Aviva Phillips meets with Bina Program Director Noga Brenner- Sarnia in Tel Aviv. A Secular-Jewish Path Israeli program promotes Jewish identity through study and volunteerism. Esther Allweiss Ingber Special to the Jewish News A viva Phillips of Oak Park, a board member of both Ameinu Detroit and national Ameinu, an organization of progressive American Jews, has concerns "about dor hemshech (the continuing generation)" and whether it will remain Jewish. To reach the young adult cohort that stopped experiencing Hebrew school, Jewish-run camps and Israel missions after graduation, she said the Jewish com- munity needs to ask, "How do you offer something meaningful for this age group that is not affiliating?" The answer for Phillips is in service learning and stressing cultural Judaism, like what is offered at the Bina (wisdom in Hebrew) Center for Jewish Identity and Hebrew Culture in Tel Aviv. The Israeli yeshivah gives students a Jewish cultural and ethical education. When a Bina educator came to New York Ameinu to lead a session focused on morals, ethics and cultures of Judaism, Phillips was certain American Jewish kids could benefit as well. A diverse group of intellectuals and educators founded the Bina Center follow- ing the 1995 assassination of Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. According to its website, the founders envisioned Bina as a "forum for secular Israelis to explore their Jewish roots in a pluralistic, analytical and creative way, with the ultimate goal of tik- kun olam (repairing the world)." Bina's programs help adult participants to develop their personal identities and 16 June 16 • 2011 define their roles as Israeli and world citizens. The center also aims to inspire a lifelong appreciation of textual study and social justice, values seen as "essential to a compassionate, Humanist national ethos, which is both Jewish and Israeli." Outreach To IDF A decade ago, Bina started outreach to young adults with programs targeted at those in the Israel Defense Forces, about to enter the IDF or its veterans. Attracted to Bina's projects for tikkun olam and social justice, the participants work, study and volunteer as a group in neighborhoods that are particularly challenging. The pre-army groups study three days a week and volunteer in the community one day. The post-army groups study one day a week and volunteer for three days. Last winter, Phillips and her hus- band, Mark, met program director Noga Brenner-Samia at Bina, across from Tel Aviv's central bus station. Aviva Phillips also spoke to four of the 200 students at the center. "I was curious to know what kinds of young adults were coming to these pro- grams, what they hoped to accomplish while they were there, and how they thought it would affect their lives over the long term',' Phillips said. • Stay was intrigued by Bina's mix of learning and volunteering within the com- munity. She had attended a secular school and felt that understanding more about Judaism than just the holidays that are celebrated is important. • Mona felt a need to better understand her roots, culture and history. She was drawn to this community of students whose volunteerism is part of their stud- ies. • Nitai appreciated Bina's approach to applying Judaism to social justice actions. He wants to be more involved in both areas. • Nehara, who serves in the army, felt confused about her upbringing: her par- ents' anti-religious sentiments contrasted with the religiosity of her grandparents. She hopes what she learns at Bina will clarify her choices about religion. Seeing The Need Phillips is convinced that Bina "has found a means to bring Jewish content into the lives of young adults at a critical point of their choosing how to live as Jews." And she sees the need. The Phillipses met in Israel and lived on a kibbutz. The couple enrolled their three Israeli-born sons in a Reform Jewish Sunday School and sent them off each summer to Habonim Dror Camp Tavor in Three Rivers, Mich. The boys also partici- pated in several extensive Israel programs though Habonim. Despite the positive early Jewish influ- ences that parents like the Phillipses give their children, the 2005 Detroit Jewish Population Study, commissioned by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, reported "33 percent of households under age 35 and 30 percent of households age 35-49 are not associated with the Jewish community via membership in any type of Jewish organization." The population study reported, "Most Jews who are unaffiliated or marginally involved view Judaism only in terms of synagogue life and religious practice. The ethnic, historical, social and cultural con- nections should also be emphasized." For southeast Michigan, Phillips is working within Ameinu to develop pro- grams that focus on service learning and cultural Judaism for campus seminars. They would add Jewish content to stu- dents' volunteer efforts to solve local and world problems. Ultimately, she envisions outreach to Jewish adults up to age 30. "Bina instills in young adults a sense of social justice Phillips explained. "We can start talking about: 'What is there within Judaism that brings Jews together to help each other?' and ' Why do we as a people want to do good acts?'" Deborah Levy of Glencoe, Ill., a 2009 University of Michigan graduate, says she benefited from the education she received about Israeli cultural and political issues at Bina's Tikkun Olam track. English-speaking Jews, ages 22-28, study and volunteer in Tel Aviv for either five or 10 months. "I think that courses like the ones Bina offers definitely would help young Jewish adults stay connected," Levy said. Phillips would like young adults to learn you can identify culturally as a Jew, too, and see how Judaism affects your life in the things you do every day:' Esther Allweiss Ingber is director of Ameinu Detroit. For information, contact Ameinu Detroit at (248) 967-3170 or visit the Bina website at www.tikkunolamisrael.org .