About Us

The Yeshivot and Ulpanot of Bnei Akiva -Make up the leading religious Zionist educational network in Israel.

Our Story

AFYBA’S history began in 1939, when Rabbi Moshe Zvi Neria, student of Rav Avraham Yitzchok HaCohen Kook and future Israel Prize winner, went to Kfar Haroeh to create a new kind of yeshiva high school. Over the next 80 years, AFYBA blossomed into a network of 70 institutions – Yeshivot, Ulpanot, Hesder and Pre-Military Academies – that span the entire length and width of Israel.

AFYBA graduates go on to proudly serve Israel.

Many attend AFYBA’s hesder yeshivot, join elite IDF combat units or volunteer for Sherut Leumi, Israel’s National Service Corps. Our graduates continue their educational pursuits with college acceptance levels well above the national average. AFYBA’s 100,000 alumni have already made a tremendous impact on Israel and the world while remaining true to their Torah heritage. Our graduates are leaders in every economic, academic, and professional sector of Israeli society and form the foundation of many great institutions beyond our network.

AFYBA educates 24,000 religious Zionist students annually.

AFYBA’s curricula stimulate intellectual curiosity in all fields including Limudei Kodesh, secular studies, arts and science. Our schools are regularly cited at the national level for academic excellence and maintain an open enrollment policy – no child is turned away due to an inability to meet tuition costs. AFYBA has also been a pioneer in achieving successful integration of students who have made Aliyah from Russia, Ethiopia, India, North America, Europe, South Africa and Australia.

1939
1951
1954
1960
1966
1967
1975
1984
1994
1995
1997
2006
2013
2015
2019
1939
1939
Yeshivat AFYBA Kfar HaRoeh opens under the leadership of Rav Moshe Tzvi Neria and 13 of his students. The yeshiva revolutionizes Israeli education with its focus on religious-Zionist values.
1951
1951
Yeshivat AFYBA Meron opens with 200 students. The yeshiva offers a warm, personal atmosphere as well as classes in shechitah (ritual slaughter), writing Torah scrolls and tailoring.
1954
1954
Rav Tzuckerman establishes "Merkaz Yeshivot Bnei Akiva," a central educational network for all AFYBA schools.


1960
1960
The first ulpana, Ulpanat AFYBA Kfar Pines, opens. Students sleep in a dormitory, a revolutionary concept for girls' high schools.
1966
1966
American Friends of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva forms in New York to support AFYBA schools.
1967
1967
Yeshivat Hesder AFYBA HaKotel opens immediately after the Six Day War. This yeshivat hesder was originally housed in a Jordanian bunker near the Kotel.
1975
1975
Yeshivat Hesder AFYBA Maalot is established to strengthen the Maalot community after a tragic terror attack claims the lives of 31 Israelis.
1984
1984
AFYBA expands to include TOM, a youth village for at-risk students.
1994
1994
New AFYBA schools open, including schools in the periphery of Israel. Specialized programs, such as Yeshivat AFYBA Sussya, a school for environmental education, become part of the YABA network over the next few years.
1995
1995
Mechinat AFYBA Or Me'ophir, a program for students of Ethiopian descent, is established. Mechinat AFYBA Or Me'ophir combines Torah learning, IDF service and vocational training with 100% of students completing IDF service!
1997
Yeshivat AFYBA Kinor David—a yeshiva that combines Torah study and music—opens with 14 students. The student body has since increased tenfold!
2006
2006
The AFYBA offices move to Ramot Shapira, in Bet Meir.
2013
Yeshivat Hesder AFYBA Neve Dekalim re-opens in Asdod. This yeshiva was evacuated twice—in 1982 from Yamit as part of a peace treaty with Egypt and in 2005 from Gush Katif.
2015_300x200
2015
The campus of Yeshivat AFYBA Orot Yehuda is completed in Efrat. Yeshivat AFYBA Orot Yehuda serves Efrat's growing population that includes many olim.
2019
2019
AFYBA celebrates 80 years as an educational force in Israel with 70 schools and an annual enrollment of 24,000 students!

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