The ‘Tarbut’ (Culture) Movement has been operating since 2006 in Israel’s socio-geographic periphery, understanding that the settlement and activity of artists and cultural figures in these areas are the Zionist and pioneering mission of the 21st century. Through cultural and artistic activity, the movement seeks to deepen the shared cultural core, bridge social divides, and provide equal access to education, culture, and art. These settlements’ cultural communities foster the formation of multi-generational creative connections, including children, youth, young adults, adults, and seniors.

In 2023, the ‘Tarbut’ Movement collaborated with the Sapir Center and KKL (JNF) to initiate an educational program for the movement’s activists. Its goal is to deepen the connection of the creating artists and community members to Jewish heritage, and to encourage them to operate inspired by the Jewish culture in contemporary Israeli society.

 

The program has three elements:

  1. Training facilitators to lead the community Batei Midrash.
  2. Establishing community batei midrash in six urban centers where the Culture Movement’s creative communities operate (three were established in the first year and three more in the second). These batei midrash include weekly meetings throughout the year, and a nationwide beit midrash once a month for selected representatives from the communities. All the movement’s communities are exposed to the study process and the development of end products following the study, in two joint seminars.
     During the 2023-2024 academic year (5784), the batei midrash focused on selected texts from Sefer HaAggadah (The Book of Legends) and their artistic and creative adaptation. The batei midrash meetings have been very meaningful this past year of the war, both for those who served concurrently in reserve duty and for those contending with the complex reality on the home front. The beit midrash proved critical for developing personal dialogue and coping with some of this year’s challenges..
  3. Creating local cultural initiatives and events inspired by the process in the Beit Midrash, throughout the year.

Objectives of the Program:

  1. Conceptual training to support the mission-based community members of the ‘Tarbut’ Movement who live and work in Israel’s geographical-social periphery..
  2. Imparting knowledge and tools in the fields of Judaism, Zionism, education, settlement, and community, with the aim of making participants feel at home in Jewish-Israeli culture.
  3. To expand the wider urban community’s exposure to Jewish Israeli cultural content and to cultivate social cohesion by creating initiatives in towns in the periphery.

Outputs:

  • Kabbalat Shabbat and cultural and artistic events for Jewish holidays and events (such as the High Holidays, Tu BiShvat, Purim, Pesach, First Fruits, etc.) are held at each of the urban centers where the ‘Tarbut’ Movement’s mission-oriented communities operate.
  • A central Tikkun Shavuot study event open to the public has been held every year since the program’s inception, with hundreds of participants learning about Jewish-Israeli creation and culture.