BT MEMBERS: Please visit our "Support Israel" page for more information about local and Bet Torah gatherings, Bet Torah's clergy and community responses to the current situation, Resources and much more.
CLICK HERE FOR BT'S "SUPPORT ISRAEL" Content
Israel Committee
Bet Torah Israel Affairs Representative on the Board of Directors is Carol Haber-Cohen. To learn more about our engagement with Israel, and to see how you can help, please contact her directly: israelaffairs@bettorah.org
Visit Israel
Trips for Teens | Taglit/Birthright Israel
Our connection to Israel is as strong as ever, and our clergy- and staff-led family trips to Israel resumed post-pandemic, in December 2022. Our next trip to Israel is scheduled for December 2024. Contact Rabbi Brusso for more information.
SHinshinim
We are very excited to be part of the Jewish Agency for Israel's "Shin-shinim" program!
2023-2024 Shinshin: Noy Laufer
My name is Noy Laufer, I am 18 years old. I was born in Haifa and that’s where my extended family lives to this day. I live in Moshav Avigdor, a small village 40 minutes south of Tel Aviv. I love Avigdor. It’s my quiet place, with fields where all my friends and I love to hang out.
I am part of a youth movement called “Hatnua Hachadasha”, and I’ve spent a lot of my time there for the past nine years. Being a counselor for the past three years has shaped the person that I am today. I enjoyed every moment and I feel that I have a great influence on the community that I live in.
I am the older sister of three and I have a dog named Maple. I love doing Pilates, dancing, hanging out with friends and family, and going on trips and adventures.
I am very excited to start a new chapter as a Shinshinit and can’t wait for what’s yet to come!
Watch Noy's Introduction Video!
2022-2023 Shinshin: Sagi Shlesinger
Sagi Shlesinger was born in Israel in the city Ra’anana. At 14 months old, he and his family moved to Seoul South Korea, they stayed there until Sagi was 11 years old. He came back to Israel and lived in a moshav called Bet Yehoshua which is where he lives till this day, with his parents, his older sister Idan (20) and his youngest sister Shahar (12).
Sagi moved to Korea because of his dad’s work as an economic advisor for the Israeli embassy. In Korea, Sagi went to an international British school called SFBS and was very active in the after school activities. He participated in a sports competition in Asia called FOBISIA. In Sagi’s free time in Korea he would be with his friends, game on his computer, and go skiing on the weekends.
When Sagi arrived in Israel he studied in the regional school called Hof Hasharon where he majored in Physics and Systems Engineering. Sagi was also in a youth movement called “Ichud Hachaklai” from grade 6 to grade 11, and was a madrich in the 10th and 11th grade.
In Sagi’s free time he likes to hike in Israel with his friends, family, and youth movement. He likes to play many types of sports, go to the beach and spend as much time as he can with his friends.
Sagi is very much looking forward to starting his gap year. He can’t wait to meet his institutions, engage with as many people as he can, get to know and be active in the Jewish community, and bring his personal story to the community.
2021-2022 Shinshin: Gilad Grinblat
My name is Gilad Grinblat, I am 18 years old and I live in Shoham. I am the older of two brothers. My brother Eitan is 15 years old and we like to talk about topics that interest each of us, and that helps me to learn about new things.
I was born in Israel, my parents made Aliyah from Latin America, my mother came from Venezuela and my father from Argentina. The two of them grew up in Jewish communities and made Aliyah alone out of Zionism and love for Israel, and they met here. Therefore, the values of Zionism and love for Israel have always been a main part of my education. The two came to Israel for the first time as participants in plans of the Jews Agency and their schools. My dad came for the second time as a
madrich. My dad is a dentist and my mom works in the clinic with him. I have a very open and sincere relationship with my parents.
I live in Shoham, a small city, and I spend most of my time here. Here I have my Tzofim activities, my sports group, swimming pool, gym, my school and my friends. We are a group of six very close friends, we all are active members in the Tzofim. Before Covid-19 we got together a lot, we talked and we played board games. Now with the limitations of the virus, we cannot get together so much, but we found a solution and we talk every day on the computer and meet less often.
2019-2020 Shinshinit: Brtukan Ezra
My name is Bartukan Ezra I was born in Ethiopia. I made Aliyah with my family when I was 3 years old I have four siblings, three brothers and one sister. I am the youngest in my family My mother works as a cleaner at Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva and my father has a disability that prevents him from working.
I want to study medicine and be part of an organization called Doctors Without Borders that helps people in underdeveloped countries.
What are Shin-shinim?
The Shin-shinim program is the "year of service program" that offers Israeli high school graduates an opportunity to delay mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces and serve Diaspora communities for up to 10 months. The program allows communities to meet young Israeli ambassadors who perform meaningful service prior to entering the army. In 2014-15, 98 Service Year Shlichim served in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and other countries; this number grew to 114 in 2017 and 2018.
Jr Shaliach
We are very excited to have a Jr. Shaliach joining us this programatic year!
2023-2024 Eden Edrei
My name is Eden Edrei, and I am 25 years old. I was born and raised in Zefat, where my family used to live for 10 generations. When I was 7 years old, my family and I moved to Kibbutz Kaddarim, which is located in the Upper Galilee, in the north of Israel. As a family, we love to travel, go on vacations, listen to music, and spend time together. I am the middle child and I have one sister and one brother.
In my free time, I love to read books, watch theater performances, travel around the world, listen to music, and dance. I love animals, especially dogs. Since the age of 7 I have been participating in the youth movement Hashomer HaTsair. When I was 14, I even became a counselor for a group of 15 kids in grades 8 through 10. At the age of 17, I participated in an Israeli outreach mission aimed at connecting Jewish Israeli teenagers with the descendants of the German Nazis. During this mission our goal was to bridge the gaps between us and conduct a discourse on the Holocaust and its consequences using theater tools and skills. During regular service I served in the Navy where I worked as a coordinator and recruiter for reservists for two years. Later, in the permanent services, I was in the Air Force as personnel coordinator and squadron commander. In this capacity I was responsible for overseeing the recruitment and resource of 3,000 regular and emergency reservists, and managed an emergency recruitment office under pressure.
For the past two years I have been working as a youth director in my hometown. In this position I lead and train a group of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18. This significant work taught me a lot and helped me grow professionally. I recently completed my undergraduate studies at Emek Jezreel College, majoring in criminology and political science with a specialization in international relations.
Im looking forward to start this journey with you and looking forward to be part of your community, and bringing my own ''Israel'' to you.
See you soon,
Eden
If you'd like to get in touch you can reach me at edened@jafi.org!