New navy officer Lt. Nitzan Elkon, an alumna of Mechinat Rabin, joins Rabin graduate Maya Spier, who completed training in March 2019. Together, they account for half of all women who have completed naval officer training in the past year!

Not long ago, women’s mechinot, such as Tzahali and Lapidot, were mainly for young religious women getting ready to serve in the IDF. In recent years, though, a number of non-Orthodox mechinot have answered the challenge, too. In honor of Women’s Day 2020, a mechina director and a mechina head explain why they chose to offer a single-sex mechina experience

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

Ignoring the fissures in Israeli society, she decided in a moment of inspiration to launch a far-reaching project of exposure to Israelis’ different models of Shabbat. Two years later, armed with a big smile, Tifferet Oryah is processing the powerful experience she arranged for herself, finishing a book about the experience, and preparing an intimate lecture about her journey

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

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

“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

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

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

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

Who are the IDF’s new officers?

We salute the IDF Human Resources Directorate!

We’re starting off the year with some new numbers

Dear Mechina Staff and Students,

The Joint Council of Mechinot (Pre-Military Leadership Academies) wishes you a year of fulfillment, enjoyment, and learning.

Be your best!

A new year begins, and with it new participants in Shibolim and Link 20’s unique joint leadership program. The goal: to improve equality of opportunity and boost awareness of the participation of individuals with disabilities in society