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| "The
State of Israel will prove itself not by material wealth, not by military might
or technical achievement, but by its moral character and human values."
-David Ben Gurion, March 1949
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SIJS Board of Governors visits TALI.
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The words of David Ben
Gurion - Israel's first Prime Minister - challenge us with their clarity of vision
and call to action. For, if indeed, Israel's first fifty years were devoted to
reclaiming the Jewish people's soil, then the next fifty years must be dedicated
to renewing the nation's soul.
And especially now, during this latest
war of attrition that Israel has been forced to enter, questions of Jewish identity
and the Zionist raison d'etre take on even greater urgency.
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Why
Donate to the Schechter Institute?
In times of war or unrest, many Israelis ask themselves: What
am I doing here? Is it worth the tension? An Israeli who is ignorant of Jewish
history and tradition is hard-pressed to answer those questions. An Israeli who
knows his own tradition and history knows why he is here: Eretz Yisrael has been
our land since God promised it to Abraham some 3800 years ago. Jerusalem has been
our capital since King David captured the city 3000 years ago. Despite our exile
2000 years ago, we maintained our connection to the Land of Israel, through the
bible, the siddur, the haggadah and rabbinic literature and through constant waves
of aliyah. Zionism did not begin in Basle in 1897; it began in Genesis, Chapter
12, ca. 1800 BCE. An Israeli who knows his tradition knows why he is here
and Palestinian violence and misinformation will not shake his commitment to Israel
and Zionism. That is why the Schechter Institute must continue to teach our tradition
to 30,000 Israelis every year.
Established with four rabbinic
students in 1984, the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies is today a thriving
center of modern Jewish learning, with more than 500 students learning in our
Graduate School of Advanced Jewish Studies and
Rabbinical School. The Schechter Institute is also responsible for the
TALI Education Fund which supports a network of more than 100 schools and
kindergartens throughout Israel. Through TALI education, thousands of Israeli
schoolchildren and their families are recliaimng their right to be knowledgeable
Jews. The Schechter Instittue also operates educational programs for Jewish communities
in central Europe and the FSU well as programs for new immigrants in Israel through
Midreshet Yerushalayim.
Be a part of
our crucial work. Join us in our educational efforts, to ensure Israel's moral
strength and fortitude in the days and years ahead.
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