A Student’s Glimpse Into the Kedma Cohort Program

April 1, 2020

By Nava Yastrab, Sha’alvim for Women

My name is Nava Yastrab, and I grew up on Long Island. I am currently spending a gap year in Israel in the seminary Sha’alvim for Women. When I came to seminary, I knew I wanted chessed to be a big part of my year in Israel. The Kedma Cohort program has enabled me to do more than I could have imagined in this area. The chessed that we do is unique in that we get to go to all different sorts of places and give in many kinds of ways. One month we could be giving out sandwiches to the homeless and the next we could be dancing with girls living in an orphanage. The program has truly opened my eyes to see new ways to give back along with day to day small acts of kindness that can have a huge impact. I feel that it’s incredibly important to make chessed part of our everyday lives and learn more about what we can do to help put others before ourselves.