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As a friend of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva, I hope you will find our monthly E-mail Newsletter of interest. We have chosen ConstantContact.com, a reputable Internet company, to manage the distribution of our newsletter so that our friends and supporters will not be subjected to unwanted spam messages. You may unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time.

That said, I hope that you will enjoy reading the timely articles and will forward the newsletter to others who share your interest in religious Zionism in general, and YBA in particular.   

Oz Ben-Shmuel
Director of Public Relations
American Friends of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva
oz@yba.org.il

CONTENTS

1. YBA at a Glance
2. Rabbi Chaim Druckman in the Eye of the Conversion Storm
3. Akko Hesder Yeshiva Firebombed
4. YBA TO”M Wins Ministry of Education Prize

YBA AT A GLANCE

The mission of Merkaz Yeshivot Bnei Akiva is to train Israel’s next generation of leaders, steeped in Jewish learning while totally involved in modern Israeli society. Graduates of YBA educational institutions will be committed to serving the Jewish people and the State of Israel, and will strive for excellence and leadership in all their endeavors, guided by the eternal values of the Torah.

Click here of read more about Who We Are > >

“YESHIVOT BNEI AKIVA EDUCATION – THAT SAYS IT ALL”

RABBI CHAIM DRUCKMAN
IN THE EYE OF THE CONVERSION STORM

Rabbi Chaim Druckman, Chairman, Merkaz Yeshivot Bnei Akiva and Rosh YBA Yeshivat Or Etzion

AKKO HESDER YESHIVA FIREBOMBED

Just as hostilities seemingly calmed after weeks of rioting in Akko, tensions flared again following an arson attack on the “Spirit of the North” [Ruach Tzfonit] Hesder Yeshiva in the city’s mixed Wolfson neighborhood late Saturday night. Damage to the neighborhood synagogue that houses the yeshiva was limited to the office thanks to an Arab neighbor who alerted the Fire Department.

Akko has undergone a demographic shift in recent years with Jewish residents leaving the aging neighborhoods near Akko’s Old City for better housing in other cities or in Akko’s newer neighborhoods, while Israeli Arabs from Galilee villages moved in to take their place. The Wolfson neighborhood had become predominantly Arab by the time the “Spirit of the North” Yeshiva moved into the defunct synagogue there four years ago. 

According to the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yosi Stern, Yeshivat Hesder Ruach Tzfonit was established seven years ago to inspire and lead a Zionist revival in the city. Moving to the Wolfson synagogue was a natural move for the yeshiva, which rents apartments nearby to house its 170 students.

Recent hostilities broke out on Yom Kippur night, when a veteran Arab resident, in an apparent act of incitement, drove his car into a predominantly Jewish neighborhood blaring Arabic music. Jewish residents responded by pelting the car with stones, forcing the driver to flee.
Within minutes a false rumor spread through the Arab Old City that the driver had been killed by the Jewish residents and the local Imams appealed to the Arab population through mosque loudspeakers to take revenge. For the next four hours Arab mobs roamed the streets of Akko destroying Jewish owned cars and businesses. The swiftness and pogrom-like intensity of the riots combined with the lack of police response, shocked many Jewish residents and left them doubting that the riots were spontaneous.

Yeshiva office destroyed in apparent retaliation for Simchat Torah celebrations in mixed Jewish/Arab Akko

The following night after the fast ended, Jewish residents poured into the streets to protest the lack of police protection during the previous night’s rampage. But this time the police were there in force to keep order, and the confrontation quickly became violent, with many protesters arrested with a heavy hand. Battles between police and protesters continued for four nights and a number of Arab families were forced to abandon their apartments in the Jewish neighborhoods for fear of revenge.

On the evening following Simchat Torah, Yeshivat Hesder Ruach Tzfonit sponsored a city-wide “Hakafot Shniot” [Second Hakafot] event in an effort to restore a sense of Jewish unity and pride that was so damaged by the events of Yom Kippur night. Some 2,000 Akko residents came out to celebrate and dance together.

The success of this event was apparently the impetus for the firebomb attack on the yeshiva. Rabbi Yosi Stern said that the perpetrators were “hooligans who are threatened by our Zionist, Jewish activities here. Akko is a national test of how we as Jews deal with the threat posed by the radical Islamization of Israeli Arabs.”

Click here to read an Open Letter from Yeshivat Hesder Akko |>>

YBA TO”M WINS MINISTRY OF EDUCATION PRIZE

 YBA Yeshivat TO"M (Torah and Miktzoa) was the first religious trade school in Israel. In 1975, a dormitory was opened and it has operated as a Youth Aliyah Village ever since. The school serves students who are unable to manage the rigorous curriculum required for full academic Bagrut (matriculation) testing.

YBA Torah U'Miktzoa students

Today, eighty percent of the 250 students come from Ethiopia, many of them very recent Olim. The other students are olim from Russia and India or native-born Israelis. In addition to Judaic studies, the students can choose to major in electronics, metal working or automotive mechanics.
YBA Yeshivat TO"M was awarded the Education Prize for 2007/8 at a gala ceremony at President of Israel's residence, in June 2008. Education Ministry Director General Yechiel Shilo said:
"This prize is awarded for the [the school's] great investment in thought, planning and execution, with great wisdom, understanding and attention to the needs of the students."
To read the full Jerusalem Post coverage of the award, click here.

To support YBA Yeshivat TO"M or the other 62 Yeshivot Bnei Akiva from Golan to Eilat, call AFYBA at (212) 248-0471 or visit www.afyba.org. 

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