The Bnei Akiva youth movement is celebrating its 80th birthday on Tuesday by planting new forests throughout the Land of Israel.

Most notably, the first-ever Bnei Akiva Forest will be planted near Moshav Amatzia, in the Lachish District between Kiryat Gat and southern Judea. The mass planting will be held in conjunction with the Jewish National Fund and the East Lachish Communities Establishment Administration (ELCEA).

The ELCEA is a relatively new organization, formed to help the establishment of new towns in the region, mostly for families expelled from Gush Katif in the Disengagement of 2005. Three new towns are to be built:

  • Neta (Mirsham) for 50 families from Kfar Darom and Tel Katifa, with plans for another 300 families
  • Bnei Dekalim (Chazan) for 80 families from N’vei Dekalim, with plans for another 420 families
  • Kerem Ami (Charuv) for 50 religious and non-religious families, unconnected with Gush Katif.

Thousands of Bnei Akiva youth have signed up to take part in one of four planting ceremonies, a week before Tu B’Shvat, Jewish Arbor Day. The northern chapters of Bnei Akiva will plant trees in the Dan area in the Upper Galilee, the Jerusalem chapters will sow outside Eli in lower Shomron (Samaria), and the Greater Tel Aviv district youths will plant near Modiin.

The largest ceremony, billed as the main one, will take place in Lachish, with the participation of the Bnei Akiva youths of southern Israel, the Sharon region, and Judea and Samaria. Rabbi Benny Nachteiler, who heads Bnei Akiva in Israel, told IsraelNationalNews, “With a movement of our size – we have passed the 10,000 mark by a number of thousands – it’s of course impossible to have one activity for all. All the plantings will be on a very large scale, but we call the Lachish one the ‘central’ one because it will be the first time that Bnei Akiva will have its own forest – and also because it honors the Gush Katif expellees who will soon, hopefully, build their new homes here.”

Bnei Akiva is a religious youth movement founded on the principles of “Torah and labor” in 1929.  Its theme song, Yad Achim, highlights the dual commitment to Torah life and building the Land of Israel: “The light of Torah will provide light, your path will be adorned with agricultural labor… This homeland, the land of our Forefathers, our holy land, a legacy from the Shepherd of Jacob. Our heads are in the depths of its Torah, our feet are planted in its earth…”

Each youth member is asked to pay 89 shekels (over $20) for the day’s activities, which include transportation, live music, and more.  Relating to the complaints of some members regarding the high price, Nachteiler said, “We try to keep the prices down as much as possible, but as anyone who has experience in this type of activity knows, the prices of buses, guards, and the activities themselves are very high.  We have a ‘discount fund’ that each district is authorized to use for campers in need.  In addition, counselors only pay 20 shekels…”

Though he could not provide precise figures, Rabbi Nachteiler said that the three sources of funding for Bnei Akiva are, in no particular order, “the government, parents, and contributions.”

Rabbi Nachteiler’s final message for IsraelNationalNews: “The Bnei Akiva Forest signifies the continuity of the generations in our movement and our deep roots, as today’s youth members plant and we reap the fruits of our educational and ideological labors.”