The Mayanot Blog

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 larg

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 in Jerusalem , 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 participa

(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 reli

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 ener