A joint venture of Hillel Israel, the Jewish Agency – the Shlichim (Emissaries) Unit, The Sapir Center, and AMI – the Jewish Peoplehood Academy, led to the creation of the ‘Focus’ project that is aimed at enhancing young Israeli’s sense of belonging to and responsibility for the Jewish People and at cultivating a pluralistic Jewish worldview.
The program operates at universities around Israel. Groups of Israeli students who have the potential to become agents of change meet for six to eight in-depth study sessions and a long weekend seminar during which the participants learn about Jewish peoplehood, meet young Jews from the Diaspora, and acquire tools for facilitating and conveying these ideas.
Objectives:
- To strengthen connections between young Israelis and young Jews from the Diaspora.
- To arouse awareness among Israelis about the importance of engaging in this field.
- To deepen young Israelis’ familiarity with Jewish communities worldwide and with a variety of expressions related to contemporary Jewish identity.
- To create opportunities for young people to delve deeper into this field and to engage in it from an educational, digital, and public aspect.
Target Audience
- University students
- Young people in identity-shaping programs, pre-army preparatory programs (mechinot) etc.
Expected Results:
The graduates will lead meetings on the Jewish Peoplehood for high-school graduates in programs such as pre-army preparatory and voluntary service programs, ‘Masa Israeli’, the ‘Masa’ Program etc.
Furthermore, the groups’ graduates are expected to create events and content for campuses on the issue of Jewish peoplehood.