YBA Newsletter

AFYBA VIRTUAL TRIBUTE EVENT
CHANUKAH 2005
Salute to our Modern-Day Maccabees

Dear Friends,
For the past 26 years, American Friends of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva has held annual Tribute Events dedicated to strengthening the religious Zionist character of the State of Israel by developing what counts the most -education. After careful consideration however, AFYBA’s leadership has concluded that this year we must do something beyond a “business as usual” Tribute Event.
The recent traumatic upheavals and painful expulsions of fellow Jews from parts of Israel have resulted in the destruction of many unique agricultural enterprises and . ourishing educational institutions. Further exacerbating the situation, government funding of religious Zionist schools has been cut by some 70%! No other sector of the population was hit nearly as hard. Needless to say, As a result, AFYBA made the decision to react quickly and forthrightly to changing realities and changing needs. Here are some concrete examples of what is happening within YBA and how the YBA family is working very hard to alleviate some of the painful realities:
• YBA Yeshivat Hesder Neveh Dekalim was painfully torn from its roots and temporarily transplanted to the host campus of YBA Beit Yehuda in Kfar Maimon. The yeshiva, like so many families, has yet to find a new home. At the same time, these hardships have been seriously compounded by the economic crunch.
• YBA Netiv Meir in Jerusalem opened an elementary school for displaced children from Gush Katif.
• YBA Ulpana Ramat Karniel in Kfar Pines and YBA Ulpana Even Shmuel are hosting homeless families on their campuses.AFYBA members have come through with sorely needed support for many evicted families.
• YBA's leadership in Israel has been lobbying vigorously together with the other major religious Zionist networks, to abolish the budget cuts.

At the same time, it is heartwarming and encouraging to witness the unstoppable spirit of our "modern-day Maccabees." Despite the setbacks and seemingly insurmountable adds, the tens of thousands of staff and students at Yeshivot Bnei Akiva continue to hold their heads high and look, with deep faith in Hashemite the future. Our students at YBA Yeshivat Hesder Neveh Dekalim, as well as all our Yeshivot hesder, continue in their fervent commitment to combine military service with Torah learning. These are the true and direct descendants of the Maccabees! They may have lost a "battle," but they will not lose the “war.”
We, dear friends, must do our part to ensure that the vision and mission of YBA’s Maccabees be realized. Please be a part of our “Salute to our Modern - Day Maccabees ” by participating in AFYBA’s VIRTUAL TRIBUTE EVENT - CHANUKAH 2005 .
Our goal is to attain increasing revenue for our schools by saving the high costs of an actual event. At this very critical time in Israel, every penny counts and our goal is to spend every penny wisely!
As we prepare to celebrate the miracles of Chanukah, kindle the flames of the Menorah in our windows and remember the Maccabees of old, please join us in support of today's Maccabees. Help keep alive the miracle of the original flame amd light the way to a brighter future for our national treasure – the young men, women, boys and girls of YBA.
Thank you in advance for participating in our salute to our students, the future of Israel. It is only with your generous help that our Virtual Tribute Event will impact the lives of many in a very real way.

Sincerely yours,
Marvin Bienenfeld Chairman
Alan Wildes President

Founder of the “Sowing is Believing” Fund, Rabbi Benaya Lifschitz, teaching a G’mara class.

Rabbi David Gavrieli,Rosh Yeshiva, teaching a G ’mara class.YBA Yeshivat Hesder Neveh Dekalim is temporarily hosted by YBA Kfar Maimon .In the background, boxes still waiting to be unpacked.

Sowing is believing
Rabbi Benaya Lifschitz of YBA Yeshivat Hesder Neveh Dekalim initiated Agricultural Loan Fund for Gush Katif farmers prior to expulsion.
Jews throughout the centuries have exhibited absolute faith in Hashem, even at moments of complete despair. Some were miraculously clutched from imminent destruction and death; many were less fortunate. But their acts of faith symbolize the ultimate belief in Hashem.
The establishment of the “Sowing is Believing” Fund (Keren Ma’amin V’Zorea) demonstrated that same unwavering faith. The brainchild of Rabbi Benaya Lifschitz of YBA Yeshivat Hesder Neveh Dekalim (which temporarily resides on the campus of YBA Kfar Maimon), this project sprouted from the acute crisis that befell the farmers of Gush Katif during the final “countdown” to their expulsion. They faced an excruciatingly painful dilemma: investing vast funds to open a new agricultural season whose fruits may never be reaped, or abandoning the source of their livelihood and their lives well before the impending decree. This dilemma threatened to destabilize their lives and dismember their communities. Rabbi Lifschitz’ initiative restored hope,, renewed faith.
Rabbi Benaya, 36 years old and father of seven, has taught at the yeshiva for the past five years. A graduate of Sha’alvim and Mercaz Harav, Rabbi Benaya is soft-spoken and gentle and totally immersed in the study of Torah. How does a Torah scholar become involved in agriculture and finance? These areas seem diametrically opposed! Well, not for Rabbi Benaya, not at YBA Yeshivat Hesder Neveh Dekalim. Led by Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi David Gavrieli , the yeshiva espouses and exemplifies “Torat Eretz Yisrael.” This philosophy inextricably links the study of Torah with practical aspects of life in the Land of Israel, both on the methodological and educational levels. Torah is not left to shine alone in an ivory tower. The yeshiva has always taken a proactive role in communal life and involvement in society. The staff and students are known far and wide for their acts of chessed -loving kindness.
When Rabbi Benaya became aware of the destabilizing dilemmas in the lives of Gush Katif farmers and the implications of an uncertain future, he decided to act. His concept of an agricultural loan fund, which would enable farmers to move on despite the uncertainty, rapidly caught fire. Public committees were formed, headed by well-known rabbis and businessmen. In less than four months, over 10 million shekel was raised from over 17,000 participants! This was an unprecedented success, in Israeli terms. The restoration of a semblance of routine life, under most trying circumstances, gave strength to these pioneers, regardless of the fate that awaited Gush Katif, and prevented the premature dismantling of their towns.
Rabbi Benaya led this unique episode in Israel’s history, which represented a complete synthesis of faith in Hashem together with proactive social initiative.
When asked how we should view this endeavor in light of the unfortunate results, Rabbi Benaya brings the example of a Sefer Torah, which is set ablaze and its parchment turned to ashes. “The holy letters of the Torah ascend to the heavens and continue to have a life of their own. So we see the acts of chessed and mesirut nefesh of the Jews of Gush Katif and those who stood by them.”

YBA NETIV MEIR HOSTS SCHOOL FOR GUSH KATIF CHILDREN
Elementary school for 140 displaced children from Gush Katif finds a temporary home at the prestigious Jerusalem yeshiva high school campus.

The yeshiva high school students at YBA Netiv Meir were not prepared for their surprise visitors when studies resumed after the summer vacation. Their classrooms, laboratories and computer rooms were “invaded ”by some 140 children, displaced with their families last summer from Gush Katif and residing, until further notice, in various Jerusalem hotels.
Rabbi Meir Tauber, Rosh Yeshiva, rose to the challenge and immediately offered to share the school’s facilities with the staff and children of this unique educational entity. Classes were emptied and re-equipped with age appropriate furnishings, a staff was assembled and a retired Jerusalem school principal, Mr. Malkiel Aviad ,was recruited. The boisterous presence of so many young children in a high school
setting is, no doubt, a source of disturbance, but this is lovingly accepted by students and staff.

In fact, some of the older students have become “big brothers” to the younger boys. Originally, the arrangement was expected to last only two weeks, but, unfortunately, the families have still not moved to permanent homes. YBA Netiv Meir has been highly commended for opening its doors, even though the parallel operation of another institution in its midst incurs significant expenses for electricity, water, maintenance and cleaning.
A closer look at the children reveals, in part, the traumas they experienced this past summer.
Some children, when asked by teachers why they didn’t do their homework, answered
Innocently, “Because I don ’t have a home!”
One child, who was told to leave the classroom for misbehavior, cried out, “Jews don’t evict other Jews!”(This was one of the slogans used against the disengagement.)

The Katif Quads: Elyasaf, Avishai, Yonatan and Eliah Cohen, formerly of Neveh Dekalim. Currently residing at the Jerusalem Gate Hotel and going to first grade at YBA Netiv Meir, which opened an elementary school just for the homeless children of Gush Katif.

Many children have serious adjustment problems, and a professional educational counselor works with them on expressing their emotions through various creative channels. Unfortunately, four of the families are going through divorce
resulting from the upheaval in their lives, and one of the children is in psychiatric care.
Among the children are the quadruplets from Neveh Dekalim, Elyasaf, Avishai, Yonatan and Eliah Cohen, who, naturally, attract a great deal of attention among the school’s first graders, and seem to highlight the plight of these very special Jews. Their current address: Jerusalem Gate Hotel.

Parents of the children have expressed their utmost gratitude to YBA Netiv Meir and to Yeshivot Bnei Akiva in general, for an outstanding demonstration of the mitzvah to love one’s fellow Jew. In fact, some have announced their wish for their sons to return one day as students in the Yeshiva!

YBA NETIV MEIR
GRADUATES
DOMINATE IDF
GENERAL STAFF
Major General Gershon Hacohen to join General Staff
as Head of
Military Colleges

Last year, we reported in a story called, “Three Generals, One Class,” that YBA Netiv Meir’s class of ’74 has produced a new IDF leadership. This year, a class of ’73 graduate, Gershon Hacohen, has been appointed to the IDF General Staff, the fourth full general from the same school! Hacohen is being promoted to the rank of Major General and his position will be Commander of the Military Colleges.
Maj. Gen. Hacohen will be joining his friends on the General Staff:
Maj.Gen.Yair Naveh, GOC Central Command; Maj. Gen. Elazar Stern, Head of the Personnel Directorate; and Maj. Gen. Yishai Bar, President of the Military Court of Appeals.
Hacohen’s brother, Rabbi Elyashiv Hacohen, is Rosh Yeshiva of YBA Beit Shmuel in Hadera.

MINI-ISRAEL TO DISPLAY
YBA KFAR HAROEH MODEL

Miniature Park will inaugurate scale model of famed, domed yeshiva building, marking the 10 th yahrzeit of Rabbi Neriah zt”l.

When Rabbi Moshe Zvi Neriah zt”l built the First Yeshivat Bnei Akiva around the original, red-bricked, domed Beit Midrash in Kfar Haroeh in 1940, he could not have imagined that one day it would become one of the sites at a tourist attraction. But now, ten years after his passing, a scale model of the Beit Midrash will be displayed at the Mini-Israel Miniature Park near Latrun.
In just a short time, the park has become a major tourist attraction, so the addition of this model is a fitting tribute to Rabbi Neriah zt”l and to his crowning glory, the Yeshivot Bnei Akiva educational movement, as his 10 th yahrzeit

is being honored by some 56,000 of his graduates and over 22,000 of YBA’s current students. This creative innovation in honoring the Rabbi and his life’s work was the initiative of Elchanan Glatt, Director General of Mercaz Yeshivot Bnei Akiva in Israel.
Mini-Israel displays hundreds of models that are exact replicas of sites, buildings and landscapes from around the country. The exhibited models, built at a scale of 1:25, are of architectural, historical, religious and social importance. YBAis proud to have made its mark on the map of Israel – in more ways than one!!

MINYAN CHAI

A quorum of ten, or minyan, in Jewish law and tradition, as we all know, signifies the quantitative threshold for public prayer. The numerical value of chai, representing life, is eighteen, the common denominator of Jewish philanthropy. These concepts of prayer and tzedaka, charity, together promote and sustain life, linking heaven and earth.

Please join us by honoring the memory of your loved ones, keeping alive the flame of their special spirit and light the way to a brighter future for our

The integration of these ideas produces MINYAN CHAI. These are the foundations of the Yeshivot Bnei Akiva credo, adhering to true faith and trust in Hashem, while applying Torah principles in practical, daily life in our land.
AFYBA has decided to launch an ongoing campaign aimed at creating a consistent, dependable source of revenue, earmarked for assistance with scholarships for needy students, as well as unforeseen that arise from time to time in YBA schools in Israel. We seek to establish a form of a membership organization, based on an annual gift in the amount of $180, to be named MINYAN CHAI (minyan -10 X chai – 18 = $180)/ By joining MINYAN CHAI, you will merit the recital of mishnayot for the yahrzeit of a loved one on the appropriate date at one of our yeshivot. You may also choose to honor an individual on special occasions, send wishes for a refuah shleima and more, by means of acknowledgment and notification by the AFYBA office.
Please join us and support the premier religious Zionist educational movement in Israel by honoring the memory of your loved ones, keeping alive the flame of their special spirit as symbolized in the yahrzeit candle, and light the way to a brighter future for our greatest national treasure –the young men and women, greatest national treasure –the young men and women, AM YISRAEL CHAI!