Outreach activist and Israel’s Next Generations representative Bracha Shilat told attendees at Monday’s Jerusalem Post Conference that the key to Israel’s future lies with its youth. “These young people physically protect us, with God’s help, of course,” said Shilat, “on the borders, in the cities, in the sea, and the skies. The spirit of these young people, their education, their values, and their Jewish pride, guarantees our existence.”
Shilat, who together with her husband, Rabbi Moshe Shilat, is committed to strengthening Jewish identity and Jewish pride among Israeli youth through Israel’s Next Generations programs such as CTeen Israel (Chabad Teen Network and Chabad on Campus), said that the organization answers the “why” questions that are being asked today. Thousands of reservists fighting on the front lines today, who previously participated in CTeen programming while in high school, are now active in the organization’s 40 branches of Chabad on Campus in Israel. “When we know that it is these same young people who are defending our country, it makes us feel safe because we know that they know the “why,” said Shilat. “We trust their values.”
When high-schoolers graduate and continue to their IDF service, they stay connected through Israel’s Next Generations programs and activities on IDF bases, linking them to the organization’s branches throughout the country.
“They come to activities, Friday night dinners, educational courses, workshops, meetings, trips, weekends, Shabbatons. They learn about values, our holy land, about Jewish identity, and ideals. These simply help them become better, more grounded, resilient people,” said Shilat.
“Our heritage and our Jewish values are essential to our existence,” she added. “Just as we need to invest in food and uniforms for our soldiers, in weapons and tanks, we must invest in the person in the tank. We must invest in the next generation.”
Israel’s Next Generations sponsored a portion of the Jerusalem Post Annual Conference. www.jpost.com/AC24