IN the roughly four years that the Zionist youth group Bnei Akiva has been active in Colorado, it has impressed many with a strong beginning a process that one might liken to a tender young plant putting down roots.
Under the leadership of its Denver-based leaders, slichim Hagai and Moriyah Shoham, the regional chapter has amassed a membership of some 60 youths, aged 8-18, many of whom have become active in regional and national Bnei Akiva activities, and a substantial majority of whom made lively participants at this years local Israel Independence Day festivities.
The chapters beginning has been substantial enough to impress the organizations international leader. On his first visit to Denver this week, Zeev Schwartz, general director of World Bnei Akiva, spoke in glowing tones of the regional efforts.
We believe that there is a potential here, Schwartz told the Intermountain Jewish News during his short stay in Denver. Weve seen the results.
He was in Denver to offer more than cheerleading, however.
Schwartz was frank in describing how Bnei Akiva has shared the difficulty of many other Jewish organizations over the last couple of years in being buffeted by an economic climate that has left many non-profits in the cold.
I came to see how Bnei Akiva has been progressing, Schwartz said of his Denver visit, and also to make a decision as to how we continue. This is an area of major concern.
Schwartzs meaning was clear: The young plant remains fragile; its long-term future is not guaranteed.
SCHWARTZ stresses the organizations attributes, not only as a source of activities for Jewish pre-teens and teens, but as a template for lifelong Jewish commitment.
Its the largest Zionist youth movement today, he said. We have chapters in 35 countries, 70 cities, 150 actual branches.
The ideology is Torah Avodah, meaning Torah and work. We believe in living a Torah life while being involved in modern society, achieving the goal of strengthening the people of Israel in the land of Israel, according to the Torah of Israel.
Hopefully, we create involvements and responsibilities to society, wherever one is. We try to position youth to grow into a life of giving. Therefore, Bnei Akiva is not only a youth movement, but a way of life.
Bnai Akiva is most often identified as modern Orthodox, a term with which Schwartz agrees but expands upon.
We live within the boundaries of modern Orthodox Halachah but we believe that we are part of what is called the religious Zionist ideology, where we see Israel as the center of the world and the Jewish community, where we should all strive to live, he says.
Bnei Akiva keeps an open and inclusive approach.
We are very open to working with all segments of the Jewish community with a stress on Jewish identity and Zionist involvement.
Its not just restricted to what one would call the modern Orthodox day-to-day way of life. Its bigger than that. Its an ideological and educational movement and it has been able for the last 80 years been able to bring Jews closer to Judaism.
Through its network of more than 180 slichim or emissaries Bnei Akiva organizes local activities which naturally lead to involvement in regional and national expansions of those activities. Ultimately, the goal is to encourage as many members as possible to participate in a wide range of youth programs and camps in Israel, including yeshivas, kibbutzim and activities related to the Israel Defense Forces.
We work to create leadership programs to bring kids to Israel so that they will be future leaders, Schwartz summarizes. To do that we keep an ongoing communication with each community. At the end of the day, its people-to-people relationships that really count.
IT is those kinds of personal relationships that Schwartz hopes to form in Denver to create a stable philanthropic base for Bnei Akiva activities here.
Ideally, such a funding base should be composed of schools, synagogues, federations, foundations and direct support from families, Schwartz says. The idea is to diversify funding sources to help promote stability in uncertain economic times.
We are very sensitive to the current financial climate everywhere, Schwartz says. What we want to do is to work with our friends here to make sure that Bnei Akiva continues.
World Bnei Akiva is saying to Denver: lets work together for your community so that we can see Judaism flourish here.
Information: (303) 305-8447 or badenver@gmail.com.
