The Mayanot Israel
Alumni Women's Network gathered on Tuesday May 23rd, for their second
meeting. Graciously, Mrs. Rivka
Marga Gestetner, the Mayanot Women's Program educational director, offered her home
for the gathering.
It was fitting that the women's reunion
occurred the evening of Yom Yerushalayim, celebrating the anniversary of 50
years of the reunification. The city was celebrating a reunion and so were the
Mayanot women! It was a wonderful atmosphere, as all of the women who gathered, have made Aliyah
themselves, building a life here, in Jerusalem.
The group spanned several
years of Mayanot alumni. Some students present had attended the very first year
of the program, while others represented the most recent graduating
class. It was
wonderful catching up, and being able to hear what everyone is doing in their
life, building families, careers and doing it in Israel.
The new
Scholar in residence, Mrs. Freidy Yanover shared Torah
relating to Shavuot and was lucky enough to meet all of the Alumni
in attendance.
Mrs. Yanover eloquently
spoke about receiving the Torah on Shavuot, the Jewish people's marriage
to G-d, and our level of choice at Sinai & in our everyday lives. She shared how, "the Sinai
experience is a feminine one, in that it’s fluid and not static. We may feel
far at times, or even down, but we must always remember our relationship can
never be ruptured, it can always be repaired."
Rivka Marga, whose
hospitality is unparalleled, prepared a beautiful table including: cheesecake,
homemade jam, granola, yogurt and wonderful platters of Israeli fruit.
She fabrengened with the women regarding gratitude, sharing,
"It's amazing
that G-d gave us a neshamah (soul) but it's even more amazing
that he let us know that we have a neshamah (soul)."
Mayanot thanks all the
women that came out and participated in this wonderful evening of sharing, fabrenging and
learning, and hope that this beautiful tradition of gathering to
learn, and reconnecting only continues!
To find out more about hosting Mayanot alumni
events in your city, please contact: [email protected]
