מרכז נריה - קרית מלאכי (ע"ר)

Neriya Center Background Kiryat Malachi was established in 1951 as a ma'abara, or tent city, to house the masses of Jewish immigrants who fled/were evicted Moslem lands following the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. In the past two decades the town's population has grown dramatically to over 23,000 residents as a result of an influx of new immigrants from the Former Soviet Union and Ethiopia; this latter sector now constitutes 30% of the town’s population. Kiryat Malachi has been beset by a myriad of social/educational/economic challenges since its founding, and it ranks only 4 out of 10 on a scale of prosperity, with an average income 50% lower than the national average. The Nerya Center 20 years ago a group of idealistic young adults, singles and families, from Israel's more affluent and educated sectors, formed the Nerya Center garin, and moved into Kiryat Malachi to strengthen the town by developing needed services, organizing social-educational-cultural activities, serving as role models, and nurturing local leadership. The Nerya Center garin is now a major force within the town with over 100 member families, among them both veteran town residents and Ethiopian immigrants. Over the years the garin has developed many programs and services to improve and enrich the lives of Kiryat Malachi residents, along the way winning the support and cooperation of local institutions (schools, community centers, etc.), and the municipality. Indeed, the municipality of Kiryat Malachi has transferred the operation of its network of afterschool enrichment programs for at-risk Ethiopian children to the garin, as it is aware that we can conduct these programs more efficiently and professionally than the town itself!