ABSTRACT
In the first forty years of their existence, from the early 1920s to the mid-60s, youth villages were the most prestigious and elite-oriented residential schools in Israel. The youth in residence, mostly new immigrants and socially deprived youngsters, are divided into coeducational peer groups, about 40 to a group, each group sharing a ten-room dormitory. In pre-State years, youth villages educated the finest of the youth for elite roles at the same time as they were taking in legal and illegal immigrants and caring for children and youth in distress. In the 1950s they were highly successful in absorbing immigrants, while continuing to educate a social elite in directions most valued in terms of national ideals, such as agriculture and military and community service. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
