At the annual conference of the Joint Council of Pre-Military Academies (Mechinot) that took place in Jerusalem on Thursday, May 25, KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar announced that KKL-JNF will support mechinot in Israel’s peripheral regions.
The annual conference of the Joint Council for Mechinot (JCM) took place with the participation of the President of Israel, Mr. Reuven Rivlin; the Chief of General Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot; Major General (ret.) Orna Barbivai; Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat; Head of the Military Rabbinate of the IDF, Brigadier General Eyal Karim; KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar, additional distinguished guests, and over 3,000 pre-military academy students and graduates from throughout Israel.
The chief focus of the conference was KKL-JNF’s decision to partner with the JCM in a new-old Zionist goal: settling the Galilee, the Negev and Jerusalem.
Students and graduates from the various mechinot participated in discussion circles on the question of what to do at the present time in order to continue the Zionist vision of settling the land of Israel, and what that meant in 2017.
Meetings also took place with mechina graduates who have decided to make their homes in Israel’s peripheral regions, since, in Israel, the gap between the center of the country and the outlying regions is not only geographical, but also social and economic.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said that the students and graduates of the pre-military academies would be the next generation of Israeli leaders: “To enroll in a pre-military academy is to say ‘I am here to contribute’. This is a way of building one’s self by helping to build society, and building society by building yourselves. Never forget the state of Israel, never forget the people of Israel. Our country and our flag should never be taken for granted!” the President concluded.
Israel’s 54 pre-military leadership academies prepare young people from all Israeli demographic groups for leadership roles in society in general and the IDF in particular. Each of these academies, which are located throughout Israel from Mayan Baruch in the north to Be’er Ora in the south, is a registered nonprofit association that functions according to a dormitory model. High school graduates can choose to attend a coeducational secular academy, a mixed secular and religious academy, or an Orthodox academy for either young men or young women, where they spend ten months studying, performing community service and living as a group before enlisting in the Israeli army. The academies are fully accredited by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Education.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat noted that there were now eight pre-military academies in Jerusalem. “The academy students in Jerusalem connect with the city’s many and diverse neighborhoods, since they themselves come from many and diverse backgrounds.”
“Military service is a privilege, not only a duty,” said IDF Chief of General Staff Gadi Eisenkot. “The oath to defend our country connects everyone from all of Israel’s different ethnicities and social backgrounds. Commitment, dedication and responsibility – these are the values that the pre-military academies impart, and it is our hope that these values will accompany you all your lives.”
KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar, who concluded the session, said that “KKL-JNF’s decision to focus on informal education, particularly in the pre-military academies, enables us to sow seeds in order to reach our goal. In this way, we strengthen the three foundations of Zionism – education, security and settlement. The academies give their students the tools to realize Zionism by going to live in the Galilee and the Negev. The population concentration in central Israel is a social and ecological catastrophe.”
Addressing the academies students, Atar said:
“You must be our next pioneers and transform words into deeds. This is the challenge, and it’s in your hands to meet it.”
Atar also thanked KKL-JNF Deputy Chairman Shlomo Deri for his help in promoting this matter, along with the entire KKL-JNF directorate.
In recognition of the new partnership with KKL-JNF, JCM CEO Danny Zamir awarded KKL-JNF World Chairman Danny Atar a certificate of honor.
“KKL-JNF’s decision to partner with us is the single most important strategic development for the pre-military academies over the past few years,” Zamir noted.