Vision and Mission
To create, enhance and support Jewish Israeli culture, in varied shapes and forms. To encourage Haifa residents of all ages to become active participants in our classes, performances, lectures and activities. All of this is offered in an open-minded, non-denominational atmosphere, encouraging the participants to engage in an open dialogue with themselves and each other.
About twenty years ago, Israelis from diverse backgrounds, particularly secular and traditional Israelis, started to realize that they had to take ownership over their own cultural life. The split between religious (Dati) and secular (Hiloni) Jews in the Israeli educational system and politics, caused large numbers of secular Israelis to feel a sense of alienation and even hatred towards Jewish culture and tradition. Additionally, secular Israelis in their twenties and thirties had a very superficial level of knowledge and connection to Judaism and Jewish culture.
Slowly but surely, a new movement of scholars, rabbis and educators emerged who cared about these issues and wanted to create change, people like Rabbi Daniel Troper, Rabbi Mordechai Bar-Or, Dr. Ruth Calderon, Rabbi Benny Law, Eran Baruch and others created institutions like Beit Avi-Chai, Alma, Elul, Kolot, Bina and more. These institutions developed Jewish studies classes and text study groups as well as performances that are connected to Jewish issues mainly serving audiences in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
These people and institutions significantly impacted the lives of hundreds of Israelis who are currently participating in a variety of vibrant activities in these venues. They helped secular Israelis to develop a more positive attitude toward their own Jewish identity and culture as well as increased knowledge in basic Jewish tradition, history and text. They also helped both secular and religious Israelis to develop a deeper understanding and acceptance of the varied streams of Judaism within the Jewish community.
Now Haifa will join the party! For the first time a Haifa-based institution which is completely devoted to this agenda exists and is flourishing. We are following in the footsteps of our big brothers from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, while also articulating the uniqueness of our city and community. Hadarim Center’s aim is both to expose Israelis to Jewish culture and tradition and also to educate them about these topics. We hope that our potential audience will discover the beauty and vastness of the treasure trove of Jewish books and wisdom, and slowly but surely will take the initiative to learn actively and participate in our multifaceted and vibrant program.
Our partners:
Heichal Eliyahu Organization (Non-profit):
This group of Haifa business people donated the funds to build our beautiful facility, and they also provide a substantial portion of our annual budget. This organization also supports 929, a well-known web-based initiative promoting daily bible study, and the Department of Humanities at the University of Haifa.
The Haifa Reali School:
This school is one of the best and most well-known schools in Israel. It was established more than 100 years ago and some of its graduates have gone on to become important leaders in Israeli society. It is a semi-private school encompassing four different campuses in Haifa, with more than 4000 students Pre-K to 12th grade. It also includes the IDF boarding school (one of two that exist) and our own Hadarim campus.
