In 1996, BINA was established as a response to the breakdown in public trust and unity during the aftermath of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. At that time, a diverse group of educators and intellectuals from the Kibbutz Movement recognized the yearning of secular Israelis, especially young adults, not only to express their shock and grief that such an act could have happened in the name of Jewish values, but also to seek meaning of their Jewish roots that related to their own lives and their vision of Israel. Based on the Jewish value of “Torah that leads to action,” BINA has created opportunities to explore Jewish values and texts in a pluralistic Israeli setting as a path towards individual growth, leadership development, empowerment, and positive change in Israeli society. Jewish inheritance belongs to all of us, and BINA has sought to bridge the gap of alienation between secular Israelis and their own Jewish heritage, with an understanding that no one can hold a monopoly on Judaism. 

Over the two decades, BINA has established many programs to help secular Israelis, as well as Jews from all over the world, take ownership of their own Jewish identities and enrich their lives with meaningful Jewish content. In 2001, BINA’s social action and young leadership program, “BINA Bashchuna”, was established. In 2005, BINA’s Tikkun Olam in Tel Aviv-Jaffa MASA Program for international Jewish young adults began. The world’s first Secular Yeshiva was established in 2006, the Jerusalem Secular Yeshiva was created in 2011, the Beer Sheva Secular Yeshiva opened its doors in October 2015 and the Haifa Yeshiva opened September 2018. Over the years, BINA has grown and developed in response to changes in Israeli society, yet our vision of a just and pluralistic Israel and our commitment to Jewish study and action have remained steadfast.