By tradition, religious women marry young, limiting their options for finding dedicated creative time, space or the financial means to become independent professional artists. Rather than getting much needed support, often the message their religious communities give is discouragement. ...
Located in Yeroham but serving the entire Negev region, ATID BAMIDBAR works to empower the local community, connects diverse Negev communities around Jewish and Israeli culture, and promotes communal, cultural, educational, and tourism initiative. It is our mission to bring...
Most Israelis are not flocking to synagogues or houses of study to explore their Judaism, however there is growing interest in “finding our Jewish roots” in a variety of ways. Beit Midrash Elul, the pioneer of Jewish renewal in Israel celebrates 20 years of evolving creativity...
While young Israelis speak Hebrew and follow the cycle of the Jewish calendar, many are disconnected from their Jewish identity, perceiving Jewish tradition to be outdated, inaccessible, or irrelevant. A majority of these Israelis reject organized religion. The result is a “crisis...
Refusal to grant one’s wife a divorce, particularly when there is no just cause for refusing, is an act of violence and domination that causes the woman great suffering and robs her of her freedom. It was this unfortunate phenomenon that prompted the establishment of ICAR – an...
More and more Jews in Israel are showing interest in their Jewish identity, in Jewish tradition and in Jewish culture. Reform and Progressive Judaism offers Israelis an opportunity to become acquainted with answers they are looking for in a manner that is accessible and friendly...
ITIM, The Jewish Life Information Center, is an independent, non-profit organization, dedicated to making Jewish life accessible to all. ITIM offers extensive information about the different aspects of the Jewish life cycle including historical, legal and psychological information...
Numerous Jewish communities around the world are disappearing. As the elders of these communities pass away their memories are vanishing. Synagogues, community buildings, and cemeteries are just a few examples of Jewish heritage sites that are fading and crumbling right in front of...
Over the last 20 years many Jews have left the FSU and settled in Israel, with the rest in the US, Germany, Australia and other countries around the world. These immigrants no matter where they have settled share some common factors. Many of them lack a clear Jewish identity;...
In Israel, Judaism is viewed as a divisive issue, splitting the public into religiously observant and secular Jews. At the same time, growing socio-economic gaps call for social activism and change. By placing the Jewish values of communal responsibility and tikkun olam...
Midreshet Ein HaNatziv combines a dedication to the Halachah and its sources with advanced academic learning. With an aim to produce scholars and leaders, a wide array of Jewish Studies is learned in depth in the Beit Midrash offering each student the opportunity to acquire comprehensive...
Today, despite the varied programming aimed at educating Jewish people of different ages about Jewish identity, there is still a lack of knowledge about Jewish culture among contemporary Jewry. Many Jews have never been exposed first-hand to Jewish traditional texts, and the remarkable...
In Israel today there is a trend towards extremism in the religious community and the isolation of the religious camp from the mainstream of society. Many contemporary rabbis and educators tend to ignore difficult educational issues while Halachic authorities avoid important social...
MASORTI, meaning traditional, is the Hebrew name for the movement of Conservative Judaism in Israel. The Masorti Movement, founded in 1979, is the umbrella organization of Masorti kehillot (congregations), which foster the practice of traditional Judaism among Israeli men and women...
Can the State of Israel make hard political, military and social decisions while maintaining a commitment to Torah and tzelem elokim (the innate dignity of human beings created in the image of God), without paralyzing conflict and dissension? The issue is not a simple one. Some Orthodox...
