Participants 2010 - Garin Beer Sheva

Ovelo (Ethiopian participant): "I come from an orthodox family, and this was the first time I was exposed to a different approach to Jewish study. I now find myself bringing home texts from Jewish sources and reading them in a different way. At first my family was taken aback, but then it triggered a fascinating discussion. I see myself as a type of "emissary", bringing the BINA approach to learning - with a broad and personal interpretation – to the Ethiopian community. Last Pesach, inspired by my classes at BINA, we went around the family Seder table telling personal exodus stories, and my uncle, for the first time, told the story of his flight from Sudan. It changed the entire atmosphere…"

 

Galit from Mitzpe Harashim: "My family never celebrated Pesach. My parents hate the orthodox and hate Judaism. Because of the learning I experienced at BINA, my family held a Pesach Seder for the first time in my life. We wrote our own haggadah, which combined some traditional texts with family stories."

 

Eden: "I come from a traditional (Masorti) family. After Shabbat dinner on Friday night, the men sit down to study Talmud and don't allow the women to sit with them. After studying with BINA, I began to join their study sessions. At first they were angry, but after a while they accepted it and the sessions were incredibly captivating for all of us."

 

Mayan: "I was at the event commemorating the assassination of Rabin in Tel-Aviv, and I saw signs with the name and logo of BINA, and all of a sudden I felt part of a community; a community which speaks the same special "language", shares values and offers a viable Zionist alternative. It gave me a sense of strength."

 

Atalia from Herzliya: "We never really celebrated holidays at home. This year I joined all the holidays at BINA and suddenly I felt part of a community, part of a whole history. Jewish holidays have become a lot more meaningful to me."

 

Ohad: "My whole life, my family and I were anti-Judaism. Judaism for me meant religious coercion. Following my study experience at BINA, I began taking a greater interest in Jewish sources. I feel they belong to me."

 

Elia from Jerusalem: "I was sitting in a coffee shop in Jerusalem one day, and was approached by a beggar. I thought about the 8 ladders of Tzedaka of the Rambam (Maimonides) which I studied at BINA, and I decided not to give her money, but rather to offer a job to a friend who had asked me for help. The Jewish sources have become connected to my life. An orthodox young man sitting next to me asked me why I didn't give the beggar money. We began to discuss the Rambam. Jewish study has opened up a way for me to speak with orthodox people. I have a whole side of my family who are orthodox and I don't speak to. Now I feel we have a common language."