Karov la-lev

Karov la-lev (Hebrew: קרוב ללב, "Close to the Heart") is an Israeli voluntary association founded in 2006 in Ramat HaSharon. It operates under the auspices of the Jewish Identity Administration of the Ministry of Religious Services. Its central activity is creating encounters between religious and secular neighbors around the Jewish holidays. One of its defining features has been the production of tri-fold kits related to Judaism — holidays, festivals and special days. These kits contain games, challenges, decorations, riddles and more, designed to bring together neighbors and friends from across the spectrum of Jewish observance. Following the Iron Swords War and the mobilization of a significant portion of the center's members, the distribution of the kits ceased. The association runs a project called "Shakhen Karov" (Close Neighbor). Ahead of the holidays, the organization supplies holiday kits containing content on Jewish identity, with a new holiday kit produced for each festival. These kits are distributed to religious and secular families interested in expanding their circle of acquaintance with their neighbors. Through the giving of the kit, an initial meeting takes place between the two families. The association operates about 900 volunteers in more than 100 localities across the country who use the association's holiday kits to visit their neighbors, and to date more than 60,000 meetings have been held. Another project of the association, called "Lomdim Lehitkarev" (Learning to Get Closer), brings together pairs of state and state-religious schools for a series of meetings around the holidays. In the 2018 school year, about 25 pairs of schools across the country participated in this project. The association also works regularly in other ways to promote public awareness on the subject and increase unity among the people, through advertising campaigns and special operations, among them the "Schools Project," in which about 32 pairs of schools and about 3,000 students, religious and secular, were expected to participate in 2017. In 2013, in cooperation with the Tel Aviv Port and Gil Teichman, the association placed a giant colorful Hanukkah menorah at the Tel Aviv Port. In 2014, in cooperation with the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality, 150 citrus-family fruit trees were placed in Rabin Square ahead of Tu BiShvat, in the presence of school students. In 2015 the association distributed an advertising video online, in cooperation with Yariv Oppenheimer. The video aroused a stir and drew criticism in the religious-Zionist public for being provocative and violent, and for the casting of Oppenheimer. In 2016 the association held a photography competition on the theme of love of Israel, displayed in the Jewish Quarter in the week before Tisha B'Av. The association receives broad public support from rabbis. The CEO of the association is Netanel Siman Tov, who heads the Torah core group in Ramat HaSharon.

Karov la-lev ("Close to the Heart") — the Center for Deepening Jewish Identity — is an Israeli voluntary association founded in 2006 in Ramat HaSharon. It operates under the auspices of the Jewish Identity Administration of the Ministry of Religious Services. Its central activity is creating encounters between religious and secular neighbors around the Jewish holidays. One of its defining features has been the production of tri-fold kits related to Judaism — holidays, festivals and special days. These kits contain games, challenges, decorations, riddles and more, designed to bring together neighbors and friends from across the spectrum of Jewish observance. Following the Iron Swords War and the mobilization of a significant portion of the center's members, the distribution of the kits ceased. The association runs a project called "Shakhen Karov" (Close Neighbor). Ahead of the holidays, the organization supplies holiday kits containing content on Jewish identity, with a new holiday kit produced for each festival. These kits are distributed to religious and secular families interested in expanding their circle of acquaintance with their neighbors. Through the giving of the kit, an initial meeting takes place between the two families. The association operates about 900 volunteers in more than 100 localities across the country who use the association's holiday kits to visit their neighbors, and to date more than 60,000 meetings have been held. Another project of the association, called "Lomdim Lehitkarev" (Learning to Get Closer), brings together pairs of state and state-religious schools for a series of meetings around the holidays. In the 2018 school year, about 25 pairs of schools across the country participated in this project. The association also works regularly in other ways to promote public awareness on the subject and increase unity among the people, through advertising campaigns and special operations, among them the "Schools Project," in which about 32 pairs of schools and about 3,000 students, religious and secular, were expected to participate in 2017. In 2013, in cooperation with the Tel Aviv Port and Gil Teichman, the association placed a giant colorful Hanukkah menorah at the Tel Aviv Port. In 2014, in cooperation with the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality, 150 citrus-family fruit trees were placed in Rabin Square ahead of Tu BiShvat, in the presence of school students. In 2015 the association distributed an advertising video online, in cooperation with Yariv Oppenheimer. The video aroused a stir and drew criticism in the religious-Zionist public for being provocative and violent, and for the casting of Oppenheimer. In 2016 the association held a photography competition on the theme of love of Israel, displayed in the Jewish Quarter in the week before Tisha B'Av. The association receives broad public support from rabbis. The CEO of the association is Netanel Siman Tov, who heads the Torah core group in Ramat HaSharon.

• 2018

  About 25 pairs of schools participated in the Lomdim Lehitkarev project.

• 2017

  About 32 pairs of schools and about 3,000 students were expected to participate in the Schools Project.

• 2016

  Held a photography competition on the theme of love of Israel, displayed in the Jewish Quarter before Tisha B'Av.

• 2015

  Distributed an advertising video online in cooperation with Yariv Oppenheimer, which drew criticism in the religious-Zionist public.

• 2014

  Placed 150 citrus-family fruit trees in Rabin Square ahead of Tu BiShvat, in cooperation with the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality.

• 2013

  Placed a giant colorful Hanukkah menorah at the Tel Aviv Port in cooperation with the Tel Aviv Port and Gil Teichman.

• 2006

  Founded in Ramat HaSharon as an Israeli voluntary association.

A Jewish-identity organization promoting unity between religious and secular Israelis through holiday kits and neighborly encounters.

• Holiday kits on Jewish identity

  Tri-fold kits containing games, challenges, decorations and riddles for Jewish holidays, distributed to religious and secular families.

• Shakhen Karov (Close Neighbor)

  Project supplying holiday kits to families to spark initial meetings between religious and secular neighbors.

• Lomdim Lehitkarev (Learning to Get Closer)

  Pairs state and state-religious schools for a series of meetings around the holidays.

1. 1Karov la-lev - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2קרוב ללב - Wikipedia (Hebrew)he.wikipedia.org