The Jewish Innovation
7 species takes the main value of each species and offers a 7-step program for secular Jewish youth and foreign young Jewish groups . It uses a wide spectrum of methods to enable active participation.
Torah provides profound insights into food and the mystical qualities of Israel’s seven spiritually foundational plant species. By leveraging this tradition, we offer meaningful education around food — something we constantly consume — and building culture using food as a component for defining our identity. It approaches the sources and texts of the Jewish people and encourages the development of ideas through the exploration of fascinating sights and sites, issuing normative aspects through the Jewish (Hebrew) and Israeli law. 7 species will call to action and make a difference through meaningful meetings with the other and encouraging active step taking.
Torah provides profound insights into food and the mystical qualities of Israel’s seven spiritually foundational plant species. By leveraging this tradition, we offer meaningful education around food — something we constantly consume — and building culture using food as a component for defining our identity. It approaches the sources and texts of the Jewish people and encourages the development of ideas through the exploration of fascinating sights and sites, issuing normative aspects through the Jewish (Hebrew) and Israeli law. 7 species will call to action and make a difference through meaningful meetings with the other and encouraging active step taking.
The Impact
Over 40% of Jewish Israelis are secular. Some care about Judaism and Torah values, but there are limited opportunities for them to be engaged in Jewish ideas, especially in a way that is not coercing them to become religious. As a result, millions of Jewish Israelis are simply not being provided an opportunity for Jewish-based education that is emotionally appealing and non-threatening. This represents a huge missed opportunity to enrich the secular world with the heritage and purpose that Jewish thought offers. Further, by educating the secular community about Jewish philosophy, it could encourage much stronger relationships between the ultra-Orthodox and secular communities and create a better understanding of the conflict while providing valuable tools for participants to overcome perception gaps between opposing sides.
There are a lot of “Beit Midrash” models in Israel. Most of them don’t issue active steps and don’t enable participants to shape their own Jewish and Israeli identity or to have an authentic and pragmatic understanding of the complicated conflicts in our society and the multi-narratives in the Middle East.
What Will You Do with the Money?
The money we will be raising from the campaign will be for: 1. Developing and writing the content of the various activities in both English and Hebrew. 2. Managing the marketing team. 3. Payment for the unique workshops, salaries for instructors and lecturers, and field operations. 4. For logistical aspects (buses, equipment, tools for activities) 5. To create a platform for social change by youth participants by assigning a token sum of money to featured projects to reduce the gaps that were identified during the workshop.
We expect that after we run several pilot projects, we will offer the product to the institutions and organizations with subsidized prices, and we will impose on them the costs of logistics (buses) and charge a nominal fee for participation in the activity.
We expect that after we run several pilot projects, we will offer the product to the institutions and organizations with subsidized prices, and we will impose on them the costs of logistics (buses) and charge a nominal fee for participation in the activity.
