PROGRAM OVERVIEW

LIVE in the Exciting City of Tel Aviv with Israelis Your Own Age

BINA: Social Action and Study in Tel Aviv offers you a unique opportunity to live, study and volunteer with Israelis your own age, and be part of a community of young activists in south Tel Aviv. As a BINA participant, you will be an integral part of the BINA's Mechina.

Life at BINA: Social Action and Study in Tel Aviv
Two days each week will be dedicated to studying at the BINA Secular Yeshiva. Two days each week will be dedicated to social action. One day every week will be dedicated to various enrichment activities – tours within and outside Tel-Aviv, encounters with a variety of activists from different backgrounds, activities with Israeli peers etc. Shabbat and holidays will be celebrated in a pluralistic, inclusive atmosphere based on the inclinations of the group.

Accommodations
You will live in apartments situated in the south Tel Aviv Shapira neighborhood. The apartments are furnished and equipped. You will be sharing a room with one or two students from the program. Your Israeli peers will live in the same apartment building.

Living in a group
Our program encourages you to live as a group using communal resources. This means many daily living decisions which are made as a group, democratically. In addition, the group has a joint sum of money which is used collectively for buying groceries and other necessities. Meals are usually cooked together.

VOLUNTEER in the Community and Create Social Change

BINA participants work with populations of all ages, however many assignments focus on educating children. BINA’s goal is to identify the needs of the local community and try to answer these needs to the extent possible by supplying volunteers, and providing support and empowerment to the local neighborhood residents. Although specific placements may vary, a broad assortment of opportunities will be made available in the following general areas:

* Tutoring in public schools in underprivileged neighborhoods (all ages)
* Working with children with disabilities, including running sports activities
* Running enrichment programs at community centers in underprivileged neighborhoods
* Working with South Tel Aviv's migrant worker population
* Working with South Tel Aviv's refugee population (including many refugees from Darfur). This includes teaching English, helping in kindergartens and more
* and many more!

Participants will have an opportunity to tour the various volunteering options and, with the guidance of BINA staff and according to the participants' personal abilities and strengths, will choose volunteer projects for the duration of the program.
All participants will receive professional training and supervision, on an individual and group basis, throughout the program.

STUDY the Jewish Bookshelf
Study sessions will attempt to address central themes in Judaism, and expose you to the richness of the Jewish book shelf, particularly Tanakh (Bible), Mishna, Talmud, Jewish philosophy and contemporary Hebrew literature.

Sessions could include studying texts by Rabbi Akiva, Maimonides, Spinoza, Isaiah Leibowitz and more. In addition, we will study some political philosophy and examine issues in contemporary Israeli society from diverse perspectives.

Classes will take place at Bina's Secular Yeshiva, located in the heart of South Tel Aviv, and are taught by Bina's outstanding and renowned teaching staff, representing some of the biggest names in their respective fields. Classes are conducted informally with an emphasis on small group’s open discussion.

Hebrew Ulpan
Our program begins with one month of intensive Ulpan study with experienced and highly qualified Hebrew Ulpan teachers. Each of you will be placed in the appropriate group level, based on a diagnostic test. By the time you begin the program, even if you did not know the Aleph-Bet upon arrival, you will be able to speak at a sufficient level during your volunteer work and communicate with your Israeli peers. Ulpan instruction continues with once or twice-weekly sessions throughout the duration of the program to ensure that your Hebrew will continue to improve. By the end of the program, all participants will be able to speak Hebrew at a functional level.

In some cases, a participant may exhibits a very advanced level of Hebrew fluency, in which case the participant will be exempt from Ulpan. If you think this might apply to you, please contact us for more information.

Israel Seminar: Trips, Tours and Encounters
BINA: Social Action and Study in Tel Aviv, includes a weekly Israel Seminar which provides you with an opportunity to learn first-hand about Israeli society, culture and politics.

The Israel seminar will include encounters with key members in Israeli society, representing a wide range of leaders and social activists from Tel Aviv - Jaffa and other parts of the country. Some key figures who have met BINA participants in the past include Brig. Gen. Yossi Eldar, a veteran of the Yom Kippur war, renowned philosopher Prof. Asa Kasher, Israeli author and novelist Haim Be'er, Journalist and writer Dov Elbaum and many more.

In addition, the seminar will include day tours and excursions throughout Israel, including tours to Hebron, old Jerusalem, south of Israel, the Golan Heights, and more. Many excursions will be "off the beaten track" like a visit to unrecognized Bedouin villages or an encounter with the Druze community in the Carmel.

You will also join the Mechina participants on various field trips throughout the country, in which you will enjoy hiking trails, camping and other exciting outdoor activities.