Mayanot Trip Leaders Gather in Crown Heights

Yesterday, Mayanot Israel hosted more than 30 of their Taglit-Birthright Israel trip leaders in an interactive and entertaining seminar. The staff, rookies and veterans alike, shared ideas and experiences from trips and for trips.

Mayanot’s highly successful Taglit-Birthright Israel trips have attracted many couples and Shluchim from across the USA to serve as trip leaders. With the trips being focused on “experiential education,” the experience itself it where the investment lies. At Mayanot, Shluchim are chosen to deliver that message through “living Yiddishkeit” with the participants.

In 1964, the Rebbe said to Geulah Cohen, a reporter for the Maariv Magazine, that his belief was that what “it takes ten days to accomplish in Eretz Hakodesh, it takes ten years to accomplish in Chutz Laaretz!”

Rabbi Shlomo Gestetner, dean of the organization opened the event with this, explaining that he feel that Taglit-Birthright Israel brings to fruition this opportunity expressed by the Rebbe. In his opening remarks, Rabbi Gestetner pointed out that, on the heels of the just concluded Kinus Hashluchim Haolami, the staff that commit to leading Taglit-Birthright Israel: Mayanot trips are fulfilling a unique type of Shlichus!

After offering thanks to the events organizers, Levi Margolin, Yaakov Werde and Dov Oliver, Rabbi Gestetner introduced Rabbi Eiezer Sneiderman, director of Chabad at University of Delaware who serves on Mayanot’s educational panel, to discuss his theories, stories and anecdotes.

Levi Margolin said the day’s goal was met, and surpassed. “The energy in the room, the passion with which our trip leaders approach the responsibility, their desire to learn and their willingness to share their personal experiences is what makes Mayanot’s trip staff teams the most successful in the business” he said. “Through hands-on learning and sharing, our trips aren’t going to become good trips, they are going from good to great!”

Rabbi Dov Hillel Klein, director of the Tannenbaum Chabad House at Northwestern University, with a bevy of stories from his most-in-the-organization 29 trips led (!), allowed the crowd to tap into his wealth of knowledge as part of a Q&A panel rounded out by Rabbis Sneiderman, Yakov Werde, Dov Oliver and Levi Margolin.

The panel touched on the real topics that come along with leading a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip with Mayanot. Some fan favorites, as evident by the enthusiastic dialogue they produced, including how to best connect to the participants, creating the most positive staff team and how to influence your group on Jewish topics in the most productive ways while maintaining the perfect balance to keep them involved.

Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov, director of the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies stated his distinct appreciation for all who take the time, make the commitment and go through the motions of leading Mayanot’s Taglit-Birthright Israel trips. Rabbi Shemtov thanked them for their partnership and encouraged them to keep that flame alive and encourage the flame to grow!

Mr. Steve Eisenberg, who presented during the first part of the seminar, ended with a personal story of the Rebbe and relayed the Rebbe’s brochos to those leading Mayanot’s trips. “The Rebbe said to me, ‘you should be more successful than even you could imagine!’ I wish the same for each of you!”

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