BE’ERIBuilding a New Generation

The Be’eri Management Team

Alan Feld, Chair of the Be’eri Steering Committee, is the founder and managing partner of Vintage Investment Partners. Prior to founding Vintage in 2002, Alan was a general partner at Israel Seed Partners and at Vertex Ventures. Prior to Vertex, Alan was the managing director of Evergreen Capital Markets/Robertson Stephens Israel. Before moving to Israel in 1994, Alan was at Goodman’s (Toronto), one of Canada’s leading corporate law firms. Alan was founding chairman of the Start Up Jerusalem, a non-profit of Israeli and Palestinian businesspeople helping to foster job growth in Jerusalem. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Israel Democracy Institute (Jerusalem). Alan is also a former member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Jewish Funders Network (US), Associate Chairman of Canadian Jewish Congress, President of the North American Jewish Students Network, and Board Member of the Canada Israel Committee and Kolot (Jerusalem), a pluralistic adult Jewish education program. Alan received an MBA from York University in Toronto, an LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, and a BA in Commerce and Finance from the University of Toronto.

Dani Elazar, Vice President of the Shalom Hartman Institute and Director of the Be’eri program, joined the Shalom Hartman Institute in 2008. Prior to joining SHI, Dani served as the executive director of Yachad Modi’in, an Israeli organization that under his leadership created a pluralistic and inclusive educational and community framework. Today, he is the chairman of the Yachad Modi’in Steering Committee and sits on the steering committees for Jewish-Israeli identity for the Modi’in municipality and Partnership 2000 Rochester-Modi’in. Dani formerly served as treasurer and finance director of Alvarion, playing a pivotal role in growing the company from a start-up to a publicly traded NASDAQ company. He holds a BA in Economics and Management from Bar-Ilan University and is a graduate of distinguished leadership programs at the Mandel School for Educational Leadership and the Gvanim Program of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco.

Ariel Picard, Educational Director of Be’eri, joined the Shalom Hartman Institute in 2001 as a scholar and SHI faculty member. Amongst the positions he has held at the Institute are coordinator of the Kogod Research Center for Contemporary Jewish Thought and co-director of the Chadarim Beit Midrash. Prior to joining SHI, he served as the rabbi of Kibbutz Shluchot. Ariel holds a doctorate in Philosophy from Bar-Ilan University and conducts research in contemporary Jewish law. He studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion and was ordained as a rabbi by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate. He has a teaching diploma from the Herzog College for Teachers. His book, Halacha in a New World: Rabbinic Discourse in Modern Society, is being published in 2012 by the Shalom Hartman Institute.

Rani Jaeger, Director of the Be’eri School for Teacher Education, joined the Shalom Hartman Institute in 1996 as a Beit Midrash student. After becoming a scholar and SHI faculty member, he led the Chadarim Beit Midrash and co-founded the Be’eri program. Rani is pursuing his doctorate at Bar-Ilan University in the interdisciplinary program of Culture and Hermeneutics. Rani teaches at Tel Aviv University and is one of the founders of Beit Tefilah Israeli, a secular synagogue in the heart of Tel Aviv. Also on his resume is a year as scholar in residence at Paeideia — the European Institute of Jewish Studies in Stockholm, Sweden.

About the Shalom Hartman InstituteThe Shalom Hartman Institute is a center of transformative thinking and teaching that addresses the major challenges facing the Jewish people and elevates the quality of Jewish life in Israel and around the world. A leader in sophisticated, ideas-based Jewish education for community leaders and change agents, SHI is committed to the significance of Jewish ideas, the power of applied scholarship, and the conviction that great teaching contributes to the growth and continual revitalization of the Jewish people.

Proudly Israeli, Proudly JewishThe pluralistic, values-based Be’eri Jewish-Israeli identity education program enables secular Israeli high school students to reclaim ownership of their Jewish identity by presenting them with a Judaism that is meaningful and relevant to their daily lives. A resource center for high schools, Be’eri introduces hundreds of educators and tens of thousands of students throughout Israel to a multi-faceted and diverse approach to Judaism.

Through the pursuit of Jewish values, concepts, and texts, Be’eri creates a critical shift in the personal and national identity of Israeli youth from a range of socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds, advancing their transformation into proud Jews and revealing to them — often for the first time — that there are many different and inspiring ways to be Jewish. The program instills in them a greatly enhanced sense of mission and an understanding that they are an integral part of a nation and its heritage, culture, and purpose.

“The Be’eri program and the Shalom Hartman Institute have been the perfect partners to lead the Jewish-Israeli identity education process and with which to fulfill our dream. The senior staff of our local schools participated in an intense learning process. All of the city’s secular high schools have joined the Be’eri program and are benefitting from close professional guidance and assistance in promoting learning and action in the schools. The joint effort with the Be’eri program has broadened the awareness towards Jewish-Israeli identity to wider circles of our municipal community.”

- Haya Shitay, Head of the Education Department, Modi’in Municipality

“The taste of Jewish texts that I was given at Brenner gave me a thirst for learning about the basic values of our people and undoubtedly paved the way for me to appreciate universal morality and rational thought. With the help of the direction that I received in high school, and the Be’eri program that Brenner participated in, I learned how to approach texts in a broader and more complex way.“

- Uri Fox, Graduate, Y.C. Brenner High School, Givat Brenner

SHI Research Institute

Be'eri Central Resource Center> Pluralistic teaching curricula approved by the Ministry of Education – supported by Keren Daniel

> Development of Tarbut Yisrael website – in partnership with the Center for Educational Technology, the Posen Foundation, the AVI CHAI Foundation

> Informal educational initiatives: materials, Batei Midrash

Be’eri School for Teacher Education — in partnership with Keren Karev 6 Municipal Partnerships – supported by

philanthropic partnersHaifa | Modi'n | Be'er Sheva – Keren Daniel and Montreal

Federation CJA | Karmiel – Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles and Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh |

Nazereth Illit – Keren Daniel | Golan Regional Council

Be'eri in SchoolsIn more than 95 schools influencing more than 75,000 students

Supported by regional structure and facilitators who visit the schools regularly

Philanthropic PartnersRussell Berrie Foundation - Founding Partner

Keren Karev | Keren Daniel | AVI CHAI Foundation | Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles |The Samuel Bronfman Foundation | Crown Family Philanthropies |

Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh | Montreal Federation CJA | United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey | The Abraham and Sonia Rochlin Foundation |

The June Baumgartner Gelbart Foundation | Dr. Sol Center | The Alan B. Slifka Foundation

Israel Philanthropic PartnersMr. Alan Feld and Dr. LeeOna Fisher | Mrs. Raya Strauss Ben Dror | Tmura Foundation

Public PartnersIsrael's Ministry of Education | Municipality of Haifa | Municipality of Modi'in | Municipality of Be'er Sheva |

Municipality of Nazareth Illit | Golan Regional Council

A holistic initiative, Be’eri stands above other programs aimed at strengthening pluralistic Jewish education, due to the quality of its programming, the breadth of its reach, and a wide-range of strategic partnerships that the program has fostered. Be’eri works closely with schools as well as governmental and municipal partners, and other educational organizations, from which it enjoys significant support. Profoundly influencing students, teachers, principals, parents, and municipal change agents, Be’eri directly reaches:

> Hundreds of teachers and principals through its School for Teacher Education and directed professional facilitation> More than 75,000 students in some 100 schools through its unique curriculum and government and privately funded classroom hours> Leadership of six municipal partners> Student leaders in partnership with HaMidrasha at Oranim (North), the Yaacov Herzog Center (South), and Bina (Tel Aviv)

The quality of the Jewish educational experience afforded by Be’eri has earned the program national recognition, which includes support and certification from the Israeli Ministry of Education.

Be’eri – A Holistic Educational Universe

Be’eri School for Teacher Education in Partnership with Keren KarevThe Be’eri School for Teacher Education at the Shalom Hartman Institute offers graduates Israeli Ministry of Education certification as Tarbut Yisrael teachers. The School spearheads original, new pedagogic methods for providing educators with in-depth knowledge in various Tarbut Yisrael disciplines (oral law, Jewish philosophy, and bible) and familiarizes them with Be’eri curricula and the pedagogic tools and methodologies for teaching them. The main goals of the school are to:> Impart to educators in-depth Tarbut Yisrael knowledge through disciplinary and interdisciplinary methodologies> Develop a pluralistic and democratic Jewish-Israeli identity discourse among Tarbut Yisrael educators> Inspire teaching faculties in schools to promote educational agendas that focus on Jewish identity education Approximately 100 educators are currently attending the School in four dedicated tracks. Hundreds more participate in a range of seminars and courses offered by the School.

Be’eri Central Resource CenterPluralistic curriculum in partnership with Keren Daniel: The Be’eri curriculum-writing team has produced a complete Ministry of Education (MoE)-approved Tarbut Yisrael curriculum for grades 7–10. In line with the MoE syllabus, these textbooks include volumes dedicated to Jewish-Israeli identity, Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), Zionism, the siddur (Jewish prayer book) and the Jewish calendar, incorporating the program’s signature blend of Jewish-Israeli identity and contemporary values. Tarbut Yisrael website in development with Center for Educational Technology, the Posen Foundation, and the AVI CHAI Foundation: The website will serve as a resource center for educational materials that focus on strengthening pluralistic Jewish-Israeli heritage studies in the Israeli public realm. Once the site is fully developed, it will be a platform for teachers, students, and the general public to obtain materials that can advance their discussions on and study of Jewish-Israeli identity.

Regional and Municipal Partnerships Supported by Philanthropic Partners

Be’eri is currently operating in partnership with six municipalities — Haifa, Modi’in, Be’er Sheva, Nazereth Illit, Karmiel, and the Golan Regional Council. Each municipal partnership, custom-designed to address the city’s particular needs and demographic composition, is guided and nurtured by an experienced Be’eri facilitator who liaises with the municipal authorities and the local schools. Be’eri municipal partnerships also develop and enhance informal programming for students, parents, and the wider community.

Where we are and where we are going (Be’eri in numbers)

2011–2012 2013–2014

Number of schools in two tracks (Ma’ayan and Yuval) 95 150

Number of students in the program 75,000 120,000

Number of municipal partnerships 6 10

Number of educators in Be’eri School for Teacher Education annually 100 150

% of government participation in total program funding (cash and in-kind) 60% 70%

Shalom Hartman Institute11 Gedalyahu Alon StreetJerusalem 93113 IsraelTel: +972 2 567 5320Fax: +972 2 561 1913

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www.hartman.org.il