דרך שירה בנקי בע"מ (חל"צ)

Shira Banki, 16, from Jerusalem, was stabbed to death on July 30, 2015 during the Pride Parade in Jerusalem, by a man how opponent of the parade. Since the murder, Mika and Ori, Shira's parents, have been initiating educational and social activities that promote moderation, tolerance and acceptance of the other in the public space. On the first anniversary of the murder, Shira Banki's Way was established to manage the activity and engage in promoting a number of educational and influential projects. Our hope is that the silent sane majority, who raised their voices in the wake of the murder, will find its strength and promote a more moderate and healthier society, in which the extremist and vociferous minorities will remain on the margins. Our goal is to develop a better, more valued and balanced society that sees the individual in the public sphere and gives each person his or her place. The advantage of the organization is its ability to reach diverse audiences and many sectors of society and to serve as a significant amplifier for activities that promote moderation and tolerance. About our activities Shira Banki's Way currently runs a number of projects in collaboration with various partners. In addition to these projects, Ori Banki gives lectures to various bodies, including high schools, pre-military preparatory schools, the IDF, business companies and more. The projects today are: “Conflict Management in Israeli Society” aims to raise awareness among Israeli teens from different religious backgrounds of non-violent ways to resolve conflicts and disputes. The project brings together sophomore year students from religious and secular schools from across the country, who meet in three locations that have a special symbolic significance: The Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel-Aviv, the Gush Katif and Northern Samaria Commemoration Center in Nitzan, and the Zion Square in Jerusalem. Through structured encounters, participants learn to understand the legitimacy of disputes, and are supplied with tools on how to avoid hatred and violence. The project was launched in 2016 by the President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin and was endorsed by the Ministry of Education. Over 700 students had already graduated from the program. In the school year 21-22 we will reach with the program to schools in the far periphery and thus significantly increase the number of participants in this important project. “Teachers' Lounge” is a 30-hour course for teachers from Jerusalem and its surroundings – including from Palestinian neighborhoods, Jewish religious communities, and settlements. The course facilitates unmediated encounters between educators who all live in and around Jerusalem. Through it they learn about the daily lives of their fellow teachers in other parts of the city and discover their commonalities as well as differences. This project reflects our belief that because of their access to thousands of young students, teachers in Jerusalem can help shape the future of the city. The course is implemented by the Hebrew Union College and is recognized by the Ministry of Education as a professional training program for teachers. In 2021-2022, some 60 teachers participate in the course. This year, the project is expanding and will also take place in the Western Galilee region, Next year we will open the project in Tel Aviv and Ramla. “A Different Story” is a series of podcasts (audio stories), lectures and lesson plans about outstanding figures in history who chose to risk their lives to help others. The program serves educational institutions, youth groups, IDF courses, seminars for teachers, etc. The podcasts were produced by Yuval Malchi from the leading podcast series Excerpts of History and are available for free online. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have listened to the podcasts since they were first made available online. In 2018, we took the “Different Story” program to the next level by training Israeli youth to become speakers, give their own lectures on exceptional historical figures and encourage a conversation about tolerance and acceptance. These young “Ambassadors of Tolerance” (over 700 students) now help spread tolerance within their own communities across the country. By the end of this current school year (2021-2022), some 7,000 students from across the country will have been exposed to this program through our young Ambassadors. “Dialog Circles: Meeting Point” is a weekly gathering in downtown Jerusalem, open to any Jerusalemite who is willing to talk (and listen). Every Thursday night, people from different sectors of Jerusalem meet at the Zion Square for a guided discussion. Different opinions, different generations, sitting or standing, talking or screaming, laughing or raging – all come together to fulfil the vision of making Zion Square a place of culture and tolerance, a symbol of a shared society. We are working to export the Meeting Point model to additional cities. In 2020, In the Corona time we oprate the"Meeting Point" by ZOOM. In light of the success of the project in Jerusalem, it has also expanded to Haifa and has been adopted in the past year by the Mabat Association in Haifa, which holds face-to-face meetings in various community centers in the city. The Clinic for the Struggle against Hatred in the Public Sphere” was established in 2016 at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya (IDC). It provides free assistance to victims of incitement and racism in the public sphere. It also offers IDC third-year Law students an academic course that deals with the legal, psychological, cultural and social aspects of social exclusion and de-legitimization of groups in society. The “Shira Program for Teenage Girls” is a multiyear mentoring program which seeks to change the social role of young women at risk, by providing them with emotional and occupational tools of empowerment, with the view that young women possess the knowledge and authentic power to recreate and change the dialogue on risk, privilege and hardships faced by young women in Israel. The program is implemented by the Jerusalem Municipality's Youth Advancement Unit. It serves an average of 30 girls every year and is open to Jerusalem youth of all faiths and backgrounds. Shira Program for Tolerance for Elementary Schools: This year we launched a new educational program for young children. The school participating in the program devotes a week of study to a unique engagement with issues of tolerance and acceptance of the other. The program is spiral so that each year students will be exposed to new and tailored content on issues of tolerance and acceptance of the other, tailored emotional discourse, and community activity with parent participation. The pilot took place this year in 4 schools and received enthusiastic responses from the educational staff. Financing the activity Effective and influential activity requires stable funding. The cost of the annual activity is about NIS 1,300,000 and it is funded by donations from the public, Israeli companies, family foundations and local authorities. The budget is used to operate and develop the projects, with the organization employing only a part-time CEO and project manager. Learn more We would love to hear from you! Feel free to read more about us on the website and on Facebook, or contact Udi Migdal, CEO through Shira Banki: shira.leatid@gmail.com, 050-5790358.