Bnei Akiva Australia ‘safe’

BNEI Akiva Australia is set to escape the economic troubles facing the global religious Zionist movement.

The movement, which is reportedly millions of dollars in the red, has fired half of its staff and slashed central educational activity departments in Israel due to drastic cuts in funding from other Zionist organisations and private donors.

Dion Esterman, the president and treasurer of Bnei Akiva Australia, said despite the movement’s downturn, the local branch was safe.

“Worst case scenario, Bnei Akiva Olami [global Bnei Akiva] ceases to have a connection to Australia. If this happened, obviously things would change but we could find solutions to overcome the challenges,” Esterman said.

He said the national faction was an independent branch, with only minor dependencies on the global movement’s shnat programs, some extra funding for emissaries and a global forum for Bnei Akiva groups worldwide.

Despite the continuing positive outlook for Bnei Akiva locally, the Australian head of education for the movement, Saul Finberg, said the real crisis facing the organisation was its move away from core ideals.

“[Key Bnei Akiva staff member] Ilan Frydman is the guiding light of Bnei Akiva Olami and he’s been let go,” Finberg said.

This sentiment has driven Finberg’s participation in a petition against the job loss, which has been posted on Facebook.

“When I heard about the movement’s restructuring, I felt disheartened. It will be difficult to cover up for the losses, because the training experience that the kids receive are unique when it comes to Olami,” he said.

However, Esterman would not dwell on the losses, preferring to focus on makeshift adjustments in light of the movement’s challenges.

“We are moving into a model for community fundraising, just in case the money isn’t there from Bnei Akiva Olami. “We are already starting to look into new ways of funding, by asking from different donours, setting up special funds and thinking of different ways of balancing the budget.”

TIMNA JACKS

Having a ball at one of Bnei Akiva Victoria’s most popular annual events, the Lag b’Omer bonfire.