Bnei David is Israel’s first mechina, or pre-military academy. Founded in 1988 by Rabbi Eli Sadan and Rabbi Yigal Levenstein, Bnei David’s mission is to provide value-rich Jewish learning for religious young men prior to their enlistment in the IDF. The academy’s program is geared toward preparing students to combine meaningful military service with the strengthening of their Jewish identity and Torah values.
The choice of Eli as the home of the institution is no coincidence. Rooted in the idealistic, Zionist spirit of its founders, Eli — a town located in the heart of the Binyamin region — embodies a deep connection to the Land of Israel and the vision of Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria. As a pre-army academy, Bnei David strives to instill these values in its students.
What began as a small group of students, the success of this program has made Bnei David a model for emulation by other pre-military academies — yeshivas as well as non-religious frameworks — that strengthen all sectors of society by preparing Israeli youth for meaningful service in the IDF.
The Bnei David academy introduced a rare and effective combination: in-depth Torah study, Jewish thought and philosophy, an understanding of Israeli society, and practical preparation for military service.
The program’s then-unique curriculum emphasized the teachings of Rabbi Kook alongside rigorous Talmud study. The goal was to prepare students for a meaningful encounter with secular Israeli society, while instilling the spiritual resilience needed to meet challenges they might experience during their army service. This approach helped create generations of Bnei David graduates who are true shlichim — emissaries who inspire their army peers with the values cultivated in yeshiva.
Military service can pose a serious spiritual challenge, and the pressures of army life can frequently lead to a weakening of religious observance. Recognizing this critical problem, Rabbi Sadan and Rabbi Levenstein understood the enormous potential in religious young men eager to contribute to their country, as well as their need for tools for navigating the army’s spiritual and moral challenges. They envisioned a program in which two worlds — the life of a soldier, and the life of a religiously observant Jew — would not only coexist, but thrive together.
From that shared vision, the Bnei David pre-army mechina was born — as well as other Bnei David frameworks that would go on to profoundly shape Israeli society and the IDF.
Following the success of the pre-army academy, additional institutions were established under the name Bnei David, including a post-high school yeshiva, a post-army yeshiva, and a women’s midrasha. Bnei David also founded additional pre-military academies — each one built to carry forward the founding values of the original mechina.
Today, Bnei David is a network of twelve institutions, each shaped by the same values: Torah, service, and a deep commitment to the future of Israel.
