The Ma'aynei Hayeshua Kiruv Movement
Tnuat Ma'aynei Hayeshua was founded in 2000 by Avichay Buaron, an attorney, and members of the Religious Zionist community in Israel, in response to the growing thirst felt among standard Israelis for a non-superficial Jewish identity and Jewish meaning.
Today, Ma’aynei Hayeshua runs 100 manned Outreach Stands throughout Israel (for donning Tefillin, distributing Shabbat candles, and discussing Judaism with passersby), 2,000 Chavrutot relationships annually via its Chavruta Coordination Center (with 50 new requests each week), 2 all-day Outreach Centers for Jewish Activity with programs 24/7, an all-day Beit Midrash for the newly-religious, 500 activists implementing weekly activities, a year-round Outreach Training School, and produces and distributes 10,000 Jewish outreach materials, and original Jewish music and booklets.
Background
Ten years ago, members of the Religious Zionist community in Israel began to feel that their community's values of Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael, and Torat Yisrael were not achieving their potential impact on the Israeli psyche, despite their wide popularity among Israelis. They concluded that the great cultural rifts in contemporary Israeli society had made the depths of Jewish learning and the beauty of Jewish experiences inaccessible to the standard Israeli. With a burning desire to open the doors of Judaism to the common Israeli in a Religious Zionist context, and with the guidance of prominent community rabbis, the Ma'aynei Hayeshua Kiruv Movement was established.
Influence
Ma’aynei Hayeshua influences the Israeli public via massive outreach campaigns. Its activities currently include: A popular 16-page weekly magazine circulated every Friday to 70,000 Israelis throughout Israel Over 100 Jewish Outreach Stands throughout Israel on Fridays and Erev Chag, 7 of them by young couples Distribution of 10,000 Jewish outreach publications and Shabbat candles 500 activists implementing weekly activities 2,000 chavrutot matched, with 50 new requests for in-depth Torah study every week An all-year-round Religious Zionist Shlichim School, which includes two annual semesters of 14 meetings each. 300 graduates. Two popular Outreach Centers of Jewish Activity, with programs 24/7 Production and distribution of original books, booklets, and the widely-acclaimed original Jewish music disc, "Krume Zulut" The Movement's activity has grown significantly since last year in response to increasing demand. Forty thousand Shabbat candles were distributed last year; the same amount was distributed this year in just three months. Also, the number of Israelis exposed to the Movement's "Jewish hasbara" street activities more than doubled since last year.
Outreach projects
Ma'aynei Hayeshua's projects are aimed to encounter the average Israeli during his daily routine and leisure time. The flagship project, the network of Outreach Stands throughout Israel, are operated near shopping malls, commercial centers, business areas, and public parks and universities. Once a relationship is formed, "customers" are directed to steady Jewish activities, like a chavrusa, or locations where Judaism and Jewish culture can be explored in a group setting, such as at the Beit Mayim Jewish Awareness Centers in Haifa and Kfar Saba. Young Families Project About eight years ago, Ma'aynei Hayeshua's activists began operating Jewish Outreach Stands. It began with rickety wooden tables, faded tablecloths, and a great deal of motivation. As time went on, the Movement refined its methods. Specially-designed Outreach Stands replaced the wooden ones, and paperback or hardback books and disks replaced the fliers and booklets. These materials helped the activists refer thousands of secular Jews seeking to taste Yiddishkeit to the Ma'aynei Hayeshua Kiruv Movement's Coordination Center.
The Movement underwent a process which brought great developments over the last year. More professionalism, better reporting, better achievements, and scholarships. Exactly one year ago, the Couples Project began.
Last Elul, there were first seven families which joined the project and receive monthly scholarships in return for their activity. Amazingly, the couples' activity brought about a steep rise in the number of secular Jews who were either referred to the Coordination Center or "adopted" by the families themselves. The amount of Jewish hasbara materials increased significantly. The effectiveness of the families' activity (when compared to volunteer activities) stemmed from the families' obligation to insure steady activity and to reach the planned objectives. This is a direct result of the scholarships they received. Due to this obligation, the level of reporting improved tremendously.
Vision behind the Young Families Project
In light of these improvements, Ma'aynei Hayeshua decided to invest practically all its efforts and resources in recruiting more and more families with scholarships. The vision which crystallized over the past year, and which guides the Movement in its daily efforts, is the formation of 1,000 recruits/scholarships. These scholarships will enable the operation of one thousand young couples and families from the Religious Zionist community, in kiruv and hasbara activities.
Statistics
The reality (based on last year's statistics) is that each couple partaking in weekly outreach activity refers on-average one secular Jew who desires a closer encounter with Judaism. Based on these findings, 1,000 young families will refer about 1,000 secular Jews each week—4,000 each month.
Jewish Outreach Stands
Ma'aynei Hayeshua operates one hundred outreach stands on Fridays and Erev Chag, when Israelis often have their day off in order to do their leisure-shopping and errands for Shabbat. This is the "prime time" for Jewish activity, whether donning Tefillin on people, or handing out Shabbat candles with a smile to pedestrians. 500 activists take part in the Outreach Stands project. Some are regular working people who have chosen to do a service to the community during their day off. Some are yeshiva and midrasha or university students who have the burning desire to share their most treasured asset with their fellow Jews: Judaism.
Outreach Stands manned by young couples have proven to be the most effective. Therefore, Ma'aynei Hayeshua has set a goal this year to finance 1,000 Outreach Stands across Israel, particularly with young couples. Stipends are provided to these couples for their time.
- Objectives:
- The distribution of outreach materials on various Jewish topics in order to make Judaism accessible to the general public.
- Referral of secular Jews who are interested in knowing more about Judaism to relevant frameworks—shiurim, chavrutot, and more, via the Chavruta Coordination Room at the movement's offices.
Open Centers of Jewish Activity - "Batei Mayim"
"Batei Mayim" respond to the needs of many Jews who seek experiential and spiritually-uplifting Jewish content. The Open Centers conduct shiurim, plays, workshops, and more, while providing personal guidance for all visitors. Afterwards, those who are interested in learning and becoming familiar with Judaism in a more organized fashion are referred to relevant frameworks.
Beit Mayim-Ma'aynei Hayeshua in Haifa and Kfar Saba:
The Ma'aynei Hayeshua movement has established an Open Center of Jewish Activity in the city of Haifa. Over the last few years, the ability of centers such as these has become increasingly apparent as an important cause in bringing Jews closer to Judaism. The Jewish family, the simcha of their children, the light of Shabbat and warm hospitality—all provide the opportunity to get re-introduced to Judaism in a fresh, special way. The Open Centers of Jewish Activity are used as a meeting place for the many young people and students living in Haifa to sit together around a Shabbat table and participate in workshops and shiurim. In addition, the Open Center serves as a starting point for kiruv initiatives in the city, local schools, kindergartens, and for cultural events.
Ma'aynei Hayeshua in Yerushalayim:
Young Jerusalemites benefit from this unique place in the capital, which welcomes them with warmth and joy. The spot is designed for young people after their army service. Hundreds of young men and women have benefited over the years from the blessed activities here, and have grown stronger in their love of Torah and Am Yisrael. Beit Mayim in the Nachalat Shiv'a neighborhood has operated in Yerushalayim for five years. Due to constraints of lack of space to incorporate all of the blessed activity, we moved our residency to Shamai St. downtown. Due to organizational changes made last year, it was active on a limited scale; this year it is designed to return to its full capacity.
Chavrusa Project
Every week, the activists at the Outreach Stands refer many people who don't only want to don Tefillin, receive Shabbat candles, publications, discs, etc.—but want a little more. They don't want their encounter with Judaism to end here; rather this is only where their story begins. From there, we do our best to refer them onwards to rabbis, shiurim in their neighborhoods, and more. The pinnacle of these referrals is the Chavruta, because of its superior advantage in the forming of a continuous relationship with the applicant, whether frontally or via telephone from the office.
Shlichim Training School
The Shlichim Training School runs two courses annually, by semester. Each course is fourteen meetings. Every meeting features two lectures given by professionals, psychologists, rabbis, salesmen, directors of non-profits, and more. These instructors are among the best in their fields.
Publications and Distribution of Jewish Cultural Alternatives
The great publishing houses and recording studios set the cultural tone in Israel more than anything else today. Therefore, one of Ma'aynei Hayeshua's main objectives is to distribute quality, professionally-made books, booklets, and discs, which market Judaism as an attractive product. These materials have become popular and are sought-after by the public.