Last February, the NFTY General Board came together for the NFTY Veida at the URJ Kutz Camp in Warwick, NY. During our asefah, plenary session, the General Board overwhelmingly chose P’Kichut Eineinu L’Tziyonut: Opening our Eyes to Zionism, as NFTY’s Study Theme for the 2006-2007 programmatic year. Each year, NFTY chooses a study theme through which we can explore programming on the Temple Youth Group (TYG) level, the regional level, and on the North American level. The study theme acts as a guiding force to direct Jewish education within NFTY. In addition, the Study Theme serves as the basis for the Tikkun Olam Award.
This year’s theme asks NFTYites to think critically about Israel, with the hope that exposure to various perspectives will help deepen NFTYites’ relationship with and understanding of the Jewish state. The Study Theme specifically encourages programming that explores the history of Zionism, Israeli politics, day-to-day life, Israeli peoplehood, and the significance of Israel as the Jewish State. NFTYites are encouraged to study and examine additional areas of Zionism that they find meaningful as well. Ultimately, the primary goal of the study theme is to increase NFTYites “Zionist Literacy” by increasing their awareness about Israel and encouraging open-mindedness and healthy dialogue.
Exploring this topic is very important to understanding both ours, and others’, beliefs about Israel. By better educating ourselves about Zionism and becoming aware of additional perspectives in our discussions, our opinions regarding Israel will be more informed and our decisions more resolute.
It is my hope that your TYG will embrace this Study Theme, and enjoy the learning process along the way. Please check the website over the course of the year as we add additional resources. I look forward to partnering on this journey with you.
B’ahava v’shalom (with love and peace),
Ben Levine
NFTY Programming Vice President 2006-2007
Email: nftypvp@urj.org
