Vision
Mekor Chaim Elementary School
Mekor Chaim Elementary School is guided by Rabbi Adin Even Israel Steinsaltz’s educational philosophy and world-view. The school has 450 students in the first to sixth grades (boys and girls, in separate classes) and an eighth grade class for boys. The student body is composed of students from different areas of Jerusalem and its environs. The long school day includes religious and secular studies, varied social and Torah-oriented activities, and supplemental afternoon and evening programs. Similarly, the school has created and enjoys a warm community atmosphere and encourages its students, their families, the staff and intellectuals to be involved in joint high-quality community activities. School’s goal is to educate toward developing good manners, fear of God, tolerance, mutual assistance and understanding, and to realize the students’ maximum personal and communal potential. Among the classes that are unique to the school are: music therapy and teaching musical instruments, technology, road safety, sciences, life skills, literacy, Hassidic stories, Mishnah and Talmud studies in havrutot, Jewish Philosophy, drama and sports. The school also organizes numerous unique projects, including: a community Beit Midrash for parents; afternoon workshops for students, a Beit Midrash program for the older classes, school-based teacher training sessions, a Mishnah memorization project, the MaPaH (Mishnah, Weekly Portion, Halachah) project, preparatory Bar-Mitzvah classes, a program to prepare students for high school, volunteer and charitable activities in a wide range of institutions and organizations, enrichment classes in the sciences, agriculture at the Agricultural Farm, Temple studies, organized innovative activities during recess breaks, coaching, sports and chess teams, creative writing workshops and more.
Mekor Chaim High School Yeshiva at Kfar Etzion
Mekor Chaim High School Yeshiva, presided over by Rabbi Steinsaltz and under the direction of Rabbi Dov Zinger and Rabbi David Rabinowitz, is celebrating its 26th anniversary. The Yeshiva is closely connected with Rabbi Adin Even Israel, whose personality and unique educational approach shed their light on staff and students: the demand for relentless self-fulfillment, without “discounts”; turning to the entire nation, out of profound concern for its continued existence; and the wide range of subjects which encompasses many and varied fields of knowledge. Some of the students even develop a personal relationship with the Rabbi and participate in a weekly study session on Faith and Chassidut. Every Thursday, Rabbi Adin comes to the Yeshiva to study and meet with staff and students. The Yeshiva operates in three different circles intertwined into an educational center: The inner circle of the Yeshiva has 300 students in 10 classes, from 9th to 12th Grade, including two special education classes.; The intermediate circle includes the Lifnai ve-Lifnim program for training teachers and educators in alternative teaching methods, with some 30 participants as well as a program for overseas students who study at the yeshiva for a few months. This year our overseas program includes a group of students from South Africa and a group from the US. The external circle, known as “The Beit Midrash for renewal,” deals with teaching and developing a language and tools to enable inspirational leadership of educational systems.
Mekor Chaim Junior High and High School In Bayit Vagan, Jerusalem Mekor Chaim-Netiv Meir Junior High School
Joint Mekor Chaim-Netiv Meir Junior High School has begun its third year. We have five classes with approximately 130 students. The education we offer combines the living Chassidic spirit of Mekor Chaim with seriousness and academic excellence. The curriculum includes Torah studies, including in-depth and extensive Talmud study, high-level general studies, enrichment and social activities, and extra-curricular studies such as scribing, painting, electronics, carpentry, music, computers, first aid, navigation, scouting, and more. Our curriculum allows us to devote quality time to students, both as individuals and in small groups. Every member of our young and vibrant teaching staff is accompanied by an assistant, which makes it possible for them to reach every single student, both in Talmud study and in terms of closeness and personal relationships. At the beginning of the winter we had a three-day “socializing” camp in a forest near Jerusalem. Joint Mekor Chaim-Netiv Meir High School This year we have opened the first 9th Grade class of our new High School. The school has set as its goal the development of a strong attachment to Torah and the joy of learning, in both religious and secular studies for all students, through close and empowering work with the staff. The school day begins at 7:30 and ends at 18:00 and is divided almost equally between religious and secular studies; on Thursdays students and staff study deep into the night. Our curriculum is accompanied by an extensive selection of activities, including volunteering (assisting blind people, helping at the Shalva club, and Clown Care), joint Shabbatot once a month, a “socializing” camp and elective classes and activities such as Beit Midrash, ecology, Arabic, and more. Although the school has no dormitory facilities, we have undertaken the difficult task of creating a home-like atmosphere that will enable students to express their various talents, as well as their academic abilities. Enrollment for the 2011-2012 school year has recently commenced.
Hesder Yeshiva in Teko’a Hesder Yeshiva in Teko’a, presided over by Rabbi Steinsaltz and headed by Rabbi Chaim Kafri, was established in 1999 in the settlement of Teko’a and today numbers some 140 students. Together with the Hesder program we have programs for married students, a yeshiva gevoha,(advanced yeshiva studies program), a Halachah program and a teachers training program. Rabbi Steinsaltz is involved in the yeshiva’s everyday life and forms warm personal relationships with the students. Twice a week he teaches classes in Talmud, Jewish thought and Chassidism. The atmosphere in the yeshiva is family-like, warm and open. The yeshiva encourages its students to write original treatises in Talmudic learning and to study a variety of subjects, such as Midrash, Chassidism, Rabbi Kook’s books, Zohar, philosophy, literature and creative writing. Our students serve in the IDF as fighters and officers. Studies in the yeshiva can be combined with classes at the Herzog College for a Bachelor of Education degree. Special Projects in the Yeshiva Oto ha-Kfar Movement – builds bridges between religious and secular youth. Tutoring Project – Yeshiva students “adopt” students from the Ahdut Yisrael elementary school in Teko’a, tutor them and help them with their homework. Bayit ba-Lev (literally: “A home in the heart”) – graduates and students have created a center combing cultural activities with Jewish studies and knowledge on Israel.
Masa Project – starting in the 2011-12 school year, we hope to participate in the Masa project in cooperation with the Jewish Agency, whose goal is to encourage Jewish youth from the Diaspora to come to Israel for a semester to a full year to study Judaism and do volunteer work.