Ezra USA is a Jewish youth movement founded in 2002. The main activities of Ezra are organized trips, including Birthright trips to Israel and "Shalom World" trips, and educational programs and events.
The stated goal of the Ezra is to introduce Jewish youth to, and unite it around, its cultural heritage. [1] Another major goal is to fight the assimilation of the younger Jewish generation in America. Ezra also stimulates Jewish young leadership through seminars and shabbatons, both in connection with its trips and in independent programs and events. As a further means to this end, group leaders ("madrichim") are recruited from former participants of Ezra's programs.
Ezra is one of the official trip organizers for Birthright Israel trips for the US, Germany and the Former Soviet Union states. [2] Trips take place during the winter (December - February) and summer (May - August). [3] Originally, Ezra's trips were particularly geared towards participants from families from the former Soviet Union, [4] but in recent years more participants have come from the general American Jewish youth.
"Shalom World" trips are organized from all world branches on a yearly basis to Argentina, China, Eastern Europe, Greece, Panama, Russia, Spain, and South Africa. They strive to show participants especially Jewish historical and cultural sites. As of December 2011 [update] , over 15,000 young adults have participated in Ezra trips.
June 6, 2010 Ezra opened a youth center with support from Ukrainian born Jewish-American boxer Dmitry Salita. Also in attendance were leaders of Israel's political party Yisrael Beiteinu, traditionally representing immigrants from the former Soviet Union, headed by Israeli MP Danny Ayalon. [5] [6] [7]
The Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS) is a federation of Jewish student societies at Australian and New Zealand universities and other higher education institutions. It was founded in 1948 at the University of Sydney and is affiliated with the World Union of Jewish Students. AUJS' constitution lists its four pillars as Judaism, activism, Zionism, and pluralism. AUJS runs social, educational, political and religious events on University campuses.
The Jewish Agency for Israel, formerly known as the Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. It was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization (WZO).
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Taglit-Birthright Israel, also known as Birthright Israel or simply Birthright, is a free ten-day heritage trip to Israel, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights for young adults of Jewish heritage between the ages of 18 and 26. The program is sponsored by the Birthright Israel Foundation, whose donors subsidize participation.
After the fall of Communism in Poland in 1989, Jewish cultural, social, and religious life has experienced a revival. Many historical issues related to the Holocaust and the period of Soviet domination (1945–1989) in the country – suppressed by Communist censorship – have been reevaluated and publicly discussed leading to better understanding and visible improvement in Polish–Jewish relations. In 1990, there were 3,800 Jews in Poland, 0.01% of Poland’s population, compared to 3,250,000 before 1939. The number had dropped to 3,200 in 2010.
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Dmitry Salita is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer. Born in Ukraine, he grew up in New York City from the age of nine.
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