Hundreds to Head to Connecticut

By COLlive reporter

This upcoming Shabbos will mark 15 years since the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies opened its doors in the heart of Jerusalem.

What began as a small yeshiva with barely enough students to form a Minyan, has grown into one of the leading forces of Jewish education – it is one of the largest yeshivas catering to students with no formal education in Jewish studies.

Mayanot is also well-known for its hugely popular, bi-annual, winter and summer programs visiting the Holy land, and its partnership with Birthright over a decade to go to become one of the biggest trip providers, bringing thousands of young Jewish adults to Israel each year.

On top of all this, the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies recently began its Women’s Program which has just celebrated its 4th year. The Women’s Program has grown quickly and has become one of the most prestigious yeshivas for women worldwide.

This year, for the first time, hundreds of alumni from the past 15 years who today are community leaders, Rabbis, Shluchim, and lay leaders, will come together from across the US and Canada to spend Shabbas as part of the Mayanot family. The event will take place in Danbury, Connecticut. This reunion Shabbaton is an opportunity for alumni to share with their fellow students and their families in the unique Mayanot spirit which so enhanced their years at the yeshiva. Together, they will relive the feeling and bring the Mayanot atmosphere back into their lives.

Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov, the executive director, who is spending a year in the United States to devote time to recruitment and development of Mayanot, will be joined by the dean Rabbi Shlomo Gestetner, and the roshei yeshivas Rabbi Meir Levinger and Rabbi Yisroel Noach Wichnin, all of whom are flying in especially to take part in what will be a wonderful and memorable event.

The Shabbos will start on Friday noon time and will conclude on Sunday. The reunion is being held in the Danbury Plaza, a beautiful and warm setting for the reunion. Guests will enjoy fully catered meals throughout Shabbos including the Melavah Malkah dinner on Motzei Shabbas.

“The turn-out has been greater than expected,” says Rabbi Shemtov, “we had to ask the event coordinator Reb Moishe Silver to arrange extra accommodations to ensure there was enough room for everybody!”

“We are sure that the memories and the inspiration that guests will gain from taking part in this reunion Shabbaton will be taken back to their homes and will result in building an even more vibrant community,” said one of the event organizers.