Tzofim North America

Founded in 1995, Friends of Israel Scouts (FOIS) is the U.S. subsidiary of the Tzofim movement in Israel. FOIS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit headquartered in New York City, with additional offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami. FOIS leads programs that foster experiences and relationships between Jewish and Israeli youth in the United States and abroad that inspire Zionism and support for the State of Israel. Founded in 1919, Tzofim is the world’s largest Zionist youth movement, with over 80,000 active participants and 300,000 alumni in Israel. Tzofim has grown by over 55% in the last 10 years, and is the official national youth movement of the State of Israel. Historically, Tzofim is known as the world’s first egalitarian scouting movement, and today plays a key role in the development of Israel’s cultural infrastructure, as secular and religious, special needs and youth at risk, plus over 25,000 Arab Israelis participate in Tzofim’s programs. Tzofim received the Israeli Prime Minister’s Award for its work with special needs youth. In addition, over 25 Kibbutzim have been established by leaders of the movement. Today Tzofim manages over 200 chapters throughout Israel, with over a third located in disadvantaged communities. The movement prepares Israeli teenagers for their mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces, and many contribute the “Start-Up Nation” to the early leadership skills developed by the Tzofim. Tzofim’s mission is to build the educational frameworks that instill the vision, values and moral compass in today’s Jewish youth so that they together defend and champion Israel tomorrow.