Bnei David
Pre-military academy (mechina) in the Israeli settlement of Eli in the occupied West Bank, founded in 1988 as Israel's first mechina
| Bnei David
| |
|---|---|
| Logo |  Logo of Mechinat Bnei David (Bnei David-side) |
| Type | Pre-military academy (mechina) and yeshiva institutions |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founder(s) | Rabbis Eli Sadan and Yigal Levinstein |
| Headquarters | Eli (occupied West Bank) |
| Website | bneidavid.org |
| Remarks | Located in an Israeli settlement in occupied territory[1] |
Bnei David is a religious pre-military academy (mechina) and group of Torah institutions in Eli, an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. It says that "'Bnei David' is the first pre-military mechina in Israel, founded in 1988 on the initiative of Rabbis Eli Sadan and Yigal Levinstein in the community of Eli" (translated from Hebrew), for religious young men enlisting in the Israel Defense Forces, to allow them to combine "meaningful military service" with religious life.[2] Israel National News dated its founding to 1987.[3]
Its UK support charity was Friends of Bnei David (1010914), removed from the register in 2024.[4]
Location and occupation
Eli is in the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967; B'Tselem lists it among Israeli settlements.[5] United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016) states that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, have "no legal validity".[1]
Link to IDF service
Bnei David prepares religious young men for IDF service.[2] Pre-military academies (mechinot) are gap-year programmes that prepare young Israelis for service in the Israel Defense Forces; an IDF report in 2013 found that 79.5% of mechina graduates enlisted in combat units.[6] See Mechinot.
UK funding
| UK charity | Year | Amount | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friends of Bnei David | 2010–2014 | £10,093 | Spending of the friends charity, whose object was support for Bnei David in Eli | [7][4] |
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 United Nations Security Council, Resolution 2334 (2016), 23 December 2016 (Israeli settlements in "the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem" have "no legal validity").
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bnei David, בני דוד (home page) bneidavid.org, accessed 21 October 2026 (Bnei David-side).
- ↑ Hillel Fendel, Knesset Passes Funding Law for Pre-Military Academies, 72-0 Israel National News, 31 July 2008, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Charity Commission, Friends of Bnei David (1010914) Register of Charities; public extract dated 14 October 2026: removed 13 February 2024.
- ↑ B'Tselem, Statistics on Settlements and Settler Population, accessed 21 October 2026 (critical source).
- ↑ Maayana Miskin, Twice as Many Officers from Premilitary Academies Israel National News, 26 May 2013, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission Website Charity Overview. Accessed 7 July 2015.