Zehut

Zehut offers the secular Israeli public a communal forum that integrates a rich and profound Jewish language with social activism aimed at Tikkun Olam. We think that the Jewish literature can and should be relevant to the secular public. The integration between a variety of sources, Jewish and humanistic, is a necessity.

Zehut vision is a society based on responsibility and solidarity; a society that overcomes the alienation of a man from himself, from his Jewish culture and from the people surrounding him. As a first step towards our vision, we are initiating a network of young communities learning and volunteering together.

Zehut will be targeted at young secular adults in their 20's and 30's.  The network will collaborate with local institutions that will be requested to host the group meetings.

Study: in the study sessions each community will explore Jewish and universal texts that focus on issues relevant to identity dilemmas and to life in contemporary Israel. We will learn the texts from a "Judaism as a culture" point of view.

Volunteering: each group will engage in a social activity according to the group-members' decision, and will foster an institute or a place where they will carry out the volunteering work.

Communities: The learning and volunteering will be conducted in a community spirit.

Zehut integrates Jewish texts with other humanistic texts.
Zehut is targeted at young secular adults in their 20's and 30's.
Zehut is working as a network all over Israel.
Zehut integrates studying with volunteer activity.

Zehut had 4 pilot groups in Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, where more than 50 young Israeli's studied and volunteered together. The first group, which was founded in May 2005 at "Beit-Daniel", included more then 35 study meetings and a few volunteering projects. Three additional groups have been put together through collaboration with the Meretz-Yachad party. The Israeli news has broadcasted an article describing their vision and activities.

Lior Tal is the founder and manager of Zehut. Lior is a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University, he ran the Meretz-Yahad youth movement and was the head of the Kfar Saba branch of Manpower. Lior has acquired M.A. in political science, and is a graduate of "Tehuda", a special 2 years program that is aimed at developing a Jewish leadership in Israel.

Among the advisers and friends of Zehut we can list Michal Shohat, the general manager of the economic-social college; Prof. Bernard Zusser from Bar Ilan University; Moti Bar Or, the general manager of Kolot; Teachers in the pluralist Judaism field and others.

Zehut will open ten learning and volunteering communities in the coming year (תשס"ז). To do so we need your help in funding the groups. The cost of one year of activity for a single group is only 4500$. We would appreciate it very much if you could help us in the task of funding one or more groups.

For more details please contact Moti Bar-Or, Kolot Executive Director, at 052-3817325 or Lior Tal, Zehut Director, at 054-7710753.

E mail address: zehut@kolot.info
Phone number: 927 8 9281791
Fax: 972 8 9200241
Cell phone (Lior Tal, Director): 0547-710753
www.kolot.info/programs/zehut