Or Ben Ari (Courtesy of JFCS)
Or Ben Ari was born and raised in Kissufim, a kibbutz in Israel where “social justice is inherent.” The kibbutz is also known as one of the sites that was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7.
Today, Ben Ari is the director of programming at the Barbara and Harvey Brodsky Enrichment Center, the main hub for the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia.
Growing up, Ben Ari was involved in a youth movement called HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed, where he learned more about social justice and participated in different service projects.
Before joining the Israel Defense Forces, Ben Ari did a year of service with the youth movement, operating the different branches in the Jerusalem area. After serving in the army in the infantry brigade, Ben Ari spent a year working in educational spaces.
“I used to think the best way of [promoting social justice] was education,” he said. “Then that shifted after I came here, and then I decided to go into social work.”
Ben Ari first came to the U.S. over the summer of 2005 as a shaliach (an Israeli emissary) at Habonim Dror Camp Galil, which is 30 miles north of Philadelphia.
“I went there for three summers. It was a magical place for me, and that’s why my kid is starting camp at the same place,” he said, referring to his 7-year-old son. “We were there recently for the 90th anniversary of the camp, and we remembered why it’s such a special place.”
At Camp Galil, Ben Ari met his wife and spent the next six years going back and forth between the U.S. and Israel. During that time, he attended college at Kibbutzim Seminary Teacher’s College in Tel Aviv and received a degree in education, focusing on Bible studies and history.
“I was thinking, I’m going to be a teacher in Israel, and then decided at some point to move here, found ourselves in the Philly area, and my wife went to Penn Law, and I started working in the Jewish community,” he said.
On June 1, 2011, Ben Ari moved to the U.S. and ended up attending Temple University for a master’s in social work. There, he interned at JFCS and said, “This is the place I feel like home.”
“This is where I feel that the talent that I can bring to the table will be most utilized and the people that I feel most connected to, and it feels natural to me,” he added.
Ben Ari is a member of the Germantown Jewish Centre and has been working at JFCS for more than 11 years.
“I think the work we’re doing now and what we’re trying to create at the Brodsky center and what we’re hoping to create for the Jewish community is the intersection of community and mental health,” said Ben Ari.
Ben Ari has helped to start and expand programs such as the teaching kitchen, which hosts Baking with a Mission, a once-a-month challah bake that works with clients of JFCS to build new skills, decrease social isolation and learn to cook.
“When we do an art program, it’s not just an art program,” said Ben Ari.
“In my mind, community is the answer to a lot of the ailments of the world,” he added. “We are a social being. We need others. It helps us to feel safe, and it also helps to build structures that allow us to do good.”