Honorable Ministers, Governor, Ambassadors, Distinguished Guests, ladies and gentlemen –

I am thrilled to be standing here with you today as together we watch this fantastic dream start to become a reality. The idea for the creation of the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) came to me in November of 2005 after I learned of the extraordinary number of orphan children living in Rwanda. My first thought was of the state of Israel, which, after the Second World War, was faced with an influx of orphan survivors of the holocaust. I knew that they had created youth villages, but knew little of their history and nothing of their current status. I could not get the thought that perhaps this was a solution for Rwanda out of my mind, and I spent the next 4 months making inquiries and talking to anyone who would listen about this idea. In January 2006 I met with Steve Schwager, who is the head of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, (the JDC) and Steve suggested I get in touch with Dr. Chaim Peri, who was then the head of Yemin Orde Youth Village in Israel. That was the beginning of an extraordinary partnership, which is responsible for what you see here and will learn more about today.

The JDC is an international aid organization which was established 94 years ago and today has operations in 66 countries around the world. From the beginning it has been guided by the core Jewish value of Tikkun Olam—the notion that that we have an innate responsibility to stand up, take action and help repair the world’s most distressed communities—regardless of location, race, and religion. In 1945, JDC facilitated one of the first operations in war-torn Germany and Eastern Europe to provide critical relief to survivors of the Holocaust. JDC sees the words “never again” as a universal call to action that transcends all borders. And this is why JDC has been working in Rwanda since 1994, initially providing medical care in refugee camps in Goma / Zaire, later providing scholarships to encourage survivors to pursue their future through education, and today serving as the umbrella for the piloting of a youth village model which has the potential of being replicated for orphans of the genocide across Rwanda. The JDC is honored to facilitate the international pooling of resources and invaluable expertise from America, Israel, and Rwanda that is the ASYV - with the goal of—together—paving the way for a more hopeful and healthier future in this country.

The ASYV’s goal of restoring the rhythm of life is an adaptation of the healing philosophy which has been developed and implemented with great success by Dr. Chaim Peri and the team at the Yemin Orde Youth Village in Israel. It is Dr. Peri’s belief that children who find themselves without parents can nevertheless be given “parental wholeness” – that the village as a whole can provide the necessary support and security to ensure that the child grows up healthy, capable and strong – never as good as real parents, but the next best thing when the other is not an option. Two key methods of helping the children to heal – to be able to live in the here and now and to be able to dream about a future – are the notions of Tikkun HaLev, which literally means healing the heart, and Tikkun Olam, which means healing the world. Tikkun Halev refers to those therapies which are aimed at the needs of the individual child, while the Tikkun Olam program is one which requires each child to participate in activities that are directed at helping others in need. It has been well established that through reaching out to help others, one takes huge strides in healing oneself. The result of this philosophy and methodology are young adults who are not only able to work and get married and have children, but who recognize their obligation to give back to their community and to make the world a better place.

Dr. Chaim Peri was supposed to be here with us today but for health reasons he was unable to travel at the last minute. He did ask that I read a message to you from him:

“Although I cannot share the joy of this important occasion by physically being there with you, I wish you to know that my heart and thoughts are with you in Rwanda.

From our village on the slopes of Mount Carmel where the Biblical prophet Elijah has brought God’s fire down to earth I’m sending you my heartfelt greetings and blessings.

For over 50 years we have been raising children on this mountain to become successful parents, members of their community and leaders who protect and build their new country. Some of those are right now there with you, carrying the invisible torch of the flame of Mount Carmel. It is our wish that the children of Rwanda, will, just like them, become the new builders of their society and their country. Miracles do happen – they happened to us, but through hard work and a great belief. We thank God Almighty for engaging us as partners in this marvelous journey. Bringing the children of Rwanda in the words of the prophet Isaiah “A spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and valor” new times in which “Nothing evil or vile shall be done”.”

I want to end by thanking everyone who is working on this project and you, the people of Rwanda, for being so warm and welcoming and for giving us the opportunity to work with you and bring this remarkable model to Africa. I look forward to the day when graduates from ASYV are standing on some other podium somewhere, thanking some other community for the opportunity to bring their message and do their work of Tikkun Olam.