Machon Yaakov

Machon Yaakov is a Torah-oriented baal teshuva yeshiva for men located in Har Nof, Jerusalem, Israel. Its faculty and student body are all English speaking. The program, which is designed for students with little or no formal Jewish education, has a one-year minimum and a two-year maximum. Enrollment is limited to about 30 students, generally weighted about 2/3-1/3 between the first- and second- year programs. Students in the recent 2 years have drawn from about 8 countries, and universities such as Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, London School of Economics, University of Chicago and University of Michigan. Entrance into the yeshiva is competitive and by application only. Financial assistance is offered to students who are unable to pay tuition. Student ages are concentrated in the range of 20-30, with the median age falling at about 23-24. The faculty numbers 16 rabbis, which creates an extremely high ratio of teachers to students. Many faculty members are noted Torah scholars, authors and lecturers, and several hold accomplished records in business, academia, psychology and sports. The Rosh Yeshiva is Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld; the director of the yeshiva is Rabbi Avraham Yitzchok Jacobs.

Machon Yaakov offers a stimulating religious and intellectual environment that operates from a Torah and Talmudic based philosophy. According to its website: "Machon Yaakov's mission is to accept promising students with little formal Jewish educational background, and to create an environment that maximizes their spiritual, intellectual and character growth. Through its one- and two-year programs, Machon Yaakov seeks to connect its students to the full range of classical Jewish texts in philosophy, law and ethics. The program seeks to give its students the independence and the inspiration to continue a lifetime of Jewish growth. The goal is to inspire and nurture the Jewish leaders of the future. Every student is encouraged to express the uniqueness with which he was endowed. While a small percentage may find their calling as rabbis and teachers, the vast majority will naturally find their path towards expression as businessmen, doctors, lawyers and academics.

The program offers a broad range of subjects that include Talmud, Chumash, mussar, character development, relationships, ethics, Hebrew language (ulpan) and philosophy. The programs are housed in a stand-alone 5-story "villa" at the edge of the Jerusalem forest that contains classrooms, offices, study hall, dining facilities, dormitories, student lounge, exercise facilities and a half-basketball court.

External links

* [http://www.machonyaakov.org/ Machon Yaakov]