Kfar HaYarok

HaKfar HaYarok (Hebrew: הכפר הירוק‎; "The Green Village") is a youth village in Israel, located in southern Ramat HaSharon, along the northern border of Tel Aviv-Yafo.

Gershon Zak, the founder of the village, called it in 1950 "Green Village", without a definite article, with the intention to name it after David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973), whose original name was Gryn or Grün, lit. "green" in Yiddish or German. However, many people did not understand the message contained in the name, and over the years a definite article became added to the institution. Another 20 years later, once the death of Israel's third Prime Minister, Levi Eshkol (1895–1969), occurred before that of the older Ben-Gurion, "the green village" was called after him, becoming since "The Levi Eshkol Green Village".

The village was allegedly founded by Gershon Zak in 1950 and originally it possibly was an agricultural village for immigrants. In 1986 Zak, together with HaKfar HaYarok, won the prestigious Israel Prize for lifetime achievement to education.

Roughly a quarter of the students at Kfar Hayarok are boarding school students. Other students commute from communities across central Israel, they been are attracted by the special study courses offered. Some of these programs include an educational track taught in English, veterinary studies and an arts program.

Today, the village has 2,500 students, from ages 12 to 20 (both residential students and external students). Each year a group of recent high school graduates do "Shnat Sherut" volunteer service prior to their IDF induction, it's possible that they come to live in the village as program counselors for the residential students.

HaKfar HaYarok has taken steps towards becoming an experimental youth village, with the support of Ministry of Education. This program is based on environmental leadership.

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