the Ramat Hasharon community. This gives an added dimension to the aim of ‘giving back to the community’. All participants look forward with great anticipation to their meetings where, under the expert guidance of Arlette, they knit beautiful animals and puppets for the children in a shelter for mothers of domestic violence. Knitted items are also donated to children and cancer patients in hospitals. If you’d like to meet in a congenial setting with like-minded knitters  and use your skills – or learn a new one – to benefit  worthy causes, please contact ArletteThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  052 525 2126

For more details about how to become involved in the activities of our branch please contact me. Chairperson:  Lola Katz  - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it."> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |  052-2653847