Israel Commentator at Mayanot

Mr. David Horovitz, founder and editor of "The Times of Israel," spoke about the Israeli-Hamas conflict for Taglit-Birthright Israel: Mayanot.

While the situation in Israel is turbulent, Taglit-Birthright Israel: Mayanot invited one of the leading commentators on the current conflict to date, to speak to its participants.

Mr. David Horovitz, founder and editor of The Times of Israel online magazine, discussed the reality of the conflict, shining a light on the protective measures taken by Israel to shield its citizens and spoke about the outrageous and frustrating criticism by the global community and media.

The lecture was dedicated in loving memory of Myra Kraft z”l, on the occasion of her third yahrzeit. She was a friend to the Gestetner family, a generous philanthropist supporting causes all over the globe; she had a deep enthusiasm for Israel and was devoted to women’s rights and their education, including the Mayanot Women’s Learning Program.

Joining the large audience were Shluchim from West Hempstead New York, Rabbi Yossi and his wife Chaya Rachel Lieberman who were leading the Birthright group, as well as Rabbi Zalman Kravitzfrom Los Angeles.

The event was co-sponsored by the Jerusalem Press club and the Times of Israel and took place at the prestigious Jerusalem Press Club in the historic neighborhood of Yemin Moshe.

Rabbi Gestetner, Dean of Mayanot, introduced the event by saying, “we are all one family, it doesn’t matter where you are from, we are all in this together.”

Subsequently, Sarah Surowitz, a Birthright Participant from New Jersey and first time visitor to Israel, commented, “Those of us who have never been to Israel before, let alone visit a country in the midst of war, were able to actually understand how Israel is coping with the situation at hand.”

Mr. Horovitz gave a deeply insightful and pragmatic look at the conflict. He illuminated for many students and participants, how the conflict unfolded and the many possible ways it can continue to unfurl.

Echoing this sentiment, a current student at the Mayanot Women’s Learning Program, Julie Finke from Las Vegas stated, “These are scary times and people don’t understand that the right thing to do is to support the Israeli people in any way they can, that is the true meaning of Am Yisrael, to be one family.”

Mr. Horovitz touched on the misrepresentation of the conflict and various issues relating to the current turmoil. He mapped out past peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt, and examined this new era of delegitimizing Israel and the danger extremist Muslim groups pose to Israel and the global community at large.

Chaya Rachel commented after the briefing, “David Horovitz took a very complicated conflict and presented it in a way that everyone could understand. He was very clear, informative and even humorous and it left people with something profound to think about.”

In the wake of the conflict however, Mr. Horovitz didn’t fail to mention Israel’s many accomplishments. What an incredible country Israel and its people are, having revived an ancient language, with dozens of Israeli Nobel prizes, amazing technological advancements and brainpower, and the first to arrive in Haiti and Gaza with a field hospital. Can you imagine, he said, “How Israel would thrive if we didn’t have to worry about trying to survive.”

Rabbi Gestetner concluded the event by thanking the staff at the Jerusalem Press Club, and the Times of Israel, and said a prayer for the safety and security of the citizens of Israel and the soldiers on the frontline. 

Check out the link to the Lecture here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcXYN6-UwHw 

Adults Follow in the Footsteps of Their Kids, Experiencing Israel Firsthand

In the midst of war, Israel groups like Mayanot craft positive plans for the fall

By Mindy Rubenstein   |   July 27, 2014 12:11 PM Reposted from Chabad.org

At the closing session in Tel Aviv of an eight-day experience called Mayanot Legacy, where parents of children who have gone on Israel trips get their own taste of the country. A significant percentage of this group hails from Florida.

While some summer programs in Israel are on hold during the Gaza conflict, others are going full-speed-ahead, with staff continuing to craft plans and itineraries for the fall, making sure that future experiences match successful ones of the past.

The new Legacy program by Mayanot, a Chabad-affiliated organization inJerusalem, for example, is designed to provide adults with an experience similar to those their children experienced on their Israel trips. The eight-day adventure is open to anyone interested in going to Israel, regardless of any previous travels there by the participant or their family members. While it is geared to the parents of young adults who have recently visited Israel for the first time, it’s open to Jewish adults of all ages and backgrounds.

The program includes extensive touring in Israel, to places like Safed in the north and the Dead Sea in the south; interactive discussions and a behind-the-scenes look at Israeli politics; a camel ride in the desert and a Jeep tour in the Golan; Shabbat in Jerusalem; and everyday Israeli experiences, like buying snacks at an open-air market. Kosher food is served at tour-sponsored activities, and there is no travel on Shabbat. The groups include a rabbi from back home.

Rabbi Pinny Andrusier has led other trips to Israel, but said nothing tops his most recent one with Mayanot Legacy. In June, a group of 15 from his South Florida community took part in the program, which is geared specifically for adults. The Florida group joined 20 other individuals from cities such as New York, Boston and Atlanta.

Andrusier, co-director of Chabad Lubavitch of Southwest Broward in Cooper City, Fla., and his wife, Gitty, co-director, served as the group’s spiritual leaders.

Andrusier wraps tefillin with participant Steven Sztab

According to the rabbi, the attendees were all “first-timers” in Israel, with very limited exposure to Jewish history, custom and observance. At first, Andrusier thought they would be wary having a rabbi with them; most of the attendees’ other travels included locales like Italy, Ireland and Costa Rica. So he was impressed by how the group embraced both him and the overall experience—a distinctly Jewish one—“with open arms.”

Cory Browarnik from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said it was “a life-changing trip—insightful, informative, even magical. Through the knowledge of our tour guide and Rabbi Pinny, I felt like I really got to live and breathe Israel, both past and present. I know I will stay forever connected.”

Connecting in Numerous Ways

During the trip, one woman asked if she could become a bat mitzvah; about a dozen other participants wanted to as well. The rabbi replied that he had to think about the request and what to do. While at the Western Wall in Jerusalem—near the flagpole where men and women do not have to separate—he explained to the group that the word mitzvah means “connection.”

He went on to explain that they all arrived five days earlier as strangers and now felt connected to one another, to the Jewish people, to Israel, to the place they were standing—where the Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple, once stood—and, most importantly, to G‑d.

Dancing during a visit to Jerusalem, a significant part of the program for the group of “first-timers” to Israel.

“You are really bat mitzvahed in the most meaningful sense,” he said. “So how do we celebrate that? By doing mitzvahs.”

Therefore, he encouraged men to put on tefillin and women to light Shabbat candles. The group also did some volunteer work at Pantry Packers, a food-distribution project of the social-service agency Colel Chabad. “It means taking it upon yourselves to do mitzvahs,” said Andrusier.

“It was a powerful moment,” he added, and the group was “very active, very into it.” He also led 31 people to an unplanned, middle-of-the-night trip to the Western Wall, the Kotel.

While wandering through the Jewish Quarter, he told the group that they would be back the next day for a little shopping. One of the vendors overheard him and blurted out: “Why not today?”

The rabbi loved that response. “That’s right; why not today? We’re always pushing things off,” he said. “Whether it’s doing mitzvahs or asking for Moshiach—why not today?”

That became the group’s slogan on T-shirts and in the messages they later exchanged. They even created a Facebook page, continuing to communicate regularly.

“Everybody gelled. They’re the same age, same open minds. Really not one glitch in the whole trip,” he said. “The participants were just blown away—so many are taking on mitzvahs.”

On the schedule was some volunteer work, helping box up food for the needy at Colel Chabad’s Pantry Packers.

In fact, Andrusier said they told him: “We never had a rabbi; you are our rabbi.”

Exposing a Different Generation

The next trip is scheduled for October, with three more in the works for 2015.

“Mayanot Legacy is a way to give parents a taste of what their kids had, exposing another generation to both Israel and their Jewish heritage,” explained Tsiona Mann David of Israel Maven, the tour company that handles the land arrangements during the tour.

Barbara Katz from Cooper City, Fla., said “our trip is something I will remember and talk about for the rest of my life. It was absolutely perfect! I laughed, I cried, I made friends for life, and not to mention ate my way through Israel. There really are no words to describe how much this trip meant to me other than to say, I would love to do it all again tomorrow.”

Lori Green, also a resident of Cooper City, also had a lot to add. “Mitch and I started the journey with a group of people and quickly became ‘family.’ Having both a guide and spiritual leader provided a tremendous amount of insight into the places we toured, and pulled everything we saw together to create a better understanding of things we heard about growing up or while celebrating or observing holidays.”

Mayanot participant Mitch Green and the rabbi cool off at Ein Gedi in the south of Israel.

Another participant was Debby Eisinger, who served as former mayor of Cooper City for eight years and before that was a city commissioner. “Connecting with our heritage, engaging in lessons about our history and culture, and seeing the land has opened our minds and hearts to the beauty of Israel,” she said.

“Without question, this trip was so exceptionally remarkable because of the wonderful longtime friends and new friends who shared this journey with us,” continued Eisinger. “There was a special chemistry that clicked from the moment the tour began and continued throughout the trip. That last evening, as we sat on the beach of Tel Aviv, there was a true sincerity and genuine passion in the parting comments shared by each member of the group.”

For more information, go to www.mayanotlegacy.com.

Taking time to pray at Western Wall in Jerusalem

The Dan Panorama Hotel in Jerusalem welcomes the Mayanot Legacy group.

(Bus number 756, were in Israel on June 9th-19^th)

On one of our most recent Taglit-Birthright Israel: MAYANOT trips, we had a bat mitzvah girl in our midst, although she was not the typical age of twelve or thirteen, we wanted to help her celebrate nonetheless.

Not everyone is lucky enough to celebrate a bat mitzvah but when participants come with us to Israel we try and make sure everyone has the opportunity to celebrate.

This is the amazing speech Lauren Messano, from Westchester NY, gave as she was standing on Masada being Bat Mitzvahed,

“Growing up half Jewish and half Catholic and not very religious it was difficult to figure out my identity through religion. My parents told me it was up to me whether I wanted to go to CCD or Hebrew school as long I was happy. We would still celebrate the high holidays. However I never really knew what either of them truly meant. It seemed as if I was making a choice between my mom and dad in "choosing" what religion I would practice. I didn't want to make the other parent feel bad if I didn't choose theirs. I started Hebrew school for 2 months but with the stress of thinking my dad was mad at me for not choosing to be catholic and starting as a late bloomer attending Hebrew school and having so much work to catch up on in Hebrew school I decided it wasn't for me. Now being on this trip with all of you all I realize it never had to be a choice. The answer was always deep within in me it just took all of you guys and this beautiful country of Israel to connect with Judaism. Today being at the Masada and being able to consider myself a woman and have you all here to celebrate is an honor. I have learned so much and know this is just the beginning of my connection to my Jewish roots and am hopeful and excited for what is to come. I'm so happy to have met you all and thank birthright for this opportunity to find myself as well as a new Jewish family in which we all share this special bond from our journey these past 10 days. Even though we might not all be in the holy land of Israel together again, I will always cherish these memories and friendships made and hope we cross paths again”. 

Florida Rabbi Speaks in Jerusalem

A rabbi from Palm Beach helped launch the Mayanot Women's summer program in Jerusalem despite Israel being under fire.

The summer program at Mayanot Institute In Jerusalem recently began and the women were in for a special treat.

Rabbi Moshe Scheiner of Palm Beach Florida, farbrenged in honor of Yud Beis Tammuz. He discussed topics such as Jewish birthdays, Divine providence and the power of one mitzva. All those listening to the heartfelt and powerful words were deeply moved by what they heard.

Orah Simcha Farhi, who is a current student and participant in the 2014 summer session at Mayanot commented, "what stood out the most was the obvious Divine providence, when someone gives over a personal story from their own lives, it strikes the deepest chords in you."

Rabbi Scheiner discussed Jewish birthdays and their importance in our lives, "your Hebrew birthdays has a special Mazal for you, you have a special power to give blessings... the divine flow and energy that is earmarked specifically for you comes down on that day."

He also addressed the current issues, in the wake of recent events in Eretz Yisroel and how we are encouraged to take the situation in stride. The necessity and importance of hearing words of encouragement and comfort, could not be more appropriate.

"Sometimes in life we live with worries but there is nothing to worry about - it's all smoke and mirrors," he said. "Our goal is too fear nothing but Hashem and if we can do that we will never live in the shadow of fear."

It is no coincidence that the Rebbe instituted the 'mivtzoyim' of tefillin during the 6 day war. "Our real protection is the teffilin," he said.

Rabbi Scheiner mesmerized the women as he told them stories from his personal life, how he met his wife and when he would go on mivztoyim as a teenager.

He went on to tell the women about a particular story, in his own life, where he put teffilin on a man in the S. Thomas island in the Virgin Islands. The impact it had changed the man’s life and only 23 years later did he realize that that one mitzvah had such a huge impact.

Rabbi Scheiner aptly explained, "you never know where things will lead, but you have to take the first step, one mitzvah leads to another."

He demonstrated how important reaching out to every Jew is and how the seemingly smallest act can tip the scale in a Jew’s life.

Students thanked Rabbi Scheiner for how beautifully he articulated what was on his mind and shared it in a personal and uplifting manner.

Please view the link below for any more information on the Mayanot Women’s Program, they would be more than happy to welcome you. http://www.mayanot.edu