Yudbet Heshvan

GOALS
Developing educational programs for the National Religious community and promoting openness, pluralism and tolerance.

BACKGROUND
Against the background of growing extremism within the National Religious community and the State Religious school system, there seems to be a growing inclination among liberal religious groups to try and establish more liberal educational institutions. Yudbet Heshvan (the date of Itzhak Rabin's assassination in the Hebrew calendar) was established in 2006 by a group of National Religious parents in Rehovot. The founding members have long been involved in liberal educational programs – both formal and informal. They are working towards expanding a system of liberal religious education institutions that will offer liberal religious parents a wider choice of education for their children. It is a nonprofit organization.

STRATEGIES
Establishing educational programs based on existing models and cooperation with liberal educational institutions and parents' groups.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Working to establish a Midrasha (post secondary school) for girls in Kiryat Ekron
• Working to establish a liberal high school for boys
• Mapping existing institutions in order to create a model for the new institutions and cooperating with the staff of the existing Pelech school in the area.
• Securing the support of the local authority