Bnei Rulz
There are many fantastic community interest groups that fall under the umbrella of the Perth Jewish Community. The youth movements and younger organisations of the community tend to be far more dynamic than the older ones.
There is one youth movement in our community that has for a number of years been a stand out contributor to the growth and vibrancy of Jewish life in Perth. That movement is Bnei Akiva. Their reputation both locally, nationally and internationally is enviable. When in Israel the considerable Perth “contingent” of program participants and olim that are members and products of the Bnei Akiva movement, stand proud and are highly acclaimed. Their leadership skills, creativity, ability to learn Torah at a tertiary level, and their general committment to Jewish unity and tolerance is in every respect world class.
Like all Jewish youth movements, the members of Bnei Akiva have a free license and a level of autonomy to express their independence and to grow their ideological identity with great pride. Like all Jewish youth movements, the members of Bnei invest endless hours into preparing and creating activity, fundraising, teaching and promoting their events. Like all Jewish movements, Bnei Akiva provides a valuable role and perspective that is woven into the broad fabric of the Jewish community. So what makes Bnei Akiva so unique?
Firstly, the quality of the current leadership. The commitment and the conviction of the madrichim and the shlichim are what any other Diaspora community anywhere else in the world could only dream of. Secondly, the uniqueness of the opportunity that they provide. There are many formal channels for Jewish education. Our kids attend school, cheder, Torah stream, chevrutot, and interact in a number of educational environments. Our kids also attend Maccabi, birthday parties, extra curricular activities and interact in a number of social environments. However there is only one environment where both the educational and social opportunties are blended to deliver the most effective Jewish education of all, being informal Jewish education. There is also only one movement that will immerse the children of this community into a fully religious environment, spanning tefillah, learning, personal growth, love of Israel and an allround wholesome Jewish identity based on the values of Torah V’Avodah.
Internationally, Bnei Akiva is the world’s largest Jewish youth movement. It has tens of thousands of members. Here in Perth, more than 100 children regularly arrive to peulot on Shabbat Afternoon, some of whom have walked a great distance. There is a very consistent level of participation, and all week many of the juniors “hang out” for Bnei. To put this in perspective, that is 100 kids in a community of 8,000 people. Contrast that to other communities, say Melbourne or Sydney with comparitely large Jewish populations. In per captia terms it would be the equivalent of 600 or 800 kids turning up to Bnei each week.
However this is not about quantity, it is about quality.
There was once a time where the Bnei Akiva “environment”, a fully immersed Jewish observant form of community living, could only be experienced within the safety of a camp once or twice a year. However it seems that today Bnei Akiva never stops. The reports from Machane Oomph were sensational, but in the lead up to camp, and beyond the finish of camp, the living environment of the members of Bnei Akiva doesn’t change. It is as committed, and as Jewish, and as effective from week to week as it is at camp. It is even more important to carry this momentum beyond camp. This allows Bnei to be as visible as they can be, and to demonstrate in front of and within the Perth Jewish community what Religious Zionism represents, and why it is a winning formula for Jewish continuity.
Jewgle Perth is delighted to sponsor this week’s Chaver in recognition of the outstanding service that Bnei provides to our community. May it go B’ezrat Hashem from strength to strength, and continue to be a shining example of the vibrancy of the Perth Jewish community.
It is fantastic to hear that Machane Oomph was such a huge success. Well done to all the people involved in Bnei Akiva.
I just got home from the first leg of Habonim Dror’s camps. They run 3 different camps over the school holidays. The senior and Junior Camps this have have been named Machane Agadi, Camp Legendary.
Firstly a Junior camp which caters for kids from year 3 to 8. This camp conculed yesterday. We had close to 60 chunchim (Participants). Luckly I had the chance as a exleader in the movement to lead on camp. I lead Amalim, years 5 and 6. There were 28 of them and their theme for camp was Jewish Identity.
Secondly They have senior camp. This is for kids between the years 9 and 11. There are around 30 kids on this camp write now.
Finally the have camp for year 12 students in Melbourne. This is over the first weekend of term 3. Perth is aiming to send 12 year 12 students. This camp is designed to prepare them for a year away on the highly education Habo Shnat program in 2011.
Over all Habonim Dror W.A will have had over 100 chunachim participate in their winter camps for 2010 this is a fantastic achievement.
Between the years 3 to 12 there would be around 350 children at Carmel School. Of the 350 kids nearly 200 of them this winter engaged in some form of Zionist jewish activity. This is a unbelievable achievement. Kol Ha’Kavod to both youth movements.
July 15th, 2010 at 3:19 pmI could not agree more… Bnei Akiva Perth is an
incredible Jewish Youth Movement
The young men and women who make up the leadership are amazing.
We must however not forget the unbelieveable Nati and Noa Recht who since their arrival in Perth have put their heart and soul into Bnei Akiva and the community as a whole and made an incredible difference to the community…they are the best
July 15th, 2010 at 3:24 pmYisher Koach also to Habo for all that they do. Every Jewish youth program is vitally important and has a role in growing a persons affiliation to the community.
It has obviously been an incredibly difficult time for Habo members in recent weeks due to a terrible traffic accident involving a member and close friend. Thank G-d there has been some improvement for the victim, and that the tefillah and unity of the community has been so incredibly strong.
Today the sad news came through from Sydney that a member of the Hineni youth movement who was injured while on camp (18 months ago) passed away. This type of tragedy causes unimaginable pain.
I remember when I was a Bnei Akiva madrich, and one of our chanichim tragically died in an accident. We pulled together and Bnei Akiva ensured that there was minyan for the boy’s father to say kaddish every day of the year. I may be giving away my age, but this happened about 20 years ago.
Every moment is precious and every member of every Jewish youth group is making an important statement simply by participating. Every potential future Jewish community leader is a product of the Zionist youth activity, and it remains IMHO the most important priority area for our established community to support, resource, encourage and recognise the results of Zionist youth activity. Sadly I sometimes feel that the community is too apathetic and neglectful of this. There is plenty of lip service, but this is not always followed through when it comes to tachless.
One of the greatest signs of endorsement of our youth groups is that they can respect their ideological differences and share their ideological commonalities. It should never take misfortune and tragedy to remind us of that (a timely prelude for the nine days leading to Tisha Bav). I have the utmost admiration for the relationship that BA and Habo in Perth both share as they both go about their role of raising a consciousness of the importance of Eretz Yisrael as a Jewish homeland.
July 15th, 2010 at 9:56 pmGedalia,
you should have gone into politics
July 16th, 2010 at 9:50 amAs a former madrich of Habonim in Perth, and an oleh who made aliya through the movement and has now been in Israel for 6 years, it astounds me that this article makes absolutely no reference to the work that is done day-to-day in Habonim, and refers to Bnei Akiva as the ‘one youth movement in our community that has for a number of years been a stand out contributor to the growth and vibrancy of Jewish life in Perth.’ In my day, the partnership between the madrichim of Habonim Dror and Bnei Akiva was very warm and based on co-operation and mutual benefit, and i am not sure how it is today, but i do know of the work that Habonim does within the Perth Jewish community, and i think your article is misleading in entirely excluding them.
July 23rd, 2010 at 7:24 pmI think Bnei Akiva is a great movement with a strong connection to hagshama of the values, and i wish that Habonim had similar levels of aliya from movement members around the world. But given that Perth is a Jewish community with a plethora of religious orthodox options – at least 4 synagogues in the range of orthodoxy and only one Jewish school – with a traditionally religious based curriculum of Jewish learning, it is invaluable that Habonim Dror creates an environment for a strong Jewish Zionist secular identity.
Maybe i am misled and this site is specifically for the religious orthodox expressions within the Perth Jewish community. But if it aims to represent the entire Perth Jewish community, with all of the complications within, then it is irresponsible to represent Bnei Akiva as, what i read, the sole option for inspiration and Jewish youth expression in Perth.
Other than that, i just read your site and i think it does offer some great advice and dilemmas for diaspora Jews today.
Whoa, Leon.
I’m not sure what has prompted your need to post such a defensive statement about Habo. This article happened to be about Bnei Akiva. It talks about why Bnei is such an amazing movement. It does not say anything to denigrate Habo, in fact it compliments the youth movements of all creeds. However, this particular article is about Bnei, and was not intended to discuss the influence and contribution of all youth groups. That is possibly a topic for another blog post.
The reason this article was posted was because this blog sponsored the weekly shule bulletin of Bnei, and wanted to reinforce the gratitude and appreciation that the parent body has for the movement.
For the record, I am an ex chanich of Habo, and count myself lucky to have had the experience and the introduction to Jewish community life that I received as a result of Habo. I also think that the current level of cooperation and respect from across the Australian Zionist Youth groups is as strong and important as it ever has been.
The fact that you are an Oleh, and that Habo was no doubt the organisation that heavily influenced your decision to build your future in the homeland of the Jewish people, is reason enough to compliment the accompishments of Habo.
Aleh Vehagshem!
July 24th, 2010 at 6:31 pmAloh Na’aleh
July 25th, 2010 at 12:46 am