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Returning to routine: A review of mechina volunteer work during the coronavirus crisis
As the coronavirus crisis concludes, the mechinot are getting back to routine. During the crisis, mechina students dedicated themselves to a wide variety of relief efforts and volunteer operations throughout Israel, and now it’s time to wrap up. Watch here
Joint Council of Mechinot wins 2020 Jerusalem Unity Prize
Today (Tuesday, June 2) we mark Jewish Unity Day for the sixth time. This year’s theme: Alone and United . At an inspiring ceremony with the participation of President Reuven Rivlin, the Ifrach, Shaer, and Fraenkel families awarded the Jerusalem Unity Prize to the Joint Council of Mechinot. We’re proud to represent the entire mechina enterprise!
Two years later: Thousands participate in memorial ceremony for victims of Mechinat Bnei Zion disaster
The ceremony, held in Tzafit Gully with bereaved families, mechina heads, and public figures, was broadcast to all mechina students. Zamir: “All of us are astounded and grateful for the nobility of character shown by the parents, who are a fundamental part of righting what is wrong”
Mechinot collaborate with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael to combat coronavirus
Thanks to our friends at KKL and HaShomer HaChadash for helping with connections and logistics. All activities are conducted according to the directives of the Ministry of Health
Students from the Mechina of the Upper Galilee fill in for quarantined Aleh staff
This week, some 2,500 mechina students took up a wide range of volunteer responsibilities in agriculture, daycare for children of medical professionals, Magen David Adom call centers, and assistance for at-risk groups. Zamir: “We’re carrying out the mechina students’ ultimate, bottom–up demand for action”
Community service in the shadow of the coronavirus: An update from Shibolim participants
The new reality in which we find ourselves has forced the mechinot to answer the call and alter their activities accordingly. Even in this difficult time, community volunteering is a mainstay of the mechina world. Hundreds of students, including Shibolim participants, have mobilized for action in a variety of fields
Mechina Students Still Learning and Volunteering
Over 3,000 mechinot students are volunteering in different areas - from helping agricultural businesses, through staffing daycares, answering calls at the Magen David Adom hotline to online tutoring sessions and helping the elderly. The mechina lessons are being taught online and over 1,700 lessons conducted to over 3,000 students
Answering the call: The Mechinot students for the agriculturists of Israel
Mechina students volunteering with agricultural businesses in coronavirus crisis. Zamir: “Above all, a mechina educates young people about answering the call, commitment to the Jewish people, and commitment to Israeli society”
A virtual beit midrash: The students of the mechinot are in. What about you?
In light of the spread of the coronavirus and the directives of Israel’s Ministry of Health, the Joint Council of Mechinot is launching an online database of lessons from the mechinot
Accessible intercity transit: Shibolink launches a new campaign
This year, the students of Shibolink decided to build awareness of public transport accessibility. As they wrote to Minister of Transport Bezalel Smotrich, “Whether individuals with disabilities can integrate in society is heavily dependent on their ability to move around independently and on the accessibility of mass transit.” Their request: make 10 existing intercity lines physically and sensorily accessible
Diaspora Jewry and Israel: An AmiUnity seminar for mechina students
Participants at the one-of-a-kind event learned about Diaspora Jewry, talked about Jewish peoplehood, and heard the stories of students who decided to come to Israel to attend mechina. The event is one of the three AmiUnity seminars being conducted for the mechinot this year
The Council of Mechina Students 2.0: Dozens attend first session of 2019–2020
Activism, responsibility, and unity. These are the values that the council chose for this year. At a busy first session, students learned about the different mechinot and the Joint Council of Mechinot, and worked together to come up with a shared project to execute this year
Going out with a bang: After 20 years of partnership, the Joint Council of Mechinot bids farewell to the Avi Chai Foundation
“The men and women of the foundation were true partners who helped us probe, learn, improve our professional capacities and contend with what required improvement, and construct an enthralling and vibrant world of renewal and creativity that is Jewish, socially oriented, and current”, wrote Joint Council CEO Dani Zamir. The complete farewell as it appeared on Facebook
Be’Artzeinu at the Makor Rishon Conference: “There is space in the periphery both for self-actualization and for mission and meaning”
The recent Makor Rishon Conference in Jerusalem was attended by the leaders of Be’Artzeinu, the Mechina Alumni Community-Building Project, with the goal of publicizing the community-building movement led by mechina graduates in the Negev and the Galilee. The project is led by Be’Artzeinu along with KKL as part of KKL–JNF 2040: Moving to the Land of Tomorrow
A historic moment: Launching the Movement of Mechina Alumni in North America
The inauguration of the Movement of Mechina Alumni in North America came on a packed weened at the IAC National Summit in Miami. Joint Council of Mechinot CEO Dani Zamir said: “The Jewish and Israeli community in the United States is in need of involved young people, and mechina alumni studying there are just what the doctor ordered”
“At mechina, I realized that I’m able to develop a life of independence”
The Ministry of Justice held a conference to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. At a roundtable discussion of leadership development among young people with disabilities, Maya Lander, a graduate of Shibolim at Mechinat BINA, talked about her experiences during the mechina year
To Jerusalem on a Trekker: Mechinat Lachish shows how it’s done - even with a physical disability
Shibolim has been working for three years already to make it possible for young people with disabilities to participate in mechina, with all the challenges and adjustments that come with that. A look at a trek by Mechinat Lachish, complete with off-road wheelchairs for those with disabilities
Training Base 1: 27.5% of field unit training graduates are mechina alumni
Who are the IDF’s new officers?
Shibolim grad to IDF Human Resources Directorate commander: This is how I got my dream job
We salute the IDF Human Resources Directorate!
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