Mayanot Alumni Reunite

The Mayanot 15th anniversary reunion was a resounding success. Over 300 alumni and their wives and children came together for a Shabbos that gave them the opportunity to relive their time at Yeshiva.

Rabbi Shlomo Gestetner, Dean of Mayanot, together with the Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yisroel Noach Wichnin and the director of the Women’s Program Rabbi Meir Levinger, flew in from Israel especially to join in the event with the Executive Director Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov, who is based in the United States for the year to expand all Mayanot activities.

The event started on Friday, with attendees reuniting with friends they had not seen in years, embracing and reminiscing over the good times they had spent at the yeshiva. Finally they settled down to begin the scheduled program. Starting with classes and workshops, it was as if they were back in the shiurim they had taken part in at Mayanot.

The chayus at kabbalas Shabbos was only one example of the excitement and energy which permeated the entire Shabbaton. This was followed by the simcha of the Friday night meal which was dominated by students sharing their memories of Yeshiva and imparting what they had learned in the different classes and from the different Rabbis. Many expressed the sentiment that their time at Mayanot had provided them with the tools to learn and grow in life, tools which have stood them well in their lives after Yeshiva.

After the meal Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch ma, presented a session on how to be an example of a true Jewish marriage. Following Rabbi Schonbuch’s talk, there was a farbrengen which stretched on into the early hours of the morning.

The program continued on Shabbos day with Chassidus and finished with Havdalah on Saturday night. Shabbos day was filled with many interesting shiurim and various activities for attendees and their children. Participants came together for the main meals of the day, discussing the shiurim they had been in and catching up with old friends.

The guest speaker at the Melavah Malkah on Motzei Shabbas was Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Vice Chairman of Merkos, who spoke about how Mayanot had grown, in its fifteen years, from an organization into a movement, affecting world Jewry.

Rabbi Avraham Silver, the mashpiah of the Mayanot Shul in Crown Heights said it was a privilege to be a member of staff that runs such an incredible and influential institution. The Chairman of Mayanot, Jeff Cohen, urged all the attendees to prioritize Mayanot in their charitable works and donations, in order to help and give back to the organization, so that it may grow even further and continue to have an impact on the Jewish community.

The Shabbaton reunion was a joint project between the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and the Mayanot Shul in Crown Heights, and was coordinated by Moishe Silver who attended to even the smallest detail, ensuring the great success of the reunion.