Bnei Akiva

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Logo of the Bnei Akiwa

Bnei Akiva ( Hebrew בני עקיבא, ( Children Akiwas )), in Switzerland: Bne Akiwa , is a religious-Zionist Jewish youth association . With over 50,000 members in more than 30 countries, it is the largest such youth organization in the world. It was founded on May 28, 1929 in Jerusalem and is still based on the same motto: "Torah we'Awoda" (meaning: religion and work ).

After the Holocaust there was a huge increase in membership. Their aim was to found, manage and inhabit a Jewish state of Israel . Later, the expansion into an organization with international relations began.

Alignment

The motto of Bnei Akiva is Tora va-Avodah ( Torah and worship , the latter literally actually work ). Bnei Akiva aims to educate Jewish youth in the sense of “Am Yisrael be-Eretz Yisrael al pi Torat Yisrael” (“The people of Israel in the Land of Israel according to the Torah of Israel”). The emigration to Israel is seen as a command of Judaism. The name refers directly to the story of Rabbi Akiba , a co-founder of Rabbinic Judaism .

Bnei Akiva belongs to the national-religious spectrum and had a strong influence on the development of the Israeli settler movement .

Bnei Akiva rejects mixed marriages and assimilation in the Galut and advocates strengthening the connection of the Jewish people abroad with the values ​​of religious Zionism and with the State of Israel.

After the Six Day War , Bnei Akiva founded a yeshiva on the Western Wall in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's old town . According to the British BA section, members of Bnei Akiva who emigrate to Israel mostly settle in Israeli settlements and large or developing cities.

Controversy over leadership and members

Meir Kahane , known among other things as the founder of the terrorist organization Kach , was a member of the Betar first as a youth ; Since the betar was not radical enough for him, he became a member of the Bnei Akiva in Israel in 1952, for which he later led several local groups in the USA.

In October 2012, the Rector of the Bnei Akiva Schools and Knesset MPs for the National Religious Party Chaim Druckman led a farewell ceremony with Rabbi Dov Lior from the Kirjat Arba settlement and Knesset MP Arieh Eldad in the Israeli settlement of Shilo in the occupied West Bank for Zvi Struck (son of Knesset member Orit Struck from Habajit Hajehudi ), who had to serve a prison sentence as a convicted criminal. In July 2007, Struck and a second perpetrator beat up a Palestinian youth, handcuffed him, fired guns next to him, stripped him and left him naked on the side of the road. The two had beaten up the same youth three months earlier and killed one of his goats.

In December 2013, Chaim Druckman defended Rabbi Moti Elon, who had been convicted of sexually assaulting two of his students. Despite the verdict, he was able to teach at the Yeshiva Or Etzion under the direction of Druckman, which led to protests against Elon and against Druckman.

After the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli youths in June 2014, the international general secretary of Bnei Akiva, Noam Perel, called for bloody vengeance and "atonement through the blood of our enemy" on Facebook.

Chief Rabbi David Lau spoke out against such calls, and Knesset MP Michal Rozin sharply criticized Noam Perel for this racist call for blood revenge. Noam Perel then apologized "for the anger [his] words may have caused". His statement resulted in a petition and calls for his removal.

Bnei Akiva in Germany

In Germany , “Bnei Akiva Deutschland e. V. "since 2017 in the register of associations. The German branch sees itself as the successor to the Thora Wa Awoda Foundation founded in 1927 and points out that Bnei Akiva is again an officially recognized legal organization after 79 years in Germany, after the movement's forerunners were active in Germany as early as 1910.

Bnei Akiva in Austria

In 1949 the foundation stone for an Austrian representation was laid.

Bne Akiwa in Switzerland

In 1935 the "Bne Akiwa Switzerland " was founded, which is now in Zurich and Basel . In Geneva there used to be a Snif ("branch"), but this was closed by the umbrella organization in Israel due to a lack of members. In 2011, Bne Akiwa Switzerland had around 140 active members. In Switzerland, Bne Akiwa organizes two camps every year, one in summer and one in winter. Every two years there is also a migrant camp (“ Sayarim ”), for the two oldest Kwutzot (groups) from other European countries. In the following year there will be a four-week trip to Israel, which will bring the "Chanichim" (participants) closer to the thoughts of Torah we'Awoda , as well as offering the opportunity to get to know the country in detail.

Web links

Commons : Bnei Akiva  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Mordecai Naor: Eretz Israel: das 20. Jahrhundert, Könemann, Cologne, 1998, ISBN 3-89508-594-4 , p. 154
  2. ↑ Jeremy Sharon: National-religious icon Rabbi Avraham Zuckerman dies at 98 , Jerusalem Post , October 20, 2013;
    Meron Rapoport: Israel's exit strategy , Le monde diplomatique , August 2005;
    Uri Avneri : The Settler State , CounterPunch , April 19, 2011.
  3. ↑ Or Kashti: World Bnei Akiva chief calls for price of 'blood' for Israeli teens' murder , Haaretz , July 2, 2014.
  4. ^ Bnei Akiva , Jewish Virtual Library .
  5. ↑ Ideology ( Memento of the original from November 4, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Bnei Akiva UK.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / bauk.org
  6. ↑ Ami Pedahzur: The Triumph of Israel's Radical Right . Oxford University Press, 2012;
    Libby Kahane: Rabbi Meir Kahane. His Life and Thought . Institute for the Publication of the Writings of Rabbi Meir Kahane, 2008, Vol. 1: 1932-1975, pp. 27f.
  7. ↑ Chaim Levinson: Prominent Israeli Figures Hold Send-off for a Settler Who Abused Palestinian Teen. In: Haaretz , October 7, 2012.
  8. ^ Nir Hasson: Religious Zionist Leader Rabbi Moti Elon Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Minors. In: Haaretz , August 7, 2013;
    Allison Kaplan Sommer: Israeli Parents Turn to US Donors to Stop Sex Offender Rabbi From Teaching. In: Haaretz , December 25, 2013;
    Allison Kaplan Sommer: Have Protest Vigils Driven Convicted Sex Offender Rabbi Moti Elon From the Classroom? In: Haaretz , April 7, 2014.
  9. ↑ This refers to Ejal Jifrah, Gil'ad Schaar and Naftali Frenkel, who were kidnapped and murdered near the Israeli settlement Alon Schewut in the occupied West Bank .
  10. ↑ Max Blumenthal : The 51 Day War. Ruin and Resistance in Gaza . New York: Nation, 2015, pp. 17f .; Jessica Elgot: Noam Perel, Head Of Jewish Youth Movement Bnei Akiva, Calls For Israeli Army To Take 300 Palestinian Foreskins , Huffington Post , July 2, 2014;
    Jeremy Sharon: Bnei Akiva secretary general calls for 'blood of enemy,' subsequently apologizes , Jerusalem Post, August 3, 2014.
  11. ^ Anton Goodman: Rabbi Perel's anti-Arab remarks reflect how World Bnei Akiva has lost its path , Haaretz , July 4, 2014;
    Stuart Winer: Norway Jews demand dismissal of Bnei Akiva official who urged vengeance , Times of Israel , July 4, 2014;
    Michael Melchior: Rabbi Noam Perel, go home! , Times of Israel , July 3, 2014.
  12. ↑ Communication from Bnei Akiva Deutschland e. V. of September 20, 2017