Livnot U'Lehibanot is an unaffiliated, educational and volunteer organization established in 1980, with a campus in

Safed Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel. Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. The name Livnot U'Lehibanot, which in Hebrew means "To Build and To Be Built", refers to the physical contribution the participants make to the building of the Land of Israel, and to the knowledge and experiences gained during the programs it offers. Volunteers at Livnot, as it is often referred to, were responsible for many

Western Wall The Western Wall (; ; Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: ''HaKosel HaMa'arovi'') is an ancient retaining wall of the built-up hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Its most famous section, known by the same name ...

tunnel excavations, aiding in the absorption of Ethiopian immigrants, as well as helping to repair damage caused to the cities of Safed, Kiryat Shemona, Karmiel and Hazor in the North of Israel by

Katyusha Katyusha () is a diminutive of the Russian name Ekaterina or Yekaterina, the Russian form of Katherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in c ...

fire during the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006.Gabi Nachmani. ''

Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is an English-language Israeli broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Je ...

'' (August 6, 2006)
'Don't put socks in the packages...one of the soldiers lost a leg'
. Program participants are mostly North American Jews between the ages of 21 and 35 who come on programs of various lengths with an emphasis on hiking, volunteering, and learning. While much of the learning is spiritual in nature, Livnot is non-denominational in its practice of

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

. Livnot also runs one-week and one-month

Taglit-Birthright Israel 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 spo ...

extension trips.

Educational philosophy

Livnot is a non-denominational, unaffiliated, educational non-profit with programs open to Jews over the age of 21 who have little or no formal Jewish background. Livnot programs typically combine community service projects and hiking with educational seminars on various Jewish topics. All the educational components of the Livnot program are forum-based and encourage questions and dialog. The community service, hiking and non-coercive spirituality components are an integral part of the program's educational mission.

Other Livnot programs

Livnot U'Lehibanot offers wide variety of 1-week to long-term programs of discovery and exploration. The programs all include volunteering, hiking, community service, connections with local residents and a variety of seminars and workshops. Participants live in Tzfat/Safed, a small rural northern Israeli community known as the City of Kabbalah.

References

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External links

*'
Official website of Livnot U'Lehibanot
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Jewish educational organizations Youth organizations based in Israel Jewish youth organizations Educational institutions established in 1980 1980 establishments in Israel Volunteer organizations in Israel