Am Yisrael Chai Congregation B'nai Israel's New Israel Auxiliary

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Our Mission

Am Yisrael Chai is a thoughtful curation of first-hand testimonials, speakers, educational classes, school programming, and relevant dialogue that will guide us to be proactive advocates for Israel. We aim to create immersive experiential opportunities that link all levels of education and participation congregationally to Israel. Congregation B’nai Israel directly translates to the Children of Israel; we exist because Israel exists. Am Yisrael Chai vows to educate and enliven our congregation by weaving Israel into the framework of CBI for generations to come.

benefits of joining

Joining Am Yisrael Chai is an invitation to deepen your connection to Israel and become an integral part of our synagogue's vibrant community. Becoming a member is simple and accessible to all who share our passion for Israel. 

  • Exclusive member pricing for event, programs and learning opportunities
  • Advance notice and priority access to events and programs
  • Shape our calendar with your valuable input and suggestions
  • Be part of a supportive community where like-minded individuals come together to celebrate and advocate for our Jewish homeland
  • Forge a meaningful connection to Israel and its rich heritage

Simply click below to register for the 2024-2025 year. Please note, you must be a CBI member to join.

meet the leadership

Meet the dedicated members of our Am Yisrael Chai leadership team, a passionate group committed to fostering a deeper connection to Israel within our synagogue community.

Questions about Am Yisrael Chai? Click here to email Alex Cender.

get involved

donate to jnf-usa's resilience campaign

The Jewish National Fund - USA has created the Israel Resilience Campaign. A donation to this fund will help the following initiatives:

  • 300,000 people evacuated from southern and northern Israel. They need housing, food, clothing, education.
    The unprecedented need for therapy to manage children's and adult's trauma is just beginning to surface. Survivors from some of the kibbutzim have been called "dead people walking."
  • Providing firefighting and protective equipment for civil defense – the first responders to community emergencies -- including radios, bulletproof vests, helmets, and tactical clothing.
  • Israel's food security is at risk as farmers from all over the country have been called up as reservists.
  • Children displaced from their homes and traumatized by terror need respite activities in their temporary communities.
  • 33,600 volunteers working across the country are checking on the elderly, infirm, and those unable to evacuate.
  • Support for the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, a non-profit created by the families of those kidnapped on October 7.
  • Support for the Nefesh B'Nefesh fund for the families of Lone Soldiers as well as to help bring physicians to Israel to help with medical needs.
  • The promise to rebuild communities devastated by the attacks and keep the spirits and hopes of the people who live there, strong.

JNF-USA Bomb Shelter Painting Project

As rockets are aimed at our friends and family in the South of Israel, Jewish National Fund-USA stands with the communities facing constant threat of rocket attack, along the border with Gaza and throughout Israel. Please join CBI in supporting Jewish National Fund-USA, which is on the ground every day helping our brothers and sisters in Israel, by beautifying and painting a bomb shelter.

Join us in our CBI efforts to support the land and people of Israel. We look forward to dedicating this special shelter with you, our CBI family!

ARZA

The Association of Reform Zionists of America or ARZA is the single largest supporter of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) the Israel Religious Action (IRAC). ARZA also provides educational materials about Israel and Zionism for Reform congregations, assists in bringing Reform Jews to Israel, and provides pre- and post-trip programming for congregations and individuals in order to enhance their Israel experience.

The cost to join is just $50 per household (or $18 for students and young adults ages 11-21).

Please support ARZA by including the ARZA dues with your membership payment.

For more information about the ARZA group at CBI, contact Susi Glatt.

march of the living A life-changing experience

For two weeks every spring, as many as 15,000 Jewish teens and adults from around the world meet in Poland on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. They come together to march in solidarity on a 3-kilometer walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau concentration camps. The actual March of the Living on Yom HaShoah is a silent, deeply emotional tribute to all victims of the Holocaust.

Participants spend a week in Poland visiting sacred memorial sites, as well as places of former and current Jewish life and culture. The experience in Poland is profound, as participants learn what was lost but also they get to observe how the small Polish-Jewish community is beginning to flourish again today. It is the march from Holocaust to Rescue, with the trip culminating in Israel to observe Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day), a grand day of celebration which includes a second, joyous March of the Living from the Jerusalem Municipality Complex to the Western Wall.

Each year, students and adults from CBI join March of the Living on this spiritual journey.

partner agencies

At Am Yisrael Chai, we understand the importance of collaboration and partnership in our mission to support Israel. Through strategic alliances with esteemed partner agencies, we amplify our efforts to provide unwavering support and advocacy for the land of our ancestors. Together, we strive to strengthen the bonds between our congregation and Israel, ensuring a brighter future for generations to come.

initiatives

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Created by Congregation B'nai Israel, MILI is a platform that provides tools and resources for rabbis to help keep Israel at the center of the reform Jewish experience. MILI exists to reignite meaningful zionist connections with the State of Israel for liberal Jews worldwide - by focusing on the reform rabbinate.