Shivi Himelstein

World Bnei Akiva

Bnei Akiva inspires and empowers young Jews to a sense of commitment to the Jewish people, the Land of Israel and the Torah, and is one of the largest Jewish youth movements in the world. World Bnei Akiva is a nonprofit organization, with headquarters in Jerusalem, which formally works with the Jewish communities of the Diaspora, assisting and strengthening the local Bnei Akiva branches, and the wider constituency of those communities, for our common goals. Our mission is to educate Jewish youth around the world to understand and live by the movements ideology of Torah v'Avodah by way of an inclusive approach, and to encourage Aliyah by instilling a love for Israel through Zionist education. Bnei Akiva was established in Eretz Yisrael as the youth wing of the Mizrachi Movement in 1929, and in 1958 the World Secretariat of Bnei Akiva, or as we are know today, World Bnei Akiva, was formed. As of 2016 our operation runs with shlichim in 23 countries, 43 cities and in 110 snifim (branches) around the world. Additionally we administer several gap year Israel programs (Hachsharot programs), an outreaching education department, services for olim chadashim, other camps and programs around the world, and more.