Hoshen

Hoshen is an Israeli nonprofit organization focused on education and social change related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and the lived experiences of LGBTQ people. Its name, Hoshen, is a Hebrew acronym associated with education and change and also refers to the priestly breastplate described in Jewish tradition. The organization is identified by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association as one of the largest LGBTQ organizations in Israel. Hoshen traces its institutional origins to a lecturing service established within The Aguda in 1976 by Dr. Moshe Dov. That earlier service provided a foundation for direct educational engagement with schools and other institutions. In 2001, it was reorganized as Hoshen, a volunteer-based nonprofit with a more explicit mission of challenging stereotypes concerning sexual orientation and gender identity. In July 2004, Hoshen became an independent public-benefit corporation. The organization is also officially recognized by the Educational Psychological Authority of Israel's Ministry of Education, supporting its work in educational settings. The organization's central method is the Personal Story activity. In these sessions, two LGBTQ volunteers describe their own lives to an audience, including experiences of self-discovery, disclosure, discrimination, family relationships, and the social or personal costs they may have encountered. The format is intended to make abstract discussions of sexuality and gender more immediate by enabling participants to meet people whose experiences may differ from their assumptions. Alongside personal testimony, Hoshen provides theoretical lectures, workshops, seminars, and structured educational programs. Hoshen has developed activities for several parts of the Israeli education and public-service system. Its LGBT civic studies program was prepared in response to changes in the school civics curriculum and introduces high-school students to LGBTQ history, activism, and the struggle for equal civil rights. The program consists of 33 meetings and has involved cooperation with organizations including Israeli Gay Youth, Tehila, and the LGBT Municipal Center in Tel Aviv. The organization also addresses early-childhood education. A program for kindergarten teachers was developed by psychologists, educational counselors, kindergarten professionals, and education-system representatives to help teachers respond constructively to children raised in LGBTQ families. The program was introduced into teacher-training curricula at Oranim Academic College and Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts in 2012. Hoshen has additionally cooperated with Israeli children's television channels in efforts to improve public understanding of diverse families. Another area of work is the Israel Defense Forces. Hoshen has provided training and educational activities for personnel including diagnostic noncommissioned officers, squad leaders, and mental-health officers, as well as in response to requests connected with the military ombudsman. These activities use historical knowledge and personal contact to encourage a more accepting environment in military and civilian institutions. Hoshen also maintains an academic research function dealing with LGBTQ-related subjects. A 2010 research project examined chronological stages in the lives of LGBTQ people, including when individuals recognized their sexual orientation, the processes preceding coming out, and periods in which they concealed their orientation. Through these combined activities, Hoshen operates as an education and professional training organization rather than as a consumer product brand. Its distinctive offering is the integration of lived experience, formal instruction, institutional training, and research in support of LGBTQ inclusion in Israel.

Hoshen's institutional history begins with a lecturing service established within The Aguda in 1976 by Dr. Moshe Dov. The service used public speaking and direct encounters to provide information about homosexuality and related issues at a time when LGBTQ subjects were often treated through stereotypes or exclusion. Although the original service and the later organization are not identical legal entities, the earlier work supplied an organizational and educational precedent for Hoshen. In 2001, the lecturing activity was reorganized as Hoshen, a volunteer nonprofit whose purpose was to challenge stereotypes involving sexual orientation and gender identity. The reorganization gave the work a distinct identity and a broader educational framework. Rather than limiting its activity to occasional lectures, Hoshen developed a range of formats intended for schools, teachers, public institutions, military personnel, and other audiences. Its central educational principle was that personal contact can complement factual instruction: trained LGBTQ volunteers could describe their own experiences and help audiences understand the effects of prejudice in concrete human terms. Hoshen became an independent public-benefit corporation in July 2004. This legal and organizational separation from The Aguda marked an important stage in its institutional development. The organization subsequently received official recognition from the Educational Psychological Authority of Israel's Ministry of Education, allowing its programs to operate within recognized educational contexts. Its activities came to include theoretical lectures, workshops, seminars, and the Personal Story format, generally delivered by trained volunteers. The Personal Story became Hoshen's signature educational activity. Sessions typically feature two LGBTQ people discussing their lives, including the process of understanding their identity, decisions about disclosure, family and social relationships, and difficulties they may have faced. The format aims to create an environment in which participants can ask questions and encounter LGBTQ people as individuals rather than as abstract categories. Hoshen's educational approach therefore combines testimony, dialogue, and contextual information about LGBTQ history and civil rights. The organization later expanded its curriculum work. Following changes to Israel's civics education curriculum, Hoshen's development team created a program for high-school students addressing LGBTQ history, activism, and the pursuit of equal civil rights. The program was structured as 33 meetings and was designed to cooperate with other organizations, including Israeli Gay Youth, Tehila, and the LGBT Municipal Center in Tel Aviv. This partnership-oriented model connected Hoshen's educational work with youth support, parent networks, and municipal community services. Hoshen also responded to the increasing visibility of children raised by LGBTQ parents. A program for kindergarten teachers was developed by a multidisciplinary group that included psychologists, educational counselors, kindergarten teachers, and representatives of the education system. The program sought to help early-childhood educators address family diversity and support children from LGBTQ families. In 2012, it was introduced into the curricula of Oranim Academic College and Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts. Hoshen also worked with popular Israeli children's television channels, extending its educational concerns into mass media and early-childhood culture. A further strand of the organization's history involves work with the Israel Defense Forces. Hoshen has provided training for personnel such as diagnostic noncommissioned officers, squad leaders, and mental-health officers, alongside other activities requested by military institutions and connected with the soldiers' ombudsman. These programs apply the organization's broader method—historical education combined with personal acquaintance—to a large public institution in which questions of identity, service, welfare, and equal treatment intersect. Research has remained another component of Hoshen's work. Its academic research team examines LGBTQ-related topics, including a 2010 study of chronological milestones in LGBTQ lives. The study considered when people first recognized their sexual orientation, what processes preceded coming out, and when or why they concealed their orientation. This research dimension supports Hoshen's educational practice by grounding public discussion in documented experiences as well as testimony. Across these stages, Hoshen developed from a lecturing initiative into an independent Israeli nonprofit specializing in LGBTQ education and institutional change. Its work spans schools, teacher education, military settings, research, and public awareness. The organization is best understood as an education and social-change service provider whose principal asset is its combination of trained volunteers, personal narratives, curriculum development, professional instruction, and research.

• 2012

  Kindergarten teachers' program enters teacher education

  [1]Hoshen (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  A program addressing children raised in LGBTQ families was introduced at Oranim Academic College and Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts.

• 2010

  LGBTQ life-course research

  [1]Hoshen (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  Hoshen's academic research team examined milestones including identity recognition, the period before coming out, and concealment of sexual orientation.

• 2004

  Independent public-benefit corporation status

  [1]Hoshen (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  In July 2004, Hoshen became an independent public-benefit corporation.

• 2001

  Hoshen is reorganized as a nonprofit

  [1]Hoshen (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  The earlier lecturing service was reorganized as Hoshen, a volunteer organization dedicated to challenging stereotypes about sexual orientation and gender identity.

• 1976

  The Aguda establishes a lecturing service

  [1]Hoshen (organization)en.wikipedia.org

  Dr. Moshe Dov established a lecturing service within The Aguda, creating the institutional predecessor to Hoshen's later education and outreach work.

A volunteer-driven Israeli LGBTQ education and social-change organization that combines first-person testimony with structured teaching, professional training, and research to counter prejudice and improve institutional understanding.

• Educational program

  Personal Story

  Hoshen's principal educational format uses two LGBTQ volunteers who share personal accounts with an audience. The sessions connect individual experiences with broader questions about identity, disclosure, family, discrimination, and social acceptance. By allowing participants to ask questions and engage directly with presenters, the program seeks to replace generalized assumptions with personal understanding. It is used as a flexible format within schools and other institutional settings.

• School curriculum

  LGBT Civic Studies Program

  This structured program was developed for high-school students following changes to the Israeli civics curriculum. It introduces LGBTQ history, social activism, and the movement for equal civil rights through a sequence of 33 meetings. The program also encourages cooperation with youth, parent-support, and municipal LGBTQ organizations, linking classroom learning with community resources and civic participation.

• Teacher training · 2012

  Kindergarten Teachers' Program

  Designed by a multidisciplinary team of psychologists, educational counselors, kindergarten teachers, and education-system representatives, this program helps early-childhood educators respond to children raised in LGBTQ families. It addresses family diversity and practical educational inclusion. The program entered the curricula of Oranim Academic College and Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts in 2012.

• Institutional training

  IDF Training Activities

  Hoshen provides educational and training activities for Israel Defense Forces personnel, including diagnostic noncommissioned officers, squad leaders, and mental-health officers. The activities use LGBTQ history and personal contact to support a more informed and accepting environment within military settings. Some training has been delivered in response to requests from military bodies and the soldiers' ombudsman.

• Research · 2010

  Academic Research Team

  Hoshen's research function studies topics related to LGBTQ lives and social experiences. A 2010 project examined the timing of identity recognition, the processes preceding coming out, and periods in which people concealed their sexual orientation. The research work complements Hoshen's public education by providing an analytical basis for discussion and program development.

1. 1Hoshen (organization)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Hoshen official websitehoshen.org