JPost: 80 Years World Bnei Akiva by Bne Akiwa Switzerland

Editor and Production, Zvika Klein Advertising & Post Production, Gaby Shine-Markowitz CHAIRMEN OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS Marc Belzberg Daniel Goldman MAZKAL, DIRECTOR-GENERAL Zeev Schwartz ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE Zvika Klein, Spokesperson and Fundraising Esti Prince, Office Manager Maayan Berman, Office Assistant Jeremy Kurnedz, Treasurer Avner Franklin, Accounts Manager Sari Kaye, Bookkeeper Shoshy Riffkin, Projects HACHSHARA DEPARTMENT Gadi Tsadok, Director Rabbi Rafi Ostroff, Outgoing Director Ilan Osrin, Outgoing Manager Anton Goodman, Director of Leadership Jonny Lipczer, Program Coordinator Avy Leghziel, Program Coordinator Elkana Shtul, Program Coordinator Shimon Yehoshua, Program Coordinator Rabbi Yishai Breslauer, Tafnit North America Yael Ring, Logistics Coordinator

When it was decided to publish this special Jerusalem Post magazine celebrating World Bnei Akiva’s 80th anniversary, we received hundreds of emotional stories, vintage photos and unique archive information which emphasize our movement’s great achievements. This magazine includes just a glimpse of more than 80 years of Religious Zionism at its best. But it is just the start. We encourage you to share your information with us so that we can document it in our archives. For further information, please e-mail zvika@bneiakiva.net World Bnei Akiva 54 King George Street PO Box 7401 Jerusalem 91073 Israel

T: +972 (0)2 620 9012 F: +972 (0)2 625 8799 E: office@bneiakiva.net www.bneiakiva.net

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S 6............................. Yes, We Do! A Message from Zeev Schwartz 8............................. Making an Impact Far and Wide 10........................... In The Beginning… 12........................... Making a Date with Bnei Akiva 14........................... Shlichut: Globally Educating – in memory of Adir Zik 16........................... The Movement's First Steps in Europe 18........................... Snif Spotlight – Europe 20........................... Snif Spotlight – North America

SHLICHUT DEPARTMENT Emanuel Elstein, Screening Coordinator Shay Kremer, Recruitment Mordi Chwat, Sherut Leumi Coordinator Hasida Pinchuk, Shlichut Advisor

22........................... Snif Spotlight – South America

HADRACHA DEPARTMENT Ilan Frydman, Director Hila Gizbar, Coordinator

28........................... An "In Tents" Camping Experience

REGIONS DIRECTORS Jonny Lipczer, British Desk Hasida Pinchuk, German Desk Ilan Frydman, North American Desk Shoshi Ben Yaakov, European Desk Shay Kremer, Southern Hemisphere Desk Shmuel Korenblit, South American Desk Binyamin Touati, French Desk

34........................... Chicago Street, Israel

24........................... Snif Spotlight – Southern Hemisphere 25........................... Special Magic – Yuval Australia 26........................... Bnei Akiva Israel – Leading the way 30........................... Meet our Olim 32........................... Kibbutz 2009 36........................... Great Leaders – Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks 38........................... Introducing Hachshara 40........................... Keeping you Connected 46........................... Still in Bnei Akiva at 40 47........................... Buy a Brick! Beit Bnei Akiva

Vice President Amanda Kuperman Chief Commercial Officer Avi Sasson Advertising Production Manager Shlomit Hammer Design, Chief Advertising Michal Neeman Advertising Design Rinat Klein Traffic Production Merav Ifergan, Jennie Ben-Aharon Linguistic Editor Ruth Beloff Graphic Design Climax Design Studio www.climax-design.co.il Tel. 03-7516747

Note: The information in the advertisements and the write-ups is the sole responsibility of the advertisers.

Commercial Supplement [3]

Yes, we do! Message from World Bnei Akiva’s Director General

n just a few weeks’ time, hundreds of young people of all ages will flock to the tranquil coastal town of Hartenbos, South Africa, for a three-week experience that will have a lasting impact on their lives. I, too, had such an experience 31 years ago at the age of 11 when I was fortunate to go to my first Bnei Akiva summer camp. Living in tents, eating kosher food, feeling Jewish, absorbing Jewish and Zionist knowledge, meeting Israeli shlichim (envoys) … the sense of the Garden of Eden in this world. Then came Shabbat, after which I realized it had been the first time that I observed Shabbat. My life changed forever after that camp experience.

Leadership development There is nothing more gratifying than to have the privilege of growing up through the ranks of a youth movement. Bnei Akiva is run by young people for young people with the crucial support and direction of their parents. Countless numbers of us have been fortunate enough to have attended a summer camp or participated in an activity or event that changed the course of families’ lives everywhere. How many thousands have discovered Judaism and Israel? Thousands traveled to the Promised Land on a vast number of trips in their school days. Look at any successful leader, and you will undoubtedly find that he or she gained his/her original experience out in the field of a camp or at a snif (branch). For more than 50 years, thousands have spent their post-high school interim year trained in Israel to be leaders, versed in Torah knowledge, equipped with the history and challenges of Zionism, and living the Israel experience from Masada to the Kotel Tunnels, as well as volunteering, gaining independence and responsibility, and connecting with others from different cultures. Bnei Akiva is the largest leadership development system in the world. Every madrich (leader) is trained to respond immediately to any call or challenge, following in the footsteps of Avraham Avinu, who responded with the key word to every test, “Hineni” (Here I am).

Shlichut Bnei Akiva is the largest Zionist youth movement in the world. We have more than 200 shlichim as part of the entire Religious Zionist contingent of 400-strong around the globe, from Wellington to Los Angeles and Oslo to Cape Town. However, with constant live updates and international developments at one’s fingertips, we are faced with the challenge of instilling only the best and most honest values to each community. To that end, there is no substitute for the long arm of Zion, bonding the Diaspora with Jerusalem – the center of Judaism and the world.

Torah Va’Avodah In an era when ideologies and isms clash, Torah Va’Avodah is just as relevant and crucial as ever, fostering involvement and sensitivity in a modern society. Rabbi Akiva’s adage of “Love thy neighbor as thyself” justifies his children to carry on his name with pride and responsibility. We excel at instilling Jewish values and practice, reaching out and coming closer together, from the Amazon outpost of Belem to the unique city of Gothenburg.

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Bnei Akiva is all about maintaining Jews and Judaism. In his message marking this landmark anniversary, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed Israel’s appreciation for the more than 100,000 graduates that have made aliya. Bnei Akiva is without a doubt one of the largest aliya operators in the world. Yoske Shapira, the founding leader of World Bnei Akiva, said: “Wherever you point your pen on the map of Israel, there you will find someone touched by Bnei Akiva.” Our values, shared with the larger Mizrachi Movement, of Am Yisrael b’Eretz Yisrael al pi Torat Yisrael, is a beacon to the world around us. We teach values and involvement in an apolitical framework, which makes Bnei Akiva not just a youth movement but a way of life. Look around, and every knitted kippa you see is part of the rainbow that colors the Jewish world from the beit midrash to the elite army unit, from academia to business, from the kibbutz to Hebron, from Efrat to Ra’anana, from Jerusalem to beyond. Bnei Akiva is always the spearhead, pioneering its way at any “front”…then and now and, G-d willing, tomorrow.

The plasma generation Educating in the modern world is no easy task. Although information is easily accessible, today we live in the plasma generation. Young people, in fact everyone, are captured by or glued to plasma screens of all shapes and sizes. From text messaging (SMS), Facebook and the computer screen, it is not easy to draw them away from the isolated cyber world to the safety of society. We need to create boundaries and safe havens in cyberspace. There is no substitute for the warmth of a friend or the friendly touch of a volunteer as opposed to the distance of thousands of virtual friends. We invite you to help enlighten us with suggestions about how to successfully educate and lead in this modern age.

Yes, we do This is indeed a milestone for this special movement founded by Yechiel Eliash 80 years ago. The professional leadership from decade to decade of Yoske Shapira, Avraham “Duvdev” Duvdevani, Yitzhak Shtiglitz and Gael Grunewald has enabled the world movement to continue forward. Now is the time for you to express your gratitude for and appreciation of who we are and from where we started. Any Bnei Akiva-nik can do a simple blood test and find proof of our impact in his BNA. We need the support and involvement of Bnei Akiva’s vast pool of bogrim (alumni) and those who appreciate their contribution to Jewish society and more. We are in great needs of funds, especially at this time of economic uncertainty and the decline in financial support by our friends at the Jewish Agency, WZO, JNF et al of more than half a million dollars in one year alone. YES, WE DO! Bnei Akiva needs you!

Bevirkat Chaverim Le’Torah Va’Avodah Zeev Schwartz, Mazkal (Director General) Shevet Amiad Hachsharat MTA 1985 Snif Johannesburg, South Africa

Making an impact

far and wide

By Yael Brygel

orld Bnei Akiva conducts activities for more than 50,000 young Jews in more than 42 countries around the world, particularly Jewish communities. However, where the Jewish infrastructure is small, the service provided by Bnei Akiva shlichim (envoys) and local Bnei Akiva leaders takes on an entirely new and important meaning, providing much-needed education not only for local youth but also for the Jewish community at large. In the 1950s, Bnei Akiva played an important role in influencing the Zionist and Jewish identities of Jewish communities throughout Europe. According to Thomas Nisell – who in the 1950s was an active player in the Swedish Bnei Akiva movement – Bnei Akiva’s role in the local community was very significant. “The impact of Bnei Akiva on the community was unique. We succeeded in having an impact on the community. We were involved in the community,

Activity in Auckland New Zealand Jewish school

as well as activities with the youth. Many of our parents became much more active and involved. The children had an effect on their parents,” he says. According to Nisell, the key message that Bnei Akiva gave the community was that it is “possible” to be both modern and involved in the wider world and, at the same time, forge a strong Jewish identity. During the early 1990s Jeremy Kurnedz, then head shaliach to the former USSR, assisted in a mass project to help local Jewish community members explore their Jewish and Zionist identity and heritage.

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No Jewish community is too small or too remote for Bnei Akiva to work its magic “That was a time when a lot of Jews were returning to their roots. A lot of people were making aliya. We had a lot of activities, which were run by permanent shlichim – four or five young families – young chevre (groups) coming for two or three months to different cities and would come out for summer camps and seminars for thousands of youth,” he says. “It was a very large operation consisting not of the type of activities you would see in Israel, where most come from religious families. These were kids that had no Jewish background at all. They were learning the basics.” Today in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway, Bnei Akiva fills an important niche, providing a combination of Jewish and Zionist activities for the Jewish community. “Unlike other organizations, we focus on Zionism and Israel; and in some places, we are the only Jewish framework for kids. They have cheder and studies for the kids, but sometimes it’s only

organize the Jewish holiday festivals. And they can also educate them about Zionism and provide a connection to Israel. The community wants religious ceremonies to be performed by someone who knows something and who can combine Judaism with a connection to Israel.” In Germany, Bnei Akiva runs the Lehava program, together with the local Jewish community, for youth and students. Shlichim work out of Berlin and Hamburg a few days a week and spend time in smaller towns where the Jewish infrastructure is less developed. Activities include informal programming, camps and weekend seminars. Leo Sojref, a 17-year-old Lehava (Bnei Akiva's program in Germany) leader from Germany who will be making aliya this year, explains the importance of Lehava activities in Germany. “What is important to understand is that in Germany, shlichut really matters. There is a community one hour’s drive from Berlin. Either we [Bnei Akiva

Children in Munich, Germany making matzot

kindergarten,” says Roi Abecassis, former head shaliach for World Bnei Akiva in Scandinavia. “We are filling the gap by giving the children Judaism and Zionism. It is kiruv (outreach). Some people are very far from Judaism.” Asked why communities without a large religious constituency choose to bring religious shlichim, Abecassis says it is very important to these communities to find people who can run religious services and, at the same time, provide a Zionist education for the local youth. “On the one hand, the shlichim are very religious and can run the prayer services, can teach, be cantors and

shlichim and local madrichim] go there and we have a cantor or a Torah, or no one will do it. It is not like the US, where there is a community that will run programs. Whatever you do is what is going to happen.” Sojref, one of many students from the communities that Lehava works in who have decided to move to Israel, explains his desire to do so. “Basically, before I came to Lehava, I was religious and not so Zionist. The hadracha (leadership training) seminar in Israel made me decide to come. A shaliach in Berlin had said, ‘Imagine your life in 20 years.’ And I realized that I wanted to imagine it in Israel.”

In the Beginning... Meet the first Director-General of World Bnei Akiva, Yoske Shapira By Leah Abramowitz

here are few religious people and certainly few Bnei Akiva alumni who don’t know the name Yoske Shapira. Shapira could be called a legend in his lifetime, and certainly the range of his accomplishments could well do honor to three or more individuals. Shapira’s father first came to Israel in 1914 from Poland and again in 1921 and was among the founders of the Mizrachi movement. Yoske, his parents’ only Sabra, was born in Tel Aviv in December 1927. Shapira’s connection to Bnei Akiva began when a friend asked him to fill in as a madrich (leader) for Shevet Etzion. He not only became a proactive group leader, but he also got his group to adopt youngsters in Jaffa from new immigrant families. In one of the Bnei Akiva camps that Shapira directed, he met his future wife, Bracha, who was a communarit (coordinator) in Kfar Haro’eh. Shapira’s greatest accomplishment is the founding of the World Bnei Akiva Movement in 1954, which he headed for 22 years. He got to know all the leading Bnei Akiva chaverim (members) all over the world. From an initial two shlichim (envoys), he eventually directed 32 envoys who were sent to be in charge of branches on every continent of the globe. He also traveled all over the world

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and had an enormous influence on Bnei Akiva members in Europe, South America, North America and other places. “As a teenager I didn’t see the need to put on a kippa,” says Yitzhak Kalbo, who grew up in Tunis and is now the grandfather of many Bnei Akiva members himself. “A visit from Yoske to our snif [branch] changed that, and I’ll always be grateful for his friendly and warm approach.” One of Shapira’s most important moves as head of the World Bnei Akiva office was influencing the various branches to give up their training farms in the Diaspora and establish hachsharot (training farms) in Israel. “Why do we need training farms abroad when the chanichim can learn farming from kibbutznikim in a real live setting? After all, it’s much more realistic to prepare for hityashvut (settlement) in Israel,” he explained. Shapira himself accompanied the first group of 30 American youngsters to attend Hachshara in Kibbutz Yavneh in l955 as they sailed to Israel. Unlike other shlichim of the time, he encouraged the Bnei

Akiva members to first finish their studies and make aliya only after they completed their degrees. This endeared him to the parents and undoubtedly prevented many from leaving the country after several years for lack of a livelihood. Shapira was also instrumental in raising the funds for purchasing a new summer camp at Indian Orchard when the need for an upgraded Moshava in America proved essential. The local leaders, it seems, weren’t as effective in garnering funding as the heavily accented emissary from Israel proved to be. He remained at his post in World Bnei Akiva until 1976 when he was asked to become the director of Aliyat Ha’noar (Youth Aliya) at the Jewish Agency. Shapira was involved and established many projects over the years. He became a minister in the Knesset; established new communities around Israel, such as Na’ale for youngsters from Russia; established the Tehila organization, which encourages aliya of religious families from Anglo-Saxon countries, and Torah Mitzion Zionist kollels in the Diaspora; he established Oz, a movement for children in development towns; and many other exceptional projects. About a year ago Shapira retired from most of his public work. At the age of 80, he now devotes himself to his family, his writings and his memoirs. Yoske and Bracha have five children, many grandchildren, and innumerable friends and admirers who will immediately flash a smile at the mere mention of the name Yoske Shapira.

Making a Date with BA Countless thousands are grateful to Bnei Akiva for bringing them together Meira Josephy Although my husband and I did not meet through Bnei Akiva, it was an integral part of our wedding planning. My husband was involved in Bnei Akiva in Vienna, while I was involved in Los Angeles and New York. When we got engaged, we felt it would be only right to use at our wedding the Bnei Akiva birkon (Grace after Meals booklet), which I had been working on for years. Fortunately, I finished it in time and we were able to use the birkon at our wedding. Bnei Akiva of New York was able to sell the rest of the print run fairly quickly. We were also able to do a second run of the birkon and coordinate its sale so that Bnei Akiva branches throughout North America (for starters) could fundraise with it. Meira Josephy, Shevet Hamevasser, is a digital heritage consultant and designer and lives in Jerusalem. The Bnei Akiva birkon can be ordered through birkatchaverim.com

Mindy Wiesenberg I was on Hachsharah Shevet Shechem 1974-75 on Kibbutz Lavi 35 years ago. In those days, there were no mobile phones, no e-mails, no Facebook. What we had were asimonim (telephone tokens), long waiting lines for the telephone booth, two hours to get through to the international operator, and the old-fashioned art of letter writing on lightweight airmail paper. Through those letters I kept in touch with Johnny Wiesenberg, who had been on Hach from 1969 -1970. We were married in 1977. At the end of Johnny’s Hach year on Kibbutz Lavi, Moshe Maltz said to him, “I suppose you are going back to London to become one of those armchair Zionists.” Yes, we did become armchair Zionists, but we cradled our four children in that armchair. They all went through Bnei Akiva and have or will become olim. Our daughter and son-in-law Tanya and Ian White (who met through Bnei Akiva camp) made aliya five years ago; our son and daughter-inlaw (Avi and Chanie Wiesenberg) will make aliya later this year; and our other two sons (Natan and Baruch) hope to live in Israel soon as well. Perhaps it took us a bit longer to realize the Bnei Akiva aim - yishuv ha’aretz (living in the Land) - but we, too, will soon follow in our children’s footsteps.

Philly Riffkin Philly (Pesach) Riffkin made aliya from Dublin in 1955, together his life-long friends, all of whom were members of Bnei Akiva. They joined Kibbutz Lavi and in October 1956 enlisted in the army. In 1958 Philly was sent to Scotland as a shaliach (envoy) of the Bnei Akiva summer camps, where he met Vivienne Lee, a counselor. Vivienne was an active member of Bnei Akiva in Dublin and wanted to be a farmer in Israel. They were married at the Adelaide Road Synagogue in Dublin in 1959. In 1961 Philly returned to Israel with his wife and baby daughter. The Riffkins now have three children and have built a home based on the values of Torah Ve’avodah. When the Riffkins came to Israel in 1961, they were the only members of their families to do so. Today, almost 50 years after making aliya, Philly and Vivienne have many relatives who live in Israel. They recently celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at a kosher Irish pub in Jerusalem.

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Shlichut:

Globally Educating Throughout the years, World Bnei Akiva has sent thousands of Shlichim (emissaries) to Jewish communities across the globe. Dr. Joseph Rosenblatt shares the story of the Shaliach that changed his life as a child, Adir Zik Z"l

Adir Zik Z"l

dir Zik arrived in Los Angeles like the spark that his name implies. I first met Adir and his wife Vardit when I was a boy of 12 and he was in his early 20â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. He had just concluded military service in the paratroopers and arrived in Los Angeles as a newly minted Bnei Akiva shaliach and became a UCLA student of television. To make ends meet, Adir and Vardit also taught Hebrew and tanach at Hillel Hebrew Academy in Beverly Hills.

Israel was a remote idea for most of us in that year of 1966. Pretty soon, because of the momentous events in the Middle East and Adirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magnetic personality and Zionist passion, that was all about to change. Adir was different from other Jews I had known. As tensions mounted between Israel and neighboring Arab states that enthusiastically joined in Nasserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan for the annihilation of Israel, a sense of dread enveloped our community. It seemed that we Jews were headed for yet another holocaust. One day, I remember Adir talking to us about what it meant to be an Israeli and how confident he was in the training and dedication of Israeli soldiers. He radiated a sense of determination, competence and bitachon in our cause that soon became infectious. He spoke about his commanders in the paratroopers, the Israeli ethos of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;acharaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, follow me, confident that a new breed of Jewish soldier that had arisen in Israel would assure victory. The momentous events of June 1967 unfolded exactly as Adir predicted. He himself was very frustrated as he tried to return to Israel to fight with his unit, but the war ended before he could do so. In Moshava (summer camp) that year, Adir captured our imagination taking the kids out on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;aish layla,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

night hikes. We also laughed until our sides split at Adirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skits and impersonations of famous people, and of us. Adir had a way of passing on his enthusiasm and love of Eretz Yisrael. In Adir, beat a warm Jewish heart weighed down by the sadness of our recent history, yet charged with a sense of exhilaration regarding the possibilities of the Jewish future. His magnetic personality created a bridge between us and our fellow Jews in Israel. As a result of Adirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s influence, two of us, Lenny (Aryeh) Kaplan and me simply picked up and went to Israel to attend high school. That decision was the single most important one I ever made. My years in Netiv Meir in Jerusalem left an indelible Jewish and academic imprint which has followed me through life. Later, Adir and I lost touch for many years, but I was blessed to reconnect with him and Vardit and to introduce them to my wife, Lily, several months before his passing. They spent a month in our home in Florida before and immediately after an attempted surgery to save his life. During this time, a number of old friends popped up from our past and flew over to Florida from cross-country just to be with Adir during this important time, and many others called, a true testimony to the many lives he had touched. Having Adir around was a special gift and ironically he found ways during this difficult time for him to give all of us chizuk and love. Adir approached his medical challenges with the same kind of courage and determination that he exhibited in tackling Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s challenges. He was ever the optimist, ever the eloquent defender

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Adir retained a sense of adventure and humor in the face of adversity. While canoeing in the alligatorinfested Loxahatchee Ri ver, Adir envisioned aloud the Israeli morning news: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Radio commentator and Bnei Akiva Shaliach, Adir Zik eaten by alligators just two days before major surgery in America.â&#x20AC;? Adir always spoke from the heart, spoke the truth as he saw it, unafraid and unapologetic. He saw the potential for greatness In every Jew, made us care about who we were, where we had come from, and helped us see who we could become. On our wall hangs his last gift to us with a saying by Harav Kook: â&#x20AC;&#x153;When the soul illuminates, even the cloudiest sky emits a pleasant glow.â&#x20AC;? Adir was an outstanding emissary of Eretz Yisrael. The sparks that he, as Bnei Akiva shaliach and beyond lit in all his chanichim continue to shine brightly.

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of the Mitnachalim and the special connection of Am Yisrael to all of Eretz Yisrael. I remember Adir looking at a newscast in which a Jewish girl was crying following a recent suicide bombing. Her pain was Adirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pain and crying himself, he softly whispered, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yiddishe kinderâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;?

Dr. Joseph D. Rosenblatt, Chief of Hematology Oncology at University of Miami School of Medicine, Married to Lily, and father to Joshua, Aliza and Eliana

The Movement's First Steps Zionist youth movements were active in Europe before, during and after the Holocaust

Hungary

On March 19, 1944, the Bnei Akiva national council convened at the main snif (branch) and were shocked to hear about the Nazi invasion of Budapest. They decided to disobey Nazi orders, avoid being listed in the census and ignore any call to report for recruitment. The youth movements had become resistance movements. Members of the youth movements didn’t waste time. They organized “bonkers” – secret apartments in the suburbs of Budapest, and began to manufacture false IDs for Jews with an Aryan appearance who chose to hide their true identity. The activists met at public locations and exchanged information, using agreed upon signs; they took precautions and moved apartments every couple of days. The brave ones carried weapons, impersonating SS soldiers or Hungarian zandarmia and saved many Jews from the Nazis. Thousands of Jews saved in Budapest, perhaps tens of thousands, owe their lives to the underground organization of the Zionist youth movements

Germany Germany had a vast network of Religious Zionist youth movement activities. Before World War II, several hachshara (training farm) camps were established. The alumni of one of them – Rodges – moved to Israel and established the first religious kibbutz. Chapters of Young Mizrachi, The Israeli Labor Movement, Torah & Avoda and Ezra were active alongside many Zionist and non-Zionist secular youth movements. With the Nazi rise to power, there was a steep increase in Zionist youth movement membership, and great effort was invested to smuggle children outside of Germany to locations considered safer

Germany

Hachshara, Buckingham, 1945

United Kingdom

Budapest Snif, 6.10.1945

Chanichim on the 'Kastner' rescue train, 1944

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Bnei Akiva of the UK was founded in 1937. Activities were concentrated in several snifim around London. The major change took place at the beginning of 1939, when 10,000 of the Kindertransport children arrived on the shores of UK. These were children who had willingly been taken out of Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia after the Kristallnacht pogroms, literally being saved at the last moment from the Nazis. Arieh Handler, one of the founders of the German youth alliance, was sent by Henrietta Szold to the UK to organize the youth aliya. Handler did everything in his power to strengthen Bnei Akiva and to absorb the Kindertransport children into the movement. Very quickly Bnei Akiva’s activity spread throughout the UK, and soon there wasn’t a single Jewish community in the UK without a snif. Throughout the years, Bnei Akiva of the UK has been one of most vibrant centers of European Bnei Akiva, and many of the movement’s British alumni made aliya and played major roles in building the modern state of Israel. In 1949, several alumni founded Kibbutz Lavi, the first religious kibbutz of British BA alumni.

Belgium The Religious Zionist movement – Mizrachi – was founded in Antwerp in 1905, and in 1932 Bnei Akiva was established. Bnei Akiva was the most active youth movement until the war, consisting of 40 percent of the city’s Zionist youth. Many of the chanichim (members), mostly children, did not survive the Holocaust. The Israeli Labor Movement’s (Bacha’d) hachshara in the town of Leves, outside of Namur, was founded in the spring of 1945. The estate at Leves belonged to a Belgian Nazi but was confiscated by the Belgian government after the war and given over to Bacha’d activist Dr. Yitzhak Knoler to be used for a Zionist hachshara (training farm).

Denmark

in Europe

Hachshara in Skibstorf

Denmark

In 1934 David Metz, a wealthy Jewish businessman, dedicated his thriving farm in Skibstorf as a work place for young Jewish refugees from Germany. At first Metz was hesitant to allow religious groups onto his farm, as “they only know how to pray and won’t want to work.” But his fears were quickly dispelled. Bachad’s “De Lucks” Hachshara was considered a model farm, a success story. Besides the impressive agricultural work, the pioneers were committed to a religious lifestyle. Bnei Akiva and the other youth movements were active before, during and immediately after the Holocaust. The snifim, hachshara camps and other activity centers provided firm grounds for the upbringing of Religious Zionist youth instilled with ideology, whose minds and bodies were immersed in activities to help their people and their land, despite tremendous obstacles

The House of Testimony The House of Testimony was founded at Nir Galim in Israel to commemorate the legacy of the Holocaust and the heritage of Religious Zionism, unfolding the compelling stories of the religious youth movements and, at their heart, Bnei Akiva. (www.beit-haedut.org.il) Bnei Akiva Belgium

Belgium

The information about Germany was provided with the permission of Kfar Hano’ar Hadati (www.kfarnoar.org)

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Snif Spotlights EUROPE United Kingdom: Bnei Akiva launched a nationwide Israel Week with activities across the UK in shuls, schools and local snifim (branches), including charity quizzes, wine-tasting sessions and Israel workshops.

Holland: While the local Bnei Akiva bands in Amsterdam were rehearsing for their CD, which was produced this year, they had a surprise visit from Mush Ben-Ari, one of Israel’s leading singers.

Hungary: BA, together with other Jewish organizations, created Café Tel Aviv, which included books written by Israeli authors, coffee and more.

Austria: BA activities took place in one of the cars of the Israeli Foreign Ministry train in Vienna. BA madrichim (leaders) organized activities and talked about Israel to thousands of Austrian residents.

Italy: Jewish Activity Caravan in small and remote Jewish communities: BA members and leaders from Milan and Rome organized activities for children in small communities (Venice, Boulogne, etc…) about the different Jewish holidays throughout the year.

Belgium: The official Bnei Akiva Eurovision song contest 2009 was hosted by the Brussels and Antwerp branches. The contest was covered in the Israeli and international media.

Norway: King Harald V and his son, Crown Prince Haakon, made a historic visit to the Oslo congregation and snif and met with local Bnei Akiva madrichim to hear about the difficulty of being Jewish in Norway.

France: The first national Eurovision song contest and first place at the official World BA Eurovision in Belgium. The national contest took place in Boulogne and hosted snifim from all over France. The song “Shema Koleinu” from Paris represented France in the European contest and won first place.

Scandinavia: Mama Mia style Hanukka caravan across Scandinavia: World BA shlichim (envoys) produced a professional musical and game show about Hanukka and performed in front of thousands throughout Scandinavia - in Helsinki, Finland; Oslo, Norway; Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo, Sweden; and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Germany:

Switzerland: Chanichim from the Basel snif created a video remake of the kidnapping of Gilad Schalit. The clip opened a special day about Schalit and the IDF during the summer camp.

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Lehava Student Café: Berlin BA and Lehava shlichim opened the only kosher café in Berlin. The café hosts dozens of local college students a week.

Snif Spotlights North

America

Shlichim: There are now approximately 20 families of shlichim; 30 young shlichim; and more than 50 National Service shlichot from the Bat Ami program, all working with Bnei Akiva in 50 snifim across North America.

Bnei Akiva's four Moshava Camps: Camp Stone, Wild Rose, Ennismore and Indian Orchard are working full steam with hundreds of chanichim every summer.

Kenes Avoda and Ve’ida:

TVI (Torah and Avoda Institute) makes aliya:

As every year, last year started off with a big boost to all the activists of Bnei Akiva. The annual Kenes Avoda and Ve’ida took place at Camp IO and helped everyone in setting goals and planning the national and regional programs.

The renowned TVI program, which took place for decades next to Moshava Indian Orchard, are now located permanently in Israel. It is a month-long seminar in which post 11th grade participants enjoy learning, taking leadership training and doing chesed in Israel. After the leadership program ends, the participants spread out and work as teams in the four Moshava camps during the summer and in the Bnei Akiva snifim during the year.

All on board for Yom Yerushalayim: This year, the Bnei Akiva celebration of Yom Yerushalayim in New York was held on a boat. It was full of simcha and divrei Torah for the hundreds of participants.

Heroism Month: Some 30 schools and communities in the New York area, New Jersey, Toronto, Hamilton, Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago had the opportunity to hear the compelling stories of the Klein and Apter families, who lost their sons Roi and Noam in the IDF. Snif Los Angeles hosted Karnit Goldwasser (wife of abducted soldier Ehud Goldwasser, hy”d) and the Hartov family (abducted on the Air France flight to Entebbe).

Shabbat Irgun in honor of 80 years of BA: This year, out of the ordinary, Shabbatot Irgun were organized in the snifim of Chicago, Illinois, and Hollywood, Florida. Hundreds of chanichim, alumni and parents took part in creating this meaningful event.

Torah & Avoda - Bnei Akiva Beit Midrash in the various communities: The Bnei Akiva Beit Midrash learning programs were established throughout North America, bringing World BA shlichim together with other Religious Zionist shlichim and community members.

A year in Israel? Tafnit North America Hachshara:

Akivaton: More than 10,000 copies of the Parshat Hashavua (weekly Torah portion) sheet are printed every week and circulated in synagogues throughout the US and Canada.

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World Bnei Akiva North America’s one-year program in Israel. World Bnei Akiva shlichim are helping promote the Tafnit Hachshara program, which is in its second year. American universities now acknowledge Tafnit for academic credit.

New snifim: This year, new branches were established in St, Louis, Missouri; New Rochelle, New York; and Cedarhurst, New York. In Toronto and Los Angeles, new snifim were added to do the successful programming that has been taking place for many years.

Snif Spotlights Latin Bnei Akiva came to Latin America at the beginning of the movement's history. Just four years after the founding of Bnei Akiva in Jerusalem, the first snif (branch) was opened in Uruguay. Immediately after the declaration of the State of Israel and in the years following, Bnei Akiva spread to many cities in Latin America, such as Buenos Aires (Argentina), San Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Mexico City (Mexico) and Caracas (Venezuela). Other snifim were active in the smaller communities during specific periods. In recent years, the movement has spread even further and is active in BelĂŠm (northern Brazil) and in Panama and has working relations in Chile, Peru and Colombia. One of the main characteristics of almost all the Bnei Akiva snifim is the large numbers of alumni who attend hachshara programs in Israel, following which most of them make aliya.

America

Latin American traditions There are some especially colorful South American Bnei Akiva traditions. In Mexico, for example, every alumnus who joins a hachshara program in Israel receives a large sombrero; and every alumnus who chooses to make aliya, gets a white sombrero. In Rio de Janeiro, they merge the rhythm of the samba with the Bnei Akiva songs. And the annual Rio carnival in Brazil has a serious competitor: the annual BA parade in the streets of Copacabana on Simchat Torah, bringing together hundreds of participants in song and dance. Another very important tradition is the one of Bnei Akiva Uruguay. If you were a chanich (member) of the hachshara from Uruguay, there is almost no chance you'd remain in Uruguay. In the last 20 years the percentage of aliya among Uruguay hachsahra alumni has exceeded 95%. Rav Shmuel Kornblit is the head of the Latin American desk and BA shaliach to Argentina.

South American hasbara campaign â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Operation Cast Lead: Brazilian and Argentinean BA leadership program chanichim created an international Internet hasbara campaign for Israel involving all snifim around the world and were interviewed on Israel national TV.

Argentina: Close to 150 chanichim participated in a Yamin Noraim seminar in Uruguay from 15 Jewish communities of Buenos Aires, the largest seminar in recent years.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Some 1,650 participants attended BA's 80th celebrations. The event took place in a conference center on the Copacabana beach, and the IDF Rabbinical band played Jewish and Israeli music as the huge crowd danced and cheered.

Mexico: Aliya Club ends with 60 BA olim: 10 families that participated in BA Mexico's Aliya Club, in cooperation with the Jewish Agency, made aliya this summer.

Sao Paulo, Brazil: New snif building and shlichim conference: Hundreds participated in the initiation ceremony of the huge and wellfurnished snif. All the South American shlichim participated in a seminar in cooperation with the Jewish Agency.

Mexico: 60 years of BA Mexico and 80 for World BA: More than 300 participants attended and received original T-shirts with BA's logo printed on them

Uruguay: Bnei Akiva organized a Purim carnival for the entire community and gave out original sunglasses as a marketing technique.

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Snif Spotlights Southern Wellington, New Zealand: More than 120 people got together in Wellington to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day). BA ran two programs: a big Monopoly game of Israel and a quiz about Israel.

Auckland, New Zealand: BA is offering cantorial classes and is currently teaching six chanichim (members) how to lead religious services such as Musaf and Kabbalat Shabbat.

Sydney, Australia: Bat mitzva project: Every Sunday, snif BA of Sydney organizes an activity for girls of bat mitzva age. During the sessions the girls learn about special mitzvot for women and about women in the Tanach.

Auckland, New Zealand: Activities take place every Sunday for five groups of 40 chanichim, led by 20 madrichim (leaders). The theme of the first half of the year’s activities is “Being Jewish in a Non-Jewish Environment.” The theme of the second half is “Mitzvot” (good deeds).

Melbourne, Australia: 60 years for BA 80 for WBA. Three generations, founders and madrichim. Film clips of bogrim (alumni) in Israel.

Sydney, Australia: Hebrew Café: For seven weeks, Chevraya Bet chanichim going on the Netivo program in Israel met at the shlichims homes and discussed hot Israeli topics only in Hebrew!

South Africa: Some 1,000 Jewish youth attend the BA summer camp. Over the last 10 years, the camp has become the most popular holiday activity for Jewish youth in South Africa.

Australia: Some 30%-40% of Australian olim are Bnei Akiva alumni. Approximately 20 bogrim made aliya from Australia this year.

South Africa: Bnei Akiva runs six Israel programs every year for approximately 250 participants.

South Africa: South Africa: Bnei Akiva SA graduates are the pillars of the South Africa Jewish community. Some stellar examples include the chief rabbi; the head of the SA Zionist Federation; the head of the South Africa Jewish Board of Deputies; and the head of the Jewish Board of Education.

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Every year, 10% of Jewish school graduates go on a Bnei Akiva hachshara program.

Hemisphere Special Magic, Shevet Yuval, Down Under Australia: More than 60 of the bogrim come to Israel every year on short-term Judaic and academic programs. This year, 30 BA Australia bogrim enrolled in the Hebrew University law program.

Perth, Australia: Café BA. For the first time in its history, BA Perth took the initiative and made the local Sunday café kosher. They made a local kosher meat restaurant accessible to every Jewish person. All the madrichim volunteered to participate in the project

Since Purim of 2008, Bnei Akiva Melbourne, Australia, has welcomed a new member to our family, which quickly grew to be an integral part of this ever-expanding family. This member is Shevet Yuval. It was the brainchild of our then shaliach (emissary) Ori Meir, as well as dedicated madrichot (leaders) Ayelet Ben-Danan, Tehilla Brown and Ronit Lewis, who all shared the same passion and desire: to integrate children with disabilities into the mainstream Bnei Akiva movement. This was no easy task, but after long discussions with parents and confirming all logistical issues, members of Shevet Yuval began coming to Shabbat peulot (activities) on a regular basis, as well as functions of their own. They happily attended our various communal functions and represented their shevet (group) with pride. Shevet Yuval is not just about the children who attend; it is far more than that. The impact of the relationships being created changes the lives of all involved. The constant love and warm nature of all the Yuvalniks is endearing – something that always brings a smile to your face. From the youngest grade three to the graduating year 12 chanich (member), everyone interacts with our Yuvalniks and can’t help but be drawn in by their joyous personalities. Together with Rachelli Cohney and Dav Khoen, Nadav Ellinson is a Shevet Yuval madrich. “Shevet Yuval provides a unique opportunity for the Yuval chanichim,” Ellinson says. “While the community provides them with many exciting and stimulating programs, Bnei Akiva allows them to integrate into the wider Jewish community in a natural and intimate manner. The personal connections formed between our chanichim and the rest of the Bnei Akiva community are genuine and hopefully will be long lasting.” Being the first snif (branch) in the world to have Shevet Yuval outside of Israel is something that Bnei Akiva Melbourne holds dear. Looking back today on the past 60 years of Bnei Akiva Melbourne as we to celebrate our 60th anniversary, together with World Bnei Akiva celebrating its 80th, we have many great achievements that can make us all proud. But Shevet Yuval takes us one step further. It is not merely the creation of another shevet -- and great that is it -- but it is far more than that. Shevet Yuval highlights the important values of the Bnei Chaver in its integration into the mainstream Bnei Akiva, as well as in the participation of the chanichim. We hope that other snifim around the world can follow the same model and start their own Shevet Yuval. We can vouch for it here in Melbourne, and now in Sydney, that it is something that will only continue to add to the strength of Bnei Akiva and add an ever-present and everhappy nature to the already amazing Bnei Akiva environment. Be’birkat chaverim le’Torah ve’avoda and le’shana haba’ah be’Yerushalaim! Mazal tov, Bnei Akiva!! Bnei Akiva Melbourne

Perth, Australia: Bnei Akiva Perth has grown in the last three years. From 50 chanichim and 10 madrichim, it has expanded to more than 100 chanichim every Shabbat and 20 madrichim. At present, BA is the largest youth movement in Perth.

South Africa: Bnei Akiva runs weekly youth programs in seven centers across the country for thousands of Jewish youth.

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Bnei Akiva Israel

Making a difference Recently we have been witness to a frightening outburst of wanton violence. As the police, the Education Ministry, the judicial system and others have tried to shift responsibility to someone else, some friends of mine have shown that perhaps there is another way.

Ethiopian youth active in Bnei Akiva By the late 1980s, following Operation Moses -

Two years ago one of my daughters brought home a flyer from Bnei Akiva saying that 15 kids from a particular snif (branch) of Bnei Akiva in a less well-to-do neighborhood would not be able to attend Bnei Akiva camp that summer, as their parents lacked the means to pay for them to do so.

the first wave of immigration of Ethiopian Jewry

It took us some time to get organized, but by the following year my friends and I agreed that we would try to make sure that no chanich (camper) in Jerusalem who wanted to go to camp would be deprived of the opportunity because his or her family lacked the means.

some 40,000 members in Bnei Akiva Israel today,

Last year we managed to enable 210 kids from Jerusalem to attend camp. In return, Bnei Akiva agreed to waive annual membership dues for all those kids. The program developed sufficient momentum that this year other people began to pitch in (two other wellestablished neighborhoods in Jerusalem, some Jerusalem suburbs, Ra’anana, Beersheba, the North), and we expanded the program significantly. Jerusalem enabled 500 chanichim to attend camp who would not otherwise have been able to do so. Nationwide the number was 1,200.

- the Bnei Akiva Youth Movement in Israel began to integrate children and teenagers from this community into its snifim (branches). There are of whom more than 2,000 are from the Israeli Ethiopian community, from grade four and up. This community, especially teens who are in the interface between their parents' traditional world and modern Israel, face complex challenges that include feelings of not fully belonging to either society, at an age when the individual is seeking his/her own identity. In addition, these teens need

The private sector is no substitute for the effective functioning of state-provided services. But we can, and should, complement them in supporting and strengthening informal social and educational initiatives. Most of the young people who run the organization’s day to day activities are passionate, hard-working, idealistic youngsters. I wish we had more like them.

to cope with the stresses of immigration, such

For some of the kids my friends helped send to camp, it made the difference between a summer with a vacation or a summer without one. For others, Bnei Akiva may be the difference between gainful activity and a positive social experience or sitting on the sidelines.

models within their community to inspire them to

One of the group said, ”Bnei Akiva isn’t exactly my ideological cup of tea, but alle yiddishe kinder [they’re all Jewish children].” He is absolutely right. We need to find reasons to do, to help, to change, not reasons why not, why it’s someone else’s fault or someone else’s problem. Neil Cohen, Jerusalem

as bridging the gap between the Third World and Israel and reconciling vastly different Jewish traditions. There is also a lack of positive role achievements or just lend a sympathetic ear. As a result of these and other issues, many of these teens drop out of school and veer toward the fringes of society. The endemic passivity of the Ethiopian-Israeli community and its dependence on government support does not help their integration into Israeli society. Ethiopian madrichim (counselors) in Bnei Akiva Israel have developed a program to change this passive attitude. The Hashachar Leadership Project prepares its graduates to assume leadership in the community and develop empowerment programs for Ethiopian-Israelis to improve their self-concept. Hashachar graduates will serve as sources of inspiration for the entire community. Some 300 teens participate in 25 Hashachar leadership groups throughout the country. For me, Hashachar is the true spiritual expression of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) community. David Abeta, coordinator of Hashachar and a graduate of the project

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An "In Tents"

Camping Experience For any Bnei Akiva member from any part of the world, the most exciting part of the year is BA summer camp. From an educator’s standpoint, there’s no better way to influence youth than non-stop Religious Zionist experience and education. Here’s a glimpse of some of BA’s camps

By Zvika Klein

Riding the BA train in South Africa The South African summer camp is one of the largest of the World Bnei Akiva camps, with 1,000 participants yearly. The campers and staff sleep in tents for three weeks and get to the site by a special rented train. Solly Sacks, director general of the World Mizrachi Movement, went up through the ranks via the snif (branch) in Johannesburg, such as serving as camp director and chairman. He says there’s no greater influence than a BA camp: “Three days after camp, I received a call from a parent who said, ‘You destroyed my home! My son decided he will only eat kosher.’ The mother said she’d now have to buy two sets of dishes and keep kosher.” A few years later, that camper became head of a year group in his local branch. “Through BA camps, the kids not only become religious but sow the seeds for aliya. BA was the movement that brought Judaism to South Africa and created a huge wave of religious youth,” says Sacks.

The UK embraces special needs members Bnei Akiva in the UK runs summer camps for a week in the winter and two weeks in the summer. The camps are run in separate age groups. There are some 500 participants, in addition to a dedicated team of volunteer leaders. Jonny Lipczer, director of the British Desk at World BA, says, “Using a number of new techniques, we can provide hours of fun and educational activities. We pride ourselves on our Jewish and Zionist education. Each camp has its own theme and structure so that everyone goes home with a big smile on his or her face and has learned a lot as well.”

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Bnei Akiva UK recently launched two new camps: Yachad for children with special needs, and Keshet for children with terminal illnesses. Lipczer added, “We are particularly excited about these camps because we believe that every young person should have the opportunity to spend time at a BA camp. For some of them, this will their only chance to be in a mainstream camp, make new friends their own age and enjoy a full Jewish experience.”

Bringing worlds together: Sayarim Europe Machaneh Sayarim Europe is the most “international” BA camp. Campers from Europe and Israel spend two weeks in a beautiful hostel in the mountains. Avy Leghziel, an alumnus of BA’s Rome branch, is the educational director of Sayarim and has participated in the camp for the past five years. “It’s still hard to list all the elements that make it such a highlight in the campers’ lives,” he says. “It’s an international experience, gathering kids from all over Europe and Israel. Most have never spent time with so many Jews.” While some participants come from large Jewish communities such as Belgium and Switzerland, many come from small ones such as Sweden, Norway and Turkey.

The Moshava empire in North America North American Bnei Akiva has four Machanot

Moshava (farming communities): Ennismore near Toronto, Canada; Wild Rose in Wisconsin; and Moshavat Stone and Indian Orchard in Pennsylvania. While they all focus on teaching the ideals of Bnei Akiva, each camp has its own flavor in the way it instills in the kids and staff a love for Israel, the Jewish people and our deep connection to the Torah. All the Moshavot bring many Israelis to camp to make the Israeli presence felt. With sessions that vary from two weeks to six (Ennismore), a camper could spend up to two months at camp every year. The ideal of aliya is emphasized at all the Moshava camps. Arye Sokol, originally from Toronto, studies at the Yeshivat Har Etzion kollel. He grew up in BA Toronto and served twice as head of Ennismore. “My whole family went to that camp. My father was a unit head, and my grandfather ran the camp for many years,” says Sokol. “I not only made friends for life, but a large part of my Jewish education was gained at camp.” Sokol, a new oleh, says that BA camps have influenced many. “Camp means a lot of different things to different people. Everyone I know who has been to a BA camp has a warm place in their heart for the good times. It is a magical place where we can create an atmosphere full of life and Judaism. Through the programs, we bring various Jewish topics to life, and a lot of the kids who come from very different backgrounds can experience Judaism in a way that can’t be done in a city environment.”

Out of the ashes

The establishment of Bnei Akiva, Melbourne Australia

Eva Slonim, whose face as a child was made famous upon the publication of the "child survivors photo" depicting the liberation of the most notorious of Nazi camps, survived Auschwitz and emigrated to Melbourne Australia in 1948. There, out of the ashes, a vibrant sniff was built and a dream was made a reality. Her children and grandchildren followed in her footsteps. Here is her story

Eva (fifth from the right) and sister Martha, Auschwitz

e, the Weiss family from Bratislava CSR arrived in Australia Succot Chol Hamoed 21st October 1948 on the SS Napoli together with my parents and 6 younger sisters. A family with seven girls created quite a sensation. We rented a house from the late Avraham Feiglin at 53 Nicholson Street East Brunswick.

Shortly after our arrival a number of young handsome boys, lead by Bernie Pushett and Sam Meerkin knocked on our door. They heard that we were staunch and active members of Bnei Akiva in Bratislava and asked us to join them in forming a Bnei Akiva in Melbourne. My brother Kurti who tragically drowned at a Bnei Akiva tiyul in the Danube was Rosh Bnei Akiva after the war in Bratislava. In Bratislava chanichim joined B.A. at the age of 6. Thus in the two years before the war broke out and the movement had to be disbanded, we gained a lot of experience, enthusiasm, belief and hope for the establishment of our own country. We had our own Maon in Bratislava and were taught many Hebrew songs, dances and the ideology of Bnei Akiva, Torah V'Avodah. And most importantly the hope and aspiration of a Jewish State, our own country. Those were the tools that sustained me during the darkest period in my life.

Bnei Akiva Anthem. Our chanichim were not much younger than Noemi and I, but very cooperative, respectful, eager to learn. The recently established Medinat Israel gave all of us enormous impetus, to learn Hebrew and seriously aspire, consider, prepare for Aliyah.

Eva Slonim

A few months later Arnold Bloch arrived in Australia. When Arnold attended our Shabbat afternoon meeting at Carlton Talmud Torah we were dancing to the tune of ShaftenMajim. Clapping our hands we sang “Zukkermajim” Sugar water as we did not know the right words.

Our first camp took place in Whittlesse with a respectable cultural program as well as fun and games. We had a visiting day for parents and relatives to whom we showed off all our newly acquired skills. Naomi tragically passed away at the age of 22.

Arnold took over the running of Bnei Akiva and gave it a more serious and substantial program which gained much communal recognition. A Hanhagah was formed and the first Hanhaga meeting when office bearers were elected took place at Rubin Wein's home. I was appointed secretary.

Today Bnei Akiva is the largest Zionist Youth Movement in Australia. My sincere Mazal Tov and Congratulation on your 80th year of achievement and prominence. May “H” bless you with continued success!!

From Generation to Generation: Bnei Akiva is in our family's blood. In addition to my brother Kurti z"l and Noemi z"l, Renata, Ruth, Rosanna and Hannah were staunch members of Bnei Akiva and participants in camps. Their children and grandchildren play an active role in the movement to date. Our Son Edwin who made Aliyah over 30 years ago was Rosh Bnei Akiva and Rosh Machaneh, our much missed and tragically lost son Malcolm was a madrich and Gabbai of Bnei Akiva. Sharona was a madrichah before making aliyah over 30 years ago.

Noemi and I gladly accepted the invitation to take part in the rebuilding or formation of B.A. As my Hebrew was non existent I wrote a Hebrew Song book phonetically, with the front page being the

Our granddaughter Carly Debinski was Rosh Machaneh in 2008. Edwin's children in Haifa were all leaders of Bnei Akiva before joining the army, and those still at home followed in their suit.

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Olim Profiles Netanel Afek 23, Shevet Kommemiyut Snif Cleveland, Ohio Currently an officer in the Giva’ati Brigade “Bnei Akiva made me want to make aliya, join the army as a 'hesdernik' and give my country my all, no matter what I do. That’s why even when I joined the army; I decided to go the extra step and become an officer. Mazal tov, Bnei Akiva!"

Eliana Gurfinkiel 22, Shevet Amitzur Snif Paris, France Student at Bar-Ilan University ”Bnei Akiva brought me closer to Israel and to the Torah. Through it and through my madrichim [leaders], I understood there was a real future for me in Israel. I owe a lot to Bnei Akiva, and I hope to be able to pay it back one day.”

Amiel Rieger 25, Shevet Yechiam, South Africa Aliya: 2009 Electrical Engineer - Will serve in the IDF as a professional in the engineering field "Bnei Akiva's worldview of Am Yisrael Torat Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael inspired me to realize my highest religious and national ideals. This resulted in my Aliya encompassing yeshiva study, before I go and serve my country in the IDF and seek to integrate in Israeli society."

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Nadia Brenner 29, Shevet Emunah (Tsofim in New Zealand) Snif Auckland, New Zealand Hachsharat Tafnit 1999 Adventure tourism ”Bnei Akiva introduced me to religious Judaism and was a catalyst for my making aliya. My first visit to Israel was on Hachshara and my next was when I made aliya, neither of which would have happened had it not been for BA. For me, Bnei Akiva is a way of life!"

Shoshana 'Krug' Mendelsohn 21, Shevet Elad United States Personal trainer and ulpan student ”Camp Moshava meant everything to me. The first time I really thought about wanting to live in Israel was the summer of the Lebanon War. The Israeli tzevet [team] made me realize the importance of Israel, living in your own country and fighting for it.”

Rachel (Picker) Levmore 55, Shevet Moriah Snif Lavie, Brooklyn, New York Rabbinic Court advocate “Bnei Akiva was the most formative influence for me throughout my childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. Through the strength and conviction gained as active members of Bnei Akiva, I and the other chaverim continue to help build Israeli society in the best way we know how.”

Samuel Goldstein 21, Shevet Elad Snif Copenhagen, Denmark IDF soldier Hachsharat Lehava Hesder “I volunteered with the IDF because I am a Religious Zionist. Bnei Akiva taught me the significance of Torah Ve'avodah. We should not rely only on Hashem to do the work for us but work ourselves for our important cause: "Li’hiyot am chofshi be'artzeinu." to be a free nation in our land."

Joshua Skarf and Gila Loike (and Ezra Skarf) Josh: 29, Shevet Emunah; Gila: 30, Shevet Achdut Snif Southfield, Michigan Josh attended Camp Stone and Moshavat Ennismore, Gila: Moshava IO Josh: Architect, Gila: Works in computers Aliya: 2005 & 2007 Josh: “There was a 10-year period when Bnei Akiva was one of the dominant forces in my life. It's clear that BA is responsible for my aliya. And the majority of my close friends are from Bnei Akiva.”

Benji and Tali Pushett 42, Shevet Elyashiv Snif Melbourne, Australia

Abigael Szpigielman 17, Shevet Netsach Snif Paris 19e, France Student at Midreshet Yeud, Jerusalem Aliya: July 2009 ”Three years ago, during a peula [an activity], I understood that my place was in Israel and that I wanted to live there. So two weeks after my graduation in France a few months ago - I made aliya."

Olim-Bogrim Department: Hundreds of olim participate in World BA's activities, such as the annual Yom Ha’atzmaut event. The Olim-Bogrim Department assists dozens of olim each year during and after their Aliyah process. The department is in touch with our soldiers around the country, sends them care packages and sends a

Hachsharat MTA 1986 Benji: Director of finance; Tali: Registered nurse Benji: ”Bnei Akiva taught me that aliya is the only true way to express your Zionism. It fueled my Zionist flame.”

Sarah and Raoul Wootliff Shevet Amitzur, London, England Educational advisors and mentors for World Bnei Akiva's Hachshara participants "Ever since we met at Bnei Akiva Machane in England, we have been inspired together by the principle of Am Yisrael b'Eretz Yisrael al pi Torat Yisrael, and the movement's ability to bring this to life. Now that we are living in Israel, we are proud to be helping the next generation of 'BAnikim' to understand this ideology and feel at home here on their year of Hachshara."

representative to each IDF ceremony. For more details contact Moriya Kastro, director of the department (+972) 52-4317424, olim@bneiakiva.net

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Nechemia Rapel, Director General of the Kibbutz Hadati Movement outlines his Aliyah vision

Aliyah+ By Nechemia Rapel

he Kibbutz Hadati movement and the World Bnei Akiva movement have been walking hand in hand for 80 years. The contribution is mutual: One can’t imagine World Bnei Akiva without the shlichim (envoys), members of the Kibbutz Hadati, without Aryeh Krol’s z”l activity recruiting Bnei Akiva members for secret shlichut in communist Russia, etc. Likewise. one cannot imagine the Kibbutz Hadati without the garinim (communal groups) that founded and strengthened Kibbutz Lavi, Alumim, Beit Rimon, Yavneh, without the Hachshara and Nisan programs and much more.

Aliya plus During the two years I served as central Bnei Akiva shaliach in Britain, I learned a new concept: “aliya plus” or, in mathematical terms “aliya +.” What does that mean? It was obvious to the chanichim (members) of Bnei Akiva England that making aliya to Israel is a great mitzva and obligation, but they wouldn’t stop at that. In their eyes, every one of the BA alumni must contribute something to the State of Israel beyond just living in it. He must be a chalutz (pioneer) and a magshim! In those times, around 20 years ago, there was no argument about what was the right way to implement the movement’s values. Joining a religious kibbutz following a year of hachshara (training farms) was the ultimate aspiration and full realization of the “Torah & avoda” values. Back then, it was obvious that making aliya to join a religious kibbutz and strengthen it socially, educationally, spiritually and economically was a

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worthy act of pioneering from all aspects: the national aspect, BA’s aspect, as well as the personal and religious. It seems that today the question is more complex, and the previous answer regarding the realization of values isn’t good enough. So what is today’s “chalutziut”? In my opinion, the answer is twofold: the individual aspect and the social-national aspect. From an individual perspective, Ring By Helaine realizing the BA values means a true incorporation of Torah and avoda (work) into our life. Rabbi Yishmael says in the Talmud, “Act in the way of the world” (derech eretz), meaning that one should find the right way to combine work and Torah in every aspect of life. From a social and national perspective, the latest newspaper headlines prove that establishing ideological garin (communal group) settlements in the mixed cities – where Arabs and Jews live together, such as Acre, Jaffa, Ramla, Nazareth, Haifa. – is considered a valuable act of pioneering. Several groups are pushing for a new kind of chalutziut: bringing Jews to the Negev and the Galilee. Another form of chalutziut is demonstrated to us by the Gush Katif settlers. After being uprooted from their land, they’re returning as organized communities to establish communal-

By Hela ine Rin g

agricultural settlements in Shomeria and Chalutza. What all this chalutziut has in common is the togetherness, going together as a group where one and one are much more than two. The socialist-communal model of the kibbutz has given up its exclusivity and allows various levels of communal lifestyles where there is a constant dialogue, shared social-religious action, care for the fellowman and a mutual sense of responsibility for one another. In conclusion, the State of Israel needs the members of World Bnei Akiva to make aliya to Israel and to “build and be built” in it. The state needs good citizens who have the best interest of the Jewish people at heart, who are always willing to contribute. The best way to address the needs of the hour and to realize the movement’s values is through mutual action of a group tightly bound together as a garin. Nechemia Rapel is secretary general of Hakibbutz Hadati

Chicago Street, Israel

The spirit of Chicago in the In the mid-1980s, dozens of families, graduates of Bnei Akiva Chicago, decided to realize the values they were brought up on and join the founding core of the Neve Aliza neighborhood in Ginot Shomron. Most of them built their homes on Hagefen Street, a.k.a. “Chicago Street” By Zvika Klein

he neighborhood of Neve Aliza in Ginot Shomron is made up mainly of Englishspeaking families who made aliya together in the 1980s. Since I was two years old I have lived on Hagefen Street, the neighborhood’s main street, a.k.a. “Chicago Street.” A large percentage of the street’s residents are alumni of Bnei Akiva Chicago, who joined the founding core of the settlement. But what caused dozens of young American couples to uproot themselves from Chicago and move to Israel?

A bit of history The Chicago branch of Bnei Akiva became active in the 1940s and has since been considered one the strongest and most active branches in the US. In 1935, a first branch of Hashomer Hadati (the Mizrachi youth movement) was established in Chicago by immigrants, alumni of the Polish branch. In the summer of 1938, the first camp Moshava of the Midwest was founded in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, with help from Hapoel Hamizrachi of Chicago. In 1948, Hashomer Hadati of North America merged to become part of Bnei Akiva. My parents were born and raised in Chicago. My father, Charles (Chucky) Klein, Shevet Shacham, caught the “Bnei Akiva bug” at a young age. After serving as a madrich (leader) during his college years, he was appointed mazkir galil (chairman) of Bnei Akiva Chicago, a position he held for two

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years. My mother, Beverly (Bevy) Rublin, like the rest of her siblings, was a proud member of Bnei Akiva, Shevet Shuva, a madricha and rosh snif (head of the branch).

Israel education – only in Bnei Akiva When I asked my father about Bnei Akiva’s influence on the chanichim (members), he explained that Bnei Akiva activities were their only source of Zionist education. “The schools I attended were not great supporters of Bnei Akiva, to the point where the Skokie Yeshiva principal allowed only five students to leave school to attend a Bnei Akiva seminar in Pittsburgh. Although I didn’t come up in the draw, I took the risk and went anyway. What doesn’t one do for Bnei Akiva?” Chashi and Aharon Knobloch, my neighbors from down the block, were also proud BA members. Aharon says that being a member of Bnei Akiva influenced him deeply: “I still remember the first time I attended Kabbalat Shabbat at camp Moshava. My immediate reaction was ‘Wow!’ It was the first time we had such a positive and meaningful Jewish experience. To this day, I remember the songs and zmirot we learned together at Moshava for the first time.”

Camp Moshava – every chanich’s dream Camp Moshava Wild Rose is very different from the Israeli Bnei Akiva Macahane (camp). It spans 250 acres, all situated in the midst of a forest. The camp includes several permanent structures, most of them wooden cabins. The entire camp was geared toward educating the campers about Israel and encouraging aliya. As part of the educational program, all the camp terms were translated into Hebrew, so even those who didn’t speak the language knew words like ‘cheder ochel’ (dining room), etc. My uncle, Ray Rublin (a neighbor as well), held many official positions during his years at Bnei Akiva. The highlight was his being sent as the Chicago representative to the World Bnei Akiva convention held in Israel. “You must understand that our camp was very different from the camps in Israel. The campers were able to choose programs varying from a few weeks to two whole months. I once calculated that I spent almost 1.5 years of my life as a madrich or a camper at Moshava,” he says.

hills of Shomron The world’s largest dating service Immediately following my mother’s return to Chicago, after a year of Hachshara on Kibbutz Saad, she became active in the Bnei Akiva leadership program. It was there that she met my father. “We spent a lot of money on phone calls, so we decided to save the movement some money and get married.” My father jokingly adds, “For several years we answered our home phone saying, ‘Shalom, Bnei Akiva.’” Aharon and Chashi Knobloch’s love story started off in an even more original manner. “I was the tractor driver for Camp Moshava,” Aharon explains. “When Chashi was looking for a way to get to the national veida (convention), I offered her a ride on the tractor – from there on, it’s all history.”

Friends that are like family My parents, who had already decided before they were married to make aliya, heard of the settlement plan in Ginot Shomron. My mother recounts, “At first it felt just like Camp Moshava. We were together with our childhood friends in a rural setting with no sidewalks or roads.” The shift from a large city to a small settlement was not always simple, she says. “At first it was a little hard, but there was nothing better than Shabbat, when all the parents and their children went out to walk in the streets like one big family. In Chicago if your child wanted to play with other children, you had to arrange a play date several days in advance. In the settlement, it was the first time we could let our kids roam free.” Rabbi Shlomo (Sidney) and Karen Gold were also Bnei Akiva addicts. Rav Shlomo is now the rabbi of the Young Israel shul in Neve Aliza. “We knew

The Rublin-Klein family of Ginot Shomron

that without family, it would be very hard to make aliya,” he says. “That’s why we decided to live near good friends, which would partly ease the difficult transition. We already had several good friends who were part of the founding core of the settlement, and we loved the passion and desire we saw burning in them.” Indeed, after making the big move, the young couple realized what a wise choice they had made “The move was hard. In the first years we had no phones, sidewalks, electricity or buses. We were lucky to go through this tough experience together with good friends. And even when it got hard, we maintained the ability to make it fun.”

communities in Florida, following my family history and trying to create the same atmosphere that had inspired my parents and their friends to make aliya. At the Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day) ceremony, I took the opportunity to thank my parents for providing me the privilege of growing up as a Jewish child in the land of Israel. Slowly, as I left the stage, I understood that I had now come full circle: My parents and their friends made aliya due to the “idealistic shlichim from Israel,” and I had just expressed my gratitude to the movement to which I owe my life as a proud Jew in the land of Israel.

Coming full circle

Zvika Klein is a member of Shevet Hatkuma, Ginot Shomron, and serves as World Bnei Akiva spokesman.

Years later, I had the privilege of serving as the Bnei Akiva shaliach (emmisary) in the Jewish

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Bnei Akiva:

Great Leaders and a Great Movement Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks

or eight decades, through some of the most epic events in Jewish history, Bnei Akiva has played a remarkable role in capturing the imagination of successive generations of young people, communicating to them the sheer power of the vision of Shivat Zion, the historic return of our people to its land. Bnei Akiva has been one of the great movements of Religious Zionism. Through its work, hundreds have been inspired to make aliya. Others have had their Jewish commitment significantly deepened. Many bogrim (alumni) have gone on to become leaders within the Jewish community. Speaking personally, Bnei Akiva was one of the great influences in my life. The great leaders are those who, knowledgeable of a people’s past and dedicated to its ideal future, are able to bring their contemporaries with them on the long journey from exile to redemption, neither longing for an age that was, nor rushing precipitously into an age that cannot yet be. And, as Moses understood more deeply than any other human being, the great leaders are also teachers, empowering those who come after them to continue what they have begun. The prelude to the “Song of the Sea” states that the people “believed in God and in his servant Moses” – the first time they are described as believing in Moses’s leadership. On this, the sages asked: What is it to be a leader of the Jewish people? Is it to hold official authority, of which the supreme example is a king (“The rabbis are called kings”)? Is it to have the kind of personal relationship with one’s followers that rests not on honor and deference but on encouraging people to grow, accept responsibility and continue the journey you have begun? Or is it something in between? There is no single answer. At times, Moses asserted his authority (during the Korach rebellion). At others, he expressed the wish that “all God’s people were prophets.” Judaism is a complex faith. There is no one Torah model of leadership. We are each called on to fill a number of leadership roles: as parents, teachers, friends, team members and team leaders. There is no doubt, however, that Judaism favors as an ideal the role of parent, encouraging those we lead to continue the journey we have begun, and go further than we did. A good leader creates followers. A great leader creates leaders. That was Moses’s greatest achievement – that he left behind him a people willing, in each generation, to accept responsibility for taking further the great task he had begun.

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It is a point made with great insight by Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. In their book Leadership on the Line (and Heifetz’s earlier book, Leadership without Easy Answers), they distinguish between two kinds of challenge – technical and adaptive – and the different kinds of leadership they call for. A technical challenge arises when you face a problem of a kind that has a relatively simple solution. You are ill, so you go to a doctor to diagnose the disease and prescribe a cure. Your car breaks down, so you need a mechanic to identify the fault and put it right. Something is broken; it needs fixing: That is the standard form of a technical challenge. But sometimes the people affected by a problem are the problem. For some illnesses, no drug will suffice to bring a cure. Instead, the person concerned may have to change his entire lifestyle. For some failing companies, no quick fix by management will suffice. What may have to change is the entire corporate culture. Problems of this kind, where the people involved have to change, call for adaptive leadership – and that is leadership of the most difficult kind. The reason is that people resist change. That is why they will resist any solution that implies that they must change. With tenacity and passion, they will see the problem as something outside themselves. They will blame this factor or that. They will opt for one technical cure after another, only to find that they all fail – because the cause was not external but internal: within the persons concerned.

Personal change – change within the self – is almost unbearably stressful. It is, in fact, a form of bereavement. That is why adaptive leaders are rarely popular. People criticize them, get angry with them, try to replace them. Adaptive leadership needs courage. But Heifetz and Linsky’s point goes deeper. Adaptive leadership also needs deep and active patience. People are slow to change, and a leader – who by definition understands the need for change – may become impatient and try to force the pace faster than the people can go. That is why some of the greatest leaders get assassinated. In retrospect they are seen as heroes. But at the time, they were often regarded as traitors, betrayers. What makes Heifetz and Linsky almost unique is that they regard assassination as a failure of leadership. They admire Martin Luther King and Yitzhak Rabin, yet they also argue that they should have recognized the danger signals from their own side; they should have slowed the pace, lowered the flame, stepped back. Perhaps they should have found ways of handing the problem back to the people. They were driving people faster than they could go. With young people like you in Bnei Akiva, we look forward to our future with confidence. Never lose your fire, your passion and your faith. We need it now, and we see it in you. Sir Jonathan Sacks has been Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth since 1991. A notably gifted communicator, the Chief Rabbi is a frequent contributor to radio, television and the international press, and the author of several books.

Introducing Hachshara Hachshara participants throughout the decades recall their life-changing experiences By Yael Brygel

iven the popularity and success of Bnei Akiva Hachshara (training) programs – each year World Bnei Akiva sends some 500 participants on one-year programs – it is hard to imagine that there was a time when Israel-based training for the youth movement’s leaders did not exist. Bnei Akiva has been running Hachshara programs for 80 years, primarily out of farms in the US and Europe, but it was not until 1956 that participants were sent to Israel. That year, some three dozen young American Jewish leaders came to Israel for a one-year program that consisted of a few months of Jewish learning at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh and volunteer work on Kibbutz Yavneh. Brooklyn-born Dov Gilor, father of three, grandfather of 17 and great-grandfather of two, was among the group of young men and women who came to Israel that year. The Hashmonaim resident – he made aliya in 1973 – recalls his experience on the program. “The program was brand new. There was a Machon L’madrichei Chutz La’aretz, but there had been no Bnei Akiva program. The program consisted of a small number and a very select group,” he says. “There were 35 people, and they all had been madrichim (leaders) and the heads of the tnua (movement). It was dynamic and exciting,” he recalls. Gilor says that initially it was difficult to get used to living on a kibbutz but that overall he gained a

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lot from the experience. “It was a great program. It was not easy coming from Brooklyn and going to a farm where people live in a collective. It was hard work. We were not used to doing hard labor. But from a chevra (social) perspective, it was great.” Following in the footsteps of his older bother, Gilor had started to go to Bnei Akiva as a young boy. When he was a teenager he decided that he desperately wanted to go on the program, so he started saving money to pay for the trip. “It was our own [the participants’] money. I personally paid my own way. I was working already. It was expensive,” he says. Upon completing the program, Gilor went back to run various Bnei Akiva programs in the United States. Over the next few years, he was a leader of a Bnei Akiva branch in Borough Park and the East Side, the head of Bnei Akiva in New York, and the head of Camp Moshava. But Gilor always knew that he would return to Israel, and in 1973 he made aliya with his wife and their three sons. Aliya was very common among participants in his group, half of them either staying in Israel after the program or returning at some point to live in Israel. “I think when I was 10, I had decided I wanted to live in Israel. My older brother went on aliya when he was 16 with a group of Bnei Akiva people. My

parents came before me in 1966. My sister came after Hachshara and lives on Kibbutz Yavneh.” Fifty-three years have passed since Gilor’s time in Israel, and while the nature of Israel programs may have changed – participants now have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of activities, including Jewish learning, trips to Poland and volunteering in development towns – participants of Bnei Akiva programs still have the opportunity to foster a deep connection to the land of Israel. Jessica Blumberg, a 19-year-old Tafnit participant from South Africa, speaks fondly of her experience in Israel. “I have definitely learned about life in Israel. I have come in contact with so many things, and I have learnt about living with 25 girls in one house,” she laughs. “I spent two months in midrasha (a women’s Jewish learning seminary). We learned Jewish philosophy and Tanach, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that on my own,” she says. Blumberg has been a member of Bnei Akiva in Johannesburg for six years, including serving as a madricha. “I’ve been involved for a long time. I have friends who did the program before, and they loved it. I wanted to have a gap year and I wanted to see Israel, and Tafnit offers everything, not just learning-based experiences,” she says. Whether in 1956 or 2009, Bnei Akiva Hachshara participants have gained tremendously from their experiences on the program. “What we learned from Hachshara was to give to Eretz Yisrael and to be part of Eretz Yisrael. Even though our madrich [from the kibbutz] didn’t say a lot, we learned from his example. BA America recently had a 70-year reunion in Israel. We talked about the old days. It was a tremendous experience in our lives,” says Gilor.

Hachshara

A year with

Bnei Akiva in Israel Tel Aviv, Israel: The participants of Tafnit from the US and Canada delve into one of Israel’s moral dilemmas: What to do with refugees from Africa. During a two-seminar session, they discuss the topic. “The Jews also sought refuge once; on the other hand, are we a Jewish state?”

Jerusalem, Israel: Participants of the Lehava program from Europe attend the two-month Bnei Akiva Leadership Program. The program prepares them to assume roles in all spheres of leadership in their respective communities.

Wellington, New Zealand: The graduates of the Tafnit program are the mashgichim (kashrut supervisors) of the local bakery, which becomes kosher only on Friday mornings in order to supply challot for Shabbat. They are also the Sunday school teachers, minyan suppliers and cantors.

Lod, Israel: Participants of the Lehava program from the UK volunteer in a Jewish-Arab kindergarten for mentally and physically challenged children.

French year program 2007-8: 90% of the participants made aliya immediately after the program.

Golan Heights, Israel: 50 participants of the MTA program from Australia and South Africa volunteer for the Israeli army during their vacation from yeshiva.

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World BA Update BACHAD UK reunion

Operation Cast Lead

More than 200 BA World War II alumni and families from Great Britain participated in a reunion organized by Beit Haâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;edut in Nir Galim, which produced a special historic film clip.

The entire World BA office and dozens of alumni from around the globe visited Ashkelon's bomb shelters. The movement also organized a special ceremony for all the Bnei Akiva soldiers who fought in Gaza. The participants, most of whom were volunteers and lone soldiers, received an award and special gift from the members of the movementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board of governors.

Establishing a new settlement - Mirsham World Bnei Akiva decided to join evacuated families from Gush Katif and establish a garin (communal group) of young olim families. For more information, please contact Moriya at: olim@bneiakiva.net Photo by Moshe Stern

World Bnei Akiva alumni organization After months of preparation, Bnei Akiva gathered 30 alumni from various countries to discuss the establishment of an alumni organization. If you want to join us or think you can contribute, please contact Moriya at: olim@bneiakiva.net

Hadracha

Hadracha booklets? No more! For the past few years the Hadracha Department has been producing multimedia Hadracha CDs, which have been distributed worldwide and were purchased by other organizations.

The Hadracha Web site has been up and running for almost four years and includes thousands of peulot, presentations, movie clips and lots more. Visit the Web site at: www.hadracha.org

Reconnect to World Bnei Akiva: Join the official World Bnei Akiva group and fan club and join your official World Bnei Akiva Shevet group Follow World Bnei Akiva at twitter.com/worldbneiakiva Look for Bnei Akiva on YouTube and find hundreds of World BA videos

World BA website: www.bneiakiva.net Update your contact info: www.bneiakiva.net/update E-mail: office@bneiakiva.net Call the WBA office: +972 (0)2-620-9012

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Still in Bnei Akiva at 40! Daniel Goldman is co-Chairman for the Friends of World Bnei Akiva Board of Governors and devotes a major part of his time towards Bnei Akiva's development. Goldman has only one request in honor of Bnei Akiva's 80th: "Bogrim, join us and keep our movement moving!"

aniel made aliya 17 years ago from England and today lives and works in Beit Shemesh with his wife (from Sunderland) and their five kids. Goldman has been co-chairman of the Friends of World Bnei Akiva since 2000.We wanted to find out why at age 40 he is still involved in a youth movement! Daniel, why are you still involved in Bnei Akiva? Bnei Akiva is the reason I live in Israel, and it has influenced many of my life choices. It is important to give back, and this is my way of doing so. All of us at the “Friends of” feel the same. Also, it’s fun and a great way to stay young! What is the most exciting part about being chairman? In 80 years Bnei Akiva has influenced hundreds of thousands of young Jews around the world to be more committed to Judaism and Israel. Many of them have made aliya, served in the army and have become highly motivated members of Israeli society. The ability to help this to continue and grow is both exciting and inspiring. What is the least exciting part of the job? Bnei Akiva is a youth movement, run by youth for youth. Our job is to help look after the heavier side, which includes money and budgets. Bnei Akiva runs throughout the world on very tight budgetary constraints. I would say the least exciting part is worrying about the ongoing funding of the movement. What is the biggest challenge facing World Bnei Akiva today? Without question, the changes going on at the

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Jewish Agency are creating the biggest challenge for us today. As a movement, we have worked very hard in the last few years to improve the finances and funding of Bnei Akiva. This has been thrown into chaos by the earthquake that we have felt due to the deep cuts enforced on us by the Jewish Agency. This has occurred at the same time that the demand for our message is increasing in so many places around the world. This has been a very frustrating period.

of alumni in Israel and in the Diaspora to get them involved in activities and influencing our future and to encourage them to take the opportunity to give back to the movement that had such an influence on their lives. I would like to take this opportunity to approach our alumni: BNEI AKIVA NEEDS YOU! We haven't approached you as a boger for funding in many years, but due to reality and the world financial crisis, we need your help now!

What are you doing to improve the situation? The Friends of, in full cooperation with the mazkirut, are working night and day to adjust to this new situation. Although we have been fundraising in a minor way up to now, we are looking for ways to improve and increase this. At the same time, we are working on ways to reconnect with the thousands

For more information or if you would like to donate, please e-mail chairman@bneiakiva.net, for more details Daniel Goldman is a member of Shevet Achva, Snif Newcastle, England, and is managing partner at Goldrock Capital.

Beit Bnei Akiva Leading the way A home for World Bnei Akiva For more than 3,000 years, the Jewish home has kept the Jewish people alive: values and morals... a sanctuary of spirituality... Torah learning and observance... warmth and laughter... yearning for Jerusalem... faith against all odds For 80 years Bnei Akiva, the largest Jewish youth movement in the world, has brought living, vibrant Judaism and active Zionism to more than one million Jewish families and their communities around the globe.

Prime location Now, for the first time, Bnei Akiva has an exciting opportunity to build a new World Center in the well-positioned Givat Mordechai neighborhood of Jerusalem, the holiest city in the world. World Bnei Akiva has been sorely lacking one central site to house its many activities. For room and board, training facilities and educational support for more than 2,000 members that come to Israel every year, many hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent to use other organizationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; services.

No longer. Over the last few years, Bnei Akiva has enjoyed the success of a temporary building in Katamon, which provides a one-stop base for members on its Israel programs while also housing a dining room, classrooms, a resource center, study hall, synagogue, a recreation room, and more. Following the success of this pilot premises, we are confident that with your help, the new, bigger building will provide the springboard for even greater achievements. The new World Bnei Akiva Educational Center in Jerusalem will function as a home away from home for all members and alumni, specially designed for their educational and practical needs: Serving as a residential base for all our short- and long-term Israel programs (300 people at any one time). Housing a library, a pedagogical center, a dining room, conference rooms, lecture hall, synagogue and a 270-seat auditorium.

Operating a wide range of educational activities, training seminars, lectures and social events. Becoming a warm and welcoming home for new immigrant alumni, families and alumni soldiers serving in Israel far from their families. Recharging the batteries of our young leaders returning to their home communities. Offering members and alumni the chance to have a comfortable stopover in Jerusalem. Acting as a meeting place for Bnei Akiva leaders to share ideas, offer mutual support and improve their leadership skills. Providing the impetus to marshal Bnei Akivaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s formidable human resources and worldwide potential to fulfil the movementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goals.

Help us build YOUR home in Jerusalem!

Buy

a brick online:

www.beitbnei.org Endowment dedications are available

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