Ayala Deckel
Head of Bina's Yeshiva
A) What qualities make the nominee deserving of the Z3 Bridge Builder Award?
Ayala Deckel is the head of Bina's Yeshiva, ordained as a rabbi by the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis of the Shalom Hartman institute, an author, and a spiritual leader. Ayala Deckel works tirelessly to build bridges within Israeli society and the Jewish people. Deckel has dedicated her career to fostering unity within Israeli society and the broader Jewish community.
As an author, educator and spiritual leader her work is based on three main pillars: (1) making sure diverse voices are heard, given space and visibility; (2) creating programs and content that encourage individuals to explore and deepen their own Jewish identity; (3) public awareness around issues of inclusivity, bridge building and connection
Deckel's commitment to bridging divides is not merely theoretical; it is the foundation of her personal life. Born into a religious family, she actively sought connections between religious and secular individuals from a young age. Her marriage to a secular partner exemplifies her dedication to integration, as they've cultivated a home that harmoniously blends diverse Jewish practices. A year after their wedding, Deckel removed her head covering and her partner began wearing a kippah, and they have remained this way to this day, maintaining a home that combines different Jewish lifestyles. He is religious and she is secular.
In the past year, with the ongoing war, Deckel held weekly Kabbalat Shabbat ceremonies in the Hostages Square, where hundreds and thousands of people came to pray together. Religious and secular, men and women, all united for the hostages held by Hamas. Despite the gaps between different identities in Israeli society and often without any prior acquaintance, Deckel managed to lead events attended by people with different political opinions, diverse Jewish identities, from all over the country and the world. Yet they succeeded in creating a bridge between sides for the sake of the hostages' families and Israeli society. Additionally, Deckel led tours and numerous events in the square for Jewish communities and delegations from the diaspora who came to be part of and support the families there.
Deckel did all this while her husband was in reserve military service, fighting in Gaza throughout the year, and she herself dealt with a complex and difficult situation at home and in the family. As part of her husband battalion activities, Deckel led the battalion's ceremonies, even though the battalion itself is composed of people with completely different political and identity perceptions. She managed to bridge the gaps and create ceremonies that united the battalion and the battalion's families, honoring the soldiers' actions and the families of a wounded soldiers.
Deckel leads a secular yeshiva and works constantly to connect people, both religious and secular, to their shared roots. She aims to open the boundaries of the Beit Midrash and Judaism so that everyone feels they belong. She gives space for diverse and different voices to be heard and express their opinions. Deckel holds numerous meetings, panels, conversations, and events where people with different opinions come together, bridging worlds. In recent years, Deckel has taught and lectured in IDF courses for educators and rabbis in Israel and Jewish communities worldwide - including the United States, Argentina, and more.
Deckel has a special ability to speak in a sensitive and personal way that touches everyone who listens to her. The learning and conversations are conducted with compassion, love, and gentleness for all present, making it possible to deal with even the most difficult and deep conflicts and bridge gaps between different identities. In recent years, Ayala Deckel has become an important voice of hope in Israeli society, a voice that does not compromise and makes every effort to connect different extremes and create a complex, complete, and deep Israeli mosaic.
As an author, Deckel often writes about important topics in Jewish identity that have been forgotten and disappeared. Deckel writes especially about Jewish women whose actions have been neglected and forgotten. Her writing gives them a place of honor, which they deserve. Her first book - "Home Back and again" - described the heroism of women in the Jewish community of Egypt at the beginning of the 20th century and gave voice to traditional and feminine Eastern Zionism that is almost unheard of. Her second novel, "Night Sparkles," described the amazing work of the pioneer Hayuta Busel, who established the Hebrew Women Workers' Movement and was responsible for quite a few feminist and Zionist achievements at the beginning of the settlement in Israel. Deckel revived her character and brought to light real excerpts from Hayuta Busel's diaries. Thus, she returned an anonymous pioneer who was almost lost from memory to the center of Israeli discourse. Both of her adult books were bestsellers and sold thousands of copies.
In her children's book, Deckel sheds light on Talmudic heroines women like Yalta and Rabbi Akiva's daughter, heroines whose names we don't always know and whose stories are hidden between the pages of the Talmud. Deckel gives them a voice and turns their stories into ones that even young children will identify with and become curious about.
By making these special voices heard, she creates bridges of written words in Israeli society. Bridges connecting past to present that continue to exist through words and stories. The books open a new and unfamiliar world and allow for diversity of identities in Israeli society and a wide range of connection points to the shared Jewish past
B) In what ways has the nominee demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to their work in bridging divides?
Ayala Deckel's deep commitment to Israeli society and the Jewish people was especially manifested over the past year. Throughout the year, Deckel did everything she could to create connections, prayers, discussion circles, and joint events despite the extraordinary challenges faced by Israeli society and Ayala Deckel herself. Rather than retreating during these tough times, Ayala ventured out to fight for partnership and connection within Israeli society and the Jewish people.
Even when her husband was on reserve duty, and it was seemingly expected of her to focus on him and her family, Deckel found a way to remain at the heart of Israeli society, organizing large community events every week, even under the threat of sirens and missiles.
Additionally, at a time when Israeli society was in a major crisis surrounding social protests, Deckel held numerous meetings both within and outside the secular yeshiva with groups opposing her worldview, aiming to build bridges and improve tolerance and understanding between the sides. One of the central documents discussed was the Israel's Declaration of Independence. For several years, Ayala has conducted discussions and lectures on the Declaration of Independence, both in Israel and around the world, with diverse audiences. In each meeting and study session on the document, Ayala expands the range of opinions and fosters open, safe, and deep dialogue among participants.
Furthermore, in recent years, Deckel has been involved in programs aimed at bridging gaps between Jews in Israel and the Diaspora, fostering deep connections with Jewish communities abroad. She has accompanied school principals on delegations to engage with Diaspora Jewry and integrate programs about Diaspora Jewish life within schools in Israel.
In the past year, Ayala led and attended numerous meetings with delegations from around the world who came to support Israel during the war. These meetings repeatedly created connections of hope and provided strength to both sides to continue facing the immense challenges faced by the Jewish people today, both in Israel and abroad. Deckel does not confine the task of building bridges between worlds to the professional sphere alone; she lives it every day within her family and community.
C) How has the nominee's work impacted the Jewish community and beyond?
To illustrate Ayala Deckel's work and impact on the Jewish community, links to examples of articles, interviews, and reports about her work, published in various media and news sites, are attached. A significant testament to Ayala's contribution is the growing interest in her work and activities. Each event and book receives widespread attention from a diverse range of people and identities within Israeli society.
Additionally, two of Ayala's books have been incorporated into school curricula, both at the elementary and high school levels. About a month ago, on Channel 12 News, when the program's guests were asked to choose deserving leaders, Ayala was selected and praised for her values, tolerance, and love for Israel.
Attached are quotes from school principals who studied with Ayala in a mixed group of religious and secular individuals, describing their experiences. These firsthand quotes serve as examples of the impact and significance of joint learning on daily activities in schools. It is evident that the program’s influence on the principals to strengthen their identities and connect with other identities affects their ability to educate students in this manner, and thus, the ripples of influence continue to grow.
"Throughout the length of the room where the workshop took place, Israel's Declaration of Independence was spread out, and everyone sat around it. I want to emphasize that, at a time when the state is noisy and tumultuous over social issues, protests, and divisions within the people, and the Declaration of Independence is discussed, I felt a reminder of the essence and Israeli identity. A reminder of why we are here, what we must preserve. What was stronger and more significant at that moment was the consensus in the feeling of connection."
"In the seminar, I was exposed to many aspects of the Jewish world. But from meeting to meeting, I learned to know and love the different texts. I learned to enjoy the Jewish world without feeling coerced. My parents immigrated from Iran when they were children. Over the years, they maintained the traditions from their homeland. They spoke the language they grew up with, connected to the songs and culture. As a child, I struggled to understand why they did not assimilate into Israeli culture. I was even embarrassed by these traditions. In New York, I learned that the things we grow up with become our foundation, our safe place. As a result of the meetings, next year my school will work on exploring identity and family tradition. To me, it is important that students shape their personal identity within their family identity. They should learn to know themselves, their strengths, their beliefs, without fear, and take pride in them."
"I grew up in a home where Judaism was always spoken in terms of ‘theirs and ours’. The Talmud, the Bible, prayers, blessings, and faith belonged to the 'those people'. The holidays and traditions we personally translated were on the 'our' side. Just as physical anchors were divided, so were value anchors spoken in the language of two camps. This separation created great ignorance, alienation, and fear. I was never exposed to the Jewish world; I did not know it, and I could not even feel that I needed it or was part of it. The initial exposure provided by the seminar sparked my curiosity and alleviated the fear of encountering it. I felt that I was introduced to a whole world that speaks my past, my heritage, the value system within me, and me. A world that encompasses the big questions that are an inseparable part of me."
"One of the significant things I learned is that Jewish identity is a multifaceted concept. It includes cultural, religious, and historical factors that contribute to a sense of shared heritage and community. However, Jewish identity can be complex, especially considering the diversity within Jewish communities around the world. The trip to New York highlighted for me our responsibility, especially as educators, to create places that connect to Judaism rather than separate from it."