CONTENTS

1. YBA at a Glance
2. Robinsons Dedicate UBA Ramat Karniel Dorm
3. 9 YBA Alumni in 18th Knesset
4. Handicapped Student Crowned “Chatan Talmud”
5. YBA Afikei Aretz Chess Champ to Represent Israel
6. UBA Orot Modiin Celebrates 10th Anniversary
7. Orot Israel College Hosts Media Conference

YBA AT A GLANCE

            YBA schools train future leaders. Thousands of YBA graduates can be found in leadership positions in every industrial, academic and professional sector of Israel; including artists, scientists, industrialists, IDF generals, mayors, Members of Knesset, Supreme Court justices and Israel Prize winners.

            Graduates of YBA schools are committed to serving the Jewish people and the State of Israel, striving for excellence and leadership in all their endeavors, guided by the eternal values of the Torah.

YESHIVOT BNEI AKIVA –
ON THE FRONT LINES OF JEWISH SURVIVAL –
IN THE FOREFRONT OF JEWISH EDUCATION

Click here to view a map of YBA's educational institutions in Israel

ROBINSONS DEDICATE UBA RAMAT KARNIEL DORM

            Frieda and Sheldon Robinson from Chicago IL visited UBA Ramat Karniel at Moshav Kfar Pines in October 2008 to dedicate the newly renovated girl’s dormitory named for their mothers, Batsheva Horowitz z”l, and Rose Robinson z”l. The ulpana’s dormitory is the first of the original campus buildings to undergo a major upgrade/renovation since being built in the 1960's.

Frieda & Sheldon Robinson with students

            The Robinsons were actively involved in planning both the architectural design and interior décor of the renewed dormitory rooms. The new design subdivides 30 large rooms housing four to five students each into 2 modular spaces to be shared by 2 students each, providing a warmer, cozier desk and bed nook for each student to work and sleep in. The new design serves as a model for future student housing standards in YBA’s other veteran dormitory high schools.

9 YBA ALUMNI IN 18TH KNESSET

As the 18th Knesset (Israeli Parliament) was sworn in two months ago,
nine graduates of YBA schools took their seats as Members of Knesset, representing four different political parties in both the coalition and the opposition. YBA proudly salutes all its alumni who carry on the YBA tradition of excellence and leadership as Israel’s elected legislators.

1. MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union), YBA Kfar Haroeh

2. MK Gilad Erdan (Likud), YBA Netiv Meir

3. MK Rabbi Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz (Habayit Hayehudi), YBA Yavneh, Haifa

4. MK Tzippi Hotovelli, (Likud), UBA Tel Aviv

5. MK Yaakov Katz (National Union), YBA Kfar Haroeh

6. MK Avraham Michaeli (Shas), YBA Nechalim

7. MK Leah Ness (Likud), UBA Kfar Pines

8. MK Uri Orbach (Habayit Hayehudi), YBA Nechalim

9. MK Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi), YBA Nechalim

HANDICAPPED STUDENT CROWNED “CHATAN TALMUD”

Matan Weisner

            Ninth grade student Matan Weisner from YBA Nachlat Yitzchak at Moshav Nechalim won the Annual YBA Talmud Competition in June. Matan suffers from Cerebral Palsy and has difficulty speaking. He was aided by his teacher, who repeated his answers to the judges when necessary.

            Nonetheless, Matan exhibited outstanding mastery of the Talmud, and was cheered on to victory by his schoolmates in the audience. Ten students from six schools competed for the "Chatan Talmud" title in the final competition this year. The contest covered Tractate Kidushin, studied as part of the comprehensive Judaic Studies curriculum in all YBA Yeshivot

OFAKIM CHESS CHAMP TO REPRESENT ISRAEL

Michael Atnilov and family

            Michael Atnilov, 13, an 8th grade student at YBA Afikei Aretz in Ofakim, won first place in his age category at Israel's national chess tournament, thereby qualifying to represent Israel in the International Chess Tournament in Italy in August.

            Michal follows in the footsteps of his older sister, Bella, who finished in sixth place in the international competition three years ago when she was a student at UBA Ayelet Hashachar in Ofakim.

            Ofakim is a development town in the Western Negev noted for its low educational achievement scores and high unemployment rate. Four years ago the mayor of Ofakim asked Yeshivot Bnei Akiva to take over the city's religious schools, and matriculation rates have been on the rise ever since.

            After making Aliyah from the FSU, Michael's parents, Boris (a taxi driver) and Yelena (a child care worker), moved to Ofakim where housing prices were lower than in the center of Israel. They couldn't afford after school enrichment activities for their children on their meager salaries, so instead Boris invested all his free time training his children to become chess masters. Boris believes that Michael has what it takes to bring home the championship cup, and is hopeful that his son's victory will inspire civic pride among their fellow residents of Ofakim.

OROT ISRAEL COLLEGE HOSTS MEDIA CONFERENCE

           Many Yeshivot Bnei Akiva high school yeshivot and ulpanot have opened matriculation tracks in Journalism in recent years, inspiring cadres of religious students to seek careers in Israel's expanding broadcast communications field. YBA Orot College for Women in Elkana hosted a day-long seminar in May examining the role of religious Zionist journalists in Israeli media and society. The conference plenum featured a panel discussion with four veteran national religious journalists sharing their unique perspectives.

Journalists Nitzan Chen, Amit Segal and MK Uri Orbach

           MK Uri Orbach, a former radio broadcaster, noted that "Today there are fewer obstacles than in the past. Places like Galei Zahal, which were once blocked to religious soldiers, are now completely open to them."

            Nitzan Chen, a former IBA TV news reporter commented that rather than on-screen reporters today, "The ones who have the most influence are the directors and producers in the news departments; they truly influence the public debate – what the viewer sees at home, and the commentary on what they see."

            Amit Segal, the Channel 2 political reporter, admitted that "the accountability I and my colleagues felt towards our religious constituency…was never about how we could best advance Israel's redemption, or the political party we supported. For me it was rather how, at the end of the day, I would leave the world a bit better than it was before I took on the job."

            Emanuel Shilo, editor of the weekly Besheva newspaper, summed up the positive influence on Israeli society. "The national religious public is, in my opinion, the most significant sector in Israeli society today, helping the State to advance toward where it needs to be spiritually and culturally. It has led in the field of settlement for decades, and in recent years, also contributed leadership in the IDF, in promoting the development towns in the periphery... and in volunteerism for every Chesed cause in Israel. The religious Zionist camp, while still far from perfect, is in my opinion, Israel's future and its main hope."

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Oz Ben-Shmuel
Director of Public Relations
oz@yba.org.il

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