| Shana Tova U'metuka to everyone in the BINA family!
As we begin a new year, it seems appropriate to pause and look back at our achievements thus far. 5777 was an exciting year for BINA. A year of learning and social action, a year of events, a year of new beginnings, new programs and new partnerships.
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• 550 Israeli & International Jewish young adults participated in service/learning programs at the Secular Yeshivas in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beer Sheva (including Tikkun Olam, GAP year and two month summer programs)
• 1,450+ Adults participated in classes and lectures at BINA’s Beit Midrash programs
• 1,000+ Adults participants in conferences and tours
• 6,000 participants in events and program at Beit BINA India
• 3,500+ International visitors to BINA from over 1 dozen countries
• 10,300 Attendees at pluralistic Jewish cultural/learning events organized by the Secular Yeshivas in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beer Sheva
• 7,600+ Beneficiaries of BINA volunteer work in over one dozen disadvantaged neighborhoods
• 10,000 Participants in BINA Seminars on Jewish Identity for IDF soldiers & officers
• 12,000+ Participants in BINA Seminars on Jewish Identity & Social Justice in Israeli public schools
• 50,000+ Lives were touched directly by BINA this year
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| A word from BID - BINA's International Department.
5777 was a busy year for the International Department! In February we were joined by the first cohort of our Beit Midrash TLV program. The group spent 5 months learning at the Secular Yeshiva and volunteering in the neighborhoods of south Tel Aviv.
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Registration is still open for this coming semester, with full-time, part-time, and single course options available. Click here for courses or contact Beit Midrash TLV Director Zoe Jick (zoe@bina.org.il) for more info. We had a successful pilot run with Birthright Israel Plus, in which more than 60 young adults extended their 10-day Israel trip for 4 days of learning and social action. We became the organizers of the first Masa Israel Teaching Fellows program in Jerusalem, in which 18 young adults from the U.S. will be teaching English in disadvantaged communities across the city. This summer, we hosted 140 young adults from Onward Israel programs from Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Miami, San Francisco Bay Area and the Noam Olami. And we had 45 participants from Habonim Dror Australia, New Zealand and South Africa living, studying and volunteering as part of the BINA community. 5778 promises to be even more exciting!
Wishing a shana tova to all our friends around the world from the BINA International Department!
Dan Herman,
Director of BINA International Department
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| New Partnership with Friends by Nature
This year, BINA extended it’s programing into the Ethiopian community, forming a partnership with Friends by Nature - a non-profit organization established in 2005 with the goal of strengthening and empowering Israeli Ethiopian communities - and a new program Celebrating Communities was born.
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Celebrating Communities aims to connect Ethiopian-Israeli young adults to their own culture, empowering them to become leaders and to share that culture with others. The program was piloted in three cities with large Ethiopian-Israeli communities: Gadera, Rishon Letsiyon and Petah Tikva. Each group participated in meetings with a BINA educator-facilitator and a Friends by Nature Ethiopian community-organizer to study Ethiopian-Jewish texts, stories, history and traditions as well as non-Ethiopian Jewish texts in a pluralistic, inclusive manner. Each group organized events that brought together members of the local community – families, old and young, Ethiopian-Israelis and non-Ethiopian-Israelis.
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| We launched our new Mechina Program - Mechinat Masabacha
5777 also saw the launch of our second Mechina (pre-army) program, in partnership with the Hinam Center. Mechinat Masabacha (the Hebrew acronym for ‘Journey through Israeli Society’) is a pre-army program with a unique twist. Israeli high school graduates embarked on an immersive six-month journey through Israeli society - living, learning and volunteering in six very different communities for a month at a time.
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Israeli Yom Kippur with BINA @ the Secular Yeshiva Tel Aviv
Friday, 29 September 2017 18:00
Shabbat, 30 September 2017 13:00
For the Hebrew program and to sign up in advance click here and join the event on Facebook.
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Yom Kippur with BINA in Jerusalem and Beer Sheva
Friday, 29 September 2017 18:00
Shabbat, 30 September 2017 18:00
We believe that there is a connection between holidays and festivals in the Jewish calendar and our lives. Our Yom Kippur events in Jerusalem and Beer Sheva (in Hebrew) are designed to provide an open, communal and accessible environment to mark this special occasion.
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Join us for Yom Kippur in Dharamsala, India
September 29, 2017
16:00 pre-fast meal 18:00 Kol Nidre
19:30 Communal learning
September 30, 2017
12:00 Study session and workshop on ‘Vidui’ (confession)
19:00 Neila (closing prayers), Havdala and shofar blowing
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This year we’re proud to present the BINA Yom Kippur Machzor. Find your own way to connect to Yom Kippur - download your free copy of BINA’s Yom Kippur sources in English and in Hebrew! The book contains readings, poems and questions for contemplation, themes include: confession and soul-searching; repentance and tikkun.
This incredible free resource is available to download in Hebrew and in English!
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| BINA Deputy Director, Noga Brenner Samia on i24 News
Noga Brenner Samia, BINA's Deputy Director appeared on i24 news where she was interviewed about BINA, our values and how we make this time of year, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur meaningful for Secular Jews.
Watch the interview here.
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| Why I learn in a secular yeshiva
by Zoe Jick
"Learning at the Secular Yeshiva changed my life. By considering Jewish texts as a cultural literary tradition, I was able to deepen and expand my secular Jewish identity...I participated in the age-old process of textual interpretation, and thus experienced firsthand how Judaism is enriched by the contributions of its community. Judaism all of a sudden became alive—an-ever-growing, ever-developing way of thinking about the world." Zoe Jick is the Director of BINA's English Beit Midrash TLV.
To read the full article, first published in Tablet, click here
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| To love your neighbor is to respect them
by Max J. Bleich
Max J. Bleich is a student of Judaic Studies, English Literature, and Organizational Leadership at the University of Cincinnati. Over the summer, Max interned at The Daniel Centers for Progressive Judaism and BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change. BINA believes that it is the right and responsibility of every Jew to define his/her identity and practice for him/herself. Max expresses the importance of inclusiveness, acceptance and mutual respect. Read his post here
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We are incredibly proud of our alumni – the time they spend in Israel in one of BINA’s international programs is only ever the beginning of their journey. They build on their learning and volunteering experiences, which often serve as a springboard for their career paths.
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| Greatness is not measured by what you have, but by what you give
by Stephanie Raphael
Stephanie Raphael, originally from New Jersey, was a participant in the Fall 2017 cohort of our Tikkun Olam (post college) program. As part of the program which combines Jewish study and social action, she volunteered at Save a Child’s Heart (SACH). Stephanie has just joined SACH’s New York Young Leaders board and will continue to stay involved in this organization that has shaped her life. As a result of her time at SACH, she is currently training to become a Child Life Specialist. Read about her experiences here.
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| Toda! Khop Chai! Shukran habibi!
by Joanna Kamhi
Joanna Kamhi was a participant on the MITF Nazareth program last year – originally from Vermont, she’ll be starting law school at The University of Pennsylvania next month. Joanna regularly writes a blog - this is her most recent post reflecting back over her experiences. "Exploring every day while building community with the people around me created a set of experiences and a sense of familiarity that have, in turn, led to a newfound sense of weight, meaning, and connection in my life."
Read Joanna’s reflections here.
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BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change, operates under the Israeli nonprofit "Merchavim Chevra Lechinuch Vetarbut".
BINA operates under the Israeli nonprofit Merchavim, with the support of the Kibbutz Movement and the Posen Foundation. BINA is proudly funded by the UJA-Federation of New York, as well as additional supporters, including: Aronson Foundation, Avi Chai Foundation, Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation, Federation CJA Montreal, Gimprich Foundation, Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest, JUF / Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Berl Katznelson Fund, Leichtag Foundation, Littauer Foundation, Matanel Foundation, Montefiore Endowment, Morris Levinson Foundation, Rappaport Family Trust, Shahaf Foundation, Alan B. Slifka Foundation, Sobell Foundation, Ziering Family Foundation, dozens of municipalities across Israel and hundreds of private donors.
WWW.BINA.ORG.IL/EN
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