Dror Israel’s Associated Youth Movement NOAL Brings Jewish and Arab Israeli Teens Together for Cross-Cultural Experiences to Promote Shared Society

Established in 1924, NOAL has grown to over 80,000 youth in 350 branches across Israel. Our activities in Arab communities involve 20,000 youth in 55 branches. Although the gap between Jewish and Arab Israelis has widened since the war, through activities emphasizing commonality while celebrating diversity, we are bridging that gap:

·       Teaching personal responsibility for self, community and society

·       Promoting values of coexistence, leadership and volunteerism

·       Providing Jewish-Arab cross-cultural activities

·       Building common identity via identical uniforms, songs, trainings and experiences

Participants in NOAL Youth Movement

Our strategy of youth leading youth empowers Israel’s next generation of leaders. From the age of 15, NOAL members serve as junior counselors, planning and leading younger children in activities and trips. Leadership courses and educational seminars bring Jewish and Arab teens together, creating the next generation of leaders committed to building shared society. Insistence on mixed gender activities and staff provide modern role models, enabling better social integration for Arab youth. Trained in emergency response, they are empowered to lead their communities in times of crisis.

Arab society in Israel faces increasing discrimination, inequalities of resources and education, and violence due to organized crime and extremism. NOAL offers a safe space, where personalities, values, and identities are shaped outside the traditions of home. Members experience new friendships, interests, and world views, developing the knowledge and skills to participate fully in Israeli society as equals. Many Arab branch graduates become teachers, social workers, civil servants, benefitting themselves and the greater Arab Israeli community.

Dror Israel is expanding its important work to address challenges in Arab Israeli communities most affected by the war. Recently new NOAL Arab branches have been established in G’agar on the Lebanon border, as well as in Illut and Manshia Zabda in the North, and Markhoul in the South.

Arab Branches by the Numbers: