Bnei Akiva Youth Expand Sukkot Building Project for Reservists

The Bnei Akiva youth movement is expanding its "Team of Builders" initiative this year to assist families of IDF reservists called up for duty, in addition to its ongoing support for the elderly and disabled. The project, now in its 13th year, mobilizes movement members, counselors, and alumni to volunteer in building sukkot (temporary huts used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot) for those who cannot build them themselves.

This year's focus on reservist families stems from the recent call-ups, creating a need for assistance where one family member is serving and no one else is available to construct the sukkah. The initiative operates nationwide, coordinated by the movement's Nachshon teams. Volunteers will build the sukkah and return after the holiday to dismantle it.

The "Team of Builders" project is dedicated to the memory of three fallen soldiers named Bnei: Major Bnei Rein, who fell in the Second Lebanon War, and Major Bnei Sharel and Sergeant Bnei Rubel, who fell during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.

Bnei Akiva is operating phone and online hotlines to receive requests for assistance. This year, multilingual support has been added, with new hotlines opened in English, French, and Spanish to cater to a wider range of individuals needing help before the holiday. Specific contact numbers are provided for different regions across Israel for general inquiries and reservist families.