| • Volume 1, Issue 10 | • Av 5769 | • August 2009 |
CONTENTS |
“The core mission of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva is to train future leaders for the State of Israel; men and women who are observant Jews devoted to Torah study, dedicated to the Land of Israel and the Jewish People and loyal citizens of the State, particularly regarding army and national service.” – Rav Chaim Drukman, Chairman, YBA Virtually all YBA high school graduates go on to proudly serve the State in the IDF and in the National Service, with a high proportion joining Hesder Yeshivot or volunteering for elite units and officer training in the IDF. YESHIVOT BNEI AKIVA – Click here to view YBA's video "Ambassadors" |
Over 500 Hesder yeshiva students arrived at the IDF Tel Hashomer Induction Base ("Bakum" in IDF slang) in August, accompanied by their parents and Yeshiva heads, to complete their induction to the IDF. Hesder is a 5-year program which allows religious Zionist youths to sandwich their IDF service between 2 periods of intensive Torah study. Close to 80% of the Hesder yeshiva boys, (bnei yeshivot, or "beinish" in IDF slang) were sent to infantry combat units, including Paratroopers, Golani, Givati, Nachal and Kfir. Others were drafted into the Armored Corp, Field Intelligence, and Navy. Yeshivot Bnei Akiva is proud of its eight affiliated Hesder Yeshivot: Hakotel, Hagolan, Or Etzion, Shadmot Mechola, Neve Dekalim, Maalot, Akko and Holon, and wishes much success to the new inductees. Chazak ve'ematz – be strong and courageous! |
Mayor of Akko Shimon Lankry recently spent two days in New York participating in a series of meetings on behalf of YBA Yeshivat Hesder Ruach Tzfonit, Akko. Mayor Lankry, himself a graduate of YBA Kiryat Shmuel in nearby Haifa, played a key role in establishing the yeshiva in Akko eight years ago, as part of his plan to lead a Jewish renaissance in the city.
Yeshivat Ruach Tzfonit is presently constructing a new campus in Akko, which will eventually accommodate 240 students. The new facilities will also enable the yeshiva to expand and improve its outreach activities aimed at strengthening the Jewish and Zionist spirit of the city. AFYBA Executive Director Menachem Bar-Shalom is presently also serving as the yeshiva's Executive Director to coordinate fundraising efforts for the new campus.
Click here to learn more about Yeshivat Hesder Ruach Tzfonit, Akko. |
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How do you make an old building more energy and water efficient? With Israel's chronic water shortages and ever-increasing energy costs, this is not just a theoretical question for conservationists, but a very real difficulty that building managers everywhere must grapple with. The problem is particularly acute for the YBA network's veteran schools, with class buildings, dormitories and dining facilities built well before the era of global warming, renewable energy and conservationism.
The Ramot Shapira Educational Center, where the YBA offices are located, hosted a study day in June for YBA school administrators and campus managers to learn about the latest developments in water and energy saving technology. Representatives of Solari, a manufacturer of heat exchangers, explained that the company's HVAC units are capable of working 24/7 in all weather conditions and can potentially save up to 60% in heating and cooling costs over conventional fossil fuel systems. The participants examined the recently retrofitted HVAC system at Ramot Shapira to see the system for themselves. In the afternoon session representatives of Mei Keshet, a water filtration company, explained how to retrofit the plumbing of old buildings to recycle "grey water" from sinks and showers for irrigation of the surrounding landscaping.
At the conclusion of the day it was announced that YBA Kfar Haroeh would be the first school to benefit from YBA's new drive towards the "greening" of its veteran school campuses. Kfar Haroeh was the original Bnei Akiva yeshiva established by Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Neriya 70 years ago, and was recently reorganized to come under the full administration of YBA. It was agreed that the same forum would reconvene in one year's time to evaluate the success of Kfar Haroeh's experiment in energy and water efficiency. Click here to donate online to any of the 63 YBA educational institutions. |
NEW STUDY: PARENTAL INFLUENCE ON RELIGIOUS ATTITUDES
Parents dread adolescence, that period when their children stop listening and start rebelling. However, a recently released study found that with regard to religious faith and identity, parents remain the central influence on their teenage children.
Dr. Shraga Fischman, of the YBA affiliated Orot Israel College for Women, conducted the study with the assistance of his MA students, measuring the various factors influencing the religious beliefs and practices of Israeli adolescents. To the surprise of the researchers, the survey findings showed that parents and teachers, rather than the teen's peer group had the greatest influence.
 Parents have more influence than previously believed. |
"We expected to find results similar to past studies that showed that peer pressure was the single most influential factor in religious identity," explained Dr. Fischman, "but much time has elapsed since those studies were conducted, and these findings could possibly point to a generational change. Today's teenagers seem to be more open, more self-aware and willing to admit that they are impressionable."
Dr. Fischman presented the findings at a seminar for teachers and rabbis of YBA high school yeshivot and ulpanot. He concluded that parents can no longer fault their children's friends for negatively affecting their child's religious values. On the contrary, the findings underscore the responsibility of teachers and parents to remain actively engaged with rebellious youths and not to give up on them.
"Teachers have to learn interpersonal communications skills and active listening techniques in order to help their students develop their religious identities. This age group requires sensitivity and empathetic confirmation. The problem is that adults often lose their objectivity and react negatively to the teen's need to question and doubt, leading to a breakdown of communication. When parents and teachers learn to reign in their own egos and truly listen, teenagers respond to their empathetic confirmation, and their level of influence greatly increases."
INVITATION TO AFYBA WESTCHESTER CHAPTER RECEPTION
Click here to view the entire invitation and make a reservation for the event. |
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