Hodayot Junior High and High School
The Hodayot Religious Youth Village is home to 250 students. Some 90% of the entire student population in Hodayot are from disadvantaged families who rank very low on the socio-economic scale. Almost 50% of Hodayot’s students are from single-parent families and 30% of these children have sadly lost a parent. More than 60% of the students come from first or second generation immigrant families, many of whom originate from Ethiopia. Most students come from very troubled and problematic backgrounds and many have underemployed or unemployed parents.
| Name | Hodayot Junior High & High School |
| Location | Hodayot Youth Village, Israel |
| Students | 259 |
| Teachers | 60 |
Students are provided with their daily basic needs, including plenty of nourishing food and a safe, secure and understanding environment enabling the children to sleep peacefully at night and study calmly during the day. For some of these students, Hodayot is their only home.
By the time children enter the school many have fallen far below the average educational level for their age. The task therefore is to help bring the children up to a basic level, before even considering beginning matriculation studies. The fact that the school’s matriculation rate is over 50% is a testament to the work of the staff.
Hodayot invests in developing creative extra-curricular programs to keep the children active and self-entertained during out-of-school hours. All of the students at Hodayot live in the Youth Village and take part in extra-curricular programs, including plays and discussions, with themes chosen to help the children learn about important societal issues, giving them the tools to integrate into society when they leave the school.
One of the exciting courses of study in the school is the Police Track, teaching the older students about law and order and civic duty while learning about the dangers of drugs and terrorism. The school hosts stables for police horses, giving the students the opportunity to learn about horse and stable care and maintenance.
As a religious school the children may learn about the commandment to respect one’s father and mother while discussing the family life they might build for themselves in the future. Even around Shabbat meals the school creates more of a family atmosphere by sitting together with the children to eat and mark the occasion.