JERUSALEM, Israel [CHI] — Jerusalem's Meorot Chabad becomes first Chabad School in Israel for niche demographic.

It's almost an official tradition among many Jewish high-school graduates throughout the worldwide Diaspora: going to Israel for studies almost immediately after high school.

The Chabad Response to Diaspora Teens “Year in Israel”

JERUSALEM, Israel [CHI] — Jerusalem’s Meorot Chabad becomes first Chabad School in Israel for niche demographic.

It’s almost an official tradition among many Jewish high-school graduates throughout the worldwide Diaspora: going to Israel for studies almost immediately after high school.

It is increasingly commonplace for Diaspora Jewish teens to take a break ranging from a few months to a year after the rigors of high school before beginning the heightened rigors of college. And for this demographics’ Jewish contingent, it’s increasingly commonplace to take that break in Israel—and an entire industry has sprung up to serve this growing market.

From Modern Orthodox through Litvish and Yeshivish, dozens of schools and programs exist in Israel to cater to these young Jews’ diverse reasons for going to Israel. Indeed, a joint project of the Jewish Agency and the Government of Israel called MASA provides scholarships to over 150 educational programs in Israel for foreign students.

However, not a single program exists specifically for post-high-school Jewish men with Chabad community backgrounds aged 18 and 19.

Until now, that is. Enter Meorot Chabad.

For years, The Shluchim Office has fielded numerous requests by Shluchim—and after years of Shluchim watching teen Mekuravim return from Israeli Yeshivos alienated from Chassidus, Lubavitch, and the Rebbe—The Shluchim Office is pleased to announce the launch of this new program.

The Meorot Chabad Yeshivah College of Jewish Studies, a new post-high school men’s Chabad program in Israel, is located in Jerusalem, Israel and is under the direction of well-known educators Rabbis Yosef Malkin & Uri Gamson and veteran headmaster Rabbi Chaim Greenberg. Focusing specifically on teens ages 18 and 19, it is a joint project between Rabbis Greenberg and Malkin and The Shluchim Office—and the first school in Israel geared specifically for Chabad-affiliated teens spending a year or a semester in Israel between high school and college/career.

With its first pilot program wrapping up this winter, the small group of attending students, who hail from Chabad communities across the United States, are producing remarkably successful results, according to reports from participating Shluchim.
A committee of Shluchim and noted Mechanchim from the U.S., South Africa, Australia, and Europe has been formed to advise and assist with the development of this new Yeshivah. Members of this committee include Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld, Dean of Lubavitch Yeshiva Schools, Pittsburgh, PA; Rabbi Dovid Yitzchok Hazdan, Director of The Torah Academy, Johannesburg, South Africa; Rabbi Levi Sudak, Shliach to Edgware, UK, Rabbi Pinchas Ash, Jewish Studies Director at Yeshiva College Boys High School, Melbourne, Australia; Rabbi Yitzchok Newman, Principal of Hebrew Academy Chabad, Long Beach, CA; and Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum, Principal of Lubavitch Yeshiva Schools, Pittsburgh, PA.

The Meorot Chabad project was initiated by The Shluchim Office Advisory Board and Special Project Development Committee: a committee dedicated to isolating and responding to the needs of Shluchim worldwide. The Advisory Board’s members are Rabbi Sholom Lipskar, FL; Rabbi Yosef Gopin, CT; Rabbi Yossi Groner, NC; Rabbi Yitzchok Wolf, IL; Rabbi Yossi Kessler, QUE; Rabbi Yossi Shemtov, AZ; Rabbi Yosef Greenberg, AK; Rabbi Hershel Spalter, Costa Rica; and Rabbi Berel Levertov, NM.

For more info please contact Rabbi Chaim Greenberg in Israel at 011-972-2-580-6732, email crc@bezqint.net, fax 011-972-1532-580-6732, Rabbi Yosef Greenberg in the US at 907-279-1200, email lubavitchofak@gci.net or Rabbi Gedalya Shemtov of The Shluchim Office at 718-221-0500 or gshemtov@shluchim.org

For the Meorot Chabad brochure Click Here

One Comment

  • Terrific Idea

    About time!
    I have so many friends of mine that were close to Chabad, then went to Israel for the year to study post high-school, pre-college. The yeshivas included schools like O.J. (Ohr Yerushalayim), BMT (Beit Midrash L’Torah), KBY (Kerem B’Yavneh), etc. The Yeshivas are not bad places. Many of my friends did quite well there. However, they definitely came back with a more neutralized view of Chabad.
    Additionally, some of my friends were actually “borderline” Chabad. However, wanting to go to Israel, they would end up in one if these Yeshivas and easily be influenced away from Chabad.
    This is a great concept and I hope it works.