Israel Programs WikiI loved it but depends on them and what they are looking for, if it suits them…then definitely!
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Machon Maayan
Machon Maayan (affiliated with OU Israel Center) · Givat Washington
#overseas-program#age-gap-year#girls-only#integration-low#rz-modern-orthodox#essence-spiritual-growth
Machon Maayan is a religious-Zionist program in Givat Washington, for gap-year students, women only.
A one-year Religious Zionist program for young women combining Torah courses, interactive seminars ( trips), and Israeli internships, geared especially toward students seeking a growth-oriented religious environment. Located in a large shared israeli campus with access to gym, pool, and a running track.
Poll results
Best for someone who wants an English-friendly landing · no prior learning background needed · to start from zero Hebrew
Rate this program
14 people have rated this program.
Would you recommend it to a friend?
1 Definitely not · 5 Definitely
Asked "Would you recommend it to a friend?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 4.6 out of 5 (1 = Definitely not, 5 = Definitely), based on 14 responses.
n=14How much did your connection to israel grow
1 It didn't · 5 Profoundly
Asked "How much did your connection to israel grow", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 4.6 out of 5 (1 = It didn't, 5 = Profoundly), based on 14 responses.
n=14How much did your Hebrew actually improve, honestly, by the end?
1 No improvement · 5 Completely Transformed
Asked "How much did your Hebrew actually improve, honestly, by the end?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 2.7 out of 5 (1 = No improvement, 5 = Completely Transformed), based on 14 responses.
n=14How did you typically spend your free evenings during the program?
1 Almost always stayed in5 Almost always went out
Closest to: Roughly even mix
Asked "How did you typically spend your free evenings during the program?", alumni of Machon Maayan answered closest to "Roughly even mix", based on 12 responses.
n=12How much did your experience depend on which specific staff/rabbis/madrichim you got?
1 Same for everyone5 Depended completely
Closest to: Depended somewhat
Asked "How much did your experience depend on which specific staff/rabbis/madrichim you got?", alumni of Machon Maayan answered closest to "Depended somewhat", based on 14 responses.
n=14How niche are the people that go to this program?
Not enough responses yet.
How much were you treated as an adult vs. managed like a student?
1 Completely like a student 5 Completely like an adult
Closest to: Half and Half
Asked "How much were you treated as an adult vs. managed like a student?", alumni of Machon Maayan answered closest to "Half and Half", based on 14 responses.
n=14How much freedom did you have over your own time and choices?
1 None5 I was free to do whatever I wanted
Closest to: A lot
Asked "How much freedom did you have over your own time and choices?", alumni of Machon Maayan answered closest to "A lot", based on 13 responses.
n=13How much prior Torah learning background did you need to keep up?
1 No background necessary5 In depth Gemara with proficient Aramaic
Closest to: 2
n=12How much did the program contribute to your desire to learn?
Not enough responses yet.
How much are you still learning now, after the program?
Not enough responses yet.
How much free time do you have outside of a learning schedule?
1 I had no free time outside of a learning schedule5 I had all the free time in the world
Closest to: I had an ok amount of free time
Asked "How much free time do you have outside of a learning schedule?", alumni of Machon Maayan answered closest to "I had an ok amount of free time", based on 14 responses.
n=14How was the food, realistically, day to day?
1 Not good at all · 5 5 Star Hotel
Asked "How was the food, realistically, day to day?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 3.0 out of 5 (1 = Not good at all, 5 = 5 Star Hotel), based on 14 responses.
n=14How would you rate the living conditions?
1 Not good at all · 5 5 Star Hotel
Asked "How would you rate the living conditions?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 3.9 out of 5 (1 = Not good at all, 5 = 5 Star Hotel), based on 14 responses.
n=14How much privacy/personal space did you have?
1 None/ Felt cramped · 5 All the space in the world
Asked "How much privacy/personal space did you have?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 3.5 out of 5 (1 = None/ Felt cramped, 5 = All the space in the world), based on 14 responses.
n=14How responsive was staff when something practical broke or went wrong?
1 Ignored it · 5 Fixed things immediately
Asked "How responsive was staff when something practical broke or went wrong?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 4.2 out of 5 (1 = Ignored it, 5 = Fixed things immediately), based on 14 responses.
n=14How much did the hebrew that you learned in the program stick or fade?
1 Faded Completely · 5 All the Hebrew I learned stayed with me
Asked "How much did the hebrew that you learned in the program stick or fade?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 3.0 out of 5 (1 = Faded Completely, 5 = All the Hebrew I learned stayed with me), based on 10 responses.
n=10How available are resources for learning hebrew, (ie ulpan)?
1 No resources available you are on your own · 5 All the resources available Ulpan everyday
Asked "How available are resources for learning hebrew, (ie ulpan)?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 3.3 out of 5 (1 = No resources available you are on your own, 5 = All the resources available Ulpan everyday), based on 11 responses.
n=11How much of the day did you need to use Hebrew vs. able to fall back on English?
1 Always able to speak English5 Always need to speak Hebrew
Closest to: Always able to speak English
Asked "How much of the day did you need to use Hebrew vs. able to fall back on English?", alumni of Machon Maayan answered closest to "Always able to speak English", based on 12 responses.
n=12How much prior Hebrew did you need to not feel lost?
1 No Hebrew5 Completely Fluent
Closest to: No Hebrew
Asked "How much prior Hebrew did you need to not feel lost?", alumni of Machon Maayan answered closest to "No Hebrew", based on 13 responses.
n=13How much did the program strengthen your intention to build a life in Israel?
1 No Effect · 5 Changed my direction
Asked "How much did the program strengthen your intention to build a life in Israel?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 4.3 out of 5 (1 = No Effect, 5 = Changed my direction), based on 12 responses.
n=12Did the program give you a real social circle of Israelis to lean on?
1 None · 5 A real support system
Asked "Did the program give you a real social circle of Israelis to lean on?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 3.2 out of 5 (1 = None, 5 = A real support system), based on 11 responses.
n=11How easily did you find people you clicked with?
1 Never really did · 5 Found my people fast
Asked "How easily did you find people you clicked with?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 4.8 out of 5 (1 = Never really did, 5 = Found my people fast), based on 12 responses.
n=12How much do you feel you gained close friendships that lasted?
1 None Lasted · 5 Lifelong Friends
Asked "How much do you feel you gained close friendships that lasted?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 5.0 out of 5 (1 = None Lasted, 5 = Lifelong Friends), based on 12 responses.
n=12How much did the social scene depend on your particular cohort?
Not enough responses yet.
How much did the program push you out of your comfort zone?
1 I stayed with-in my comfort zone5 I was pushed completely out of my comfort zone
Closest to: I was decently pushed
Asked "How much did the program push you out of your comfort zone?", alumni of Machon Maayan answered closest to "I was decently pushed", based on 13 responses.
n=13Did the learning translate into something you kept doing after the program?
1 No I did not continue any learning after the program · 5 Yes I have many chavrutot and do daily learning (ie daf yomi)
Asked "Did the learning translate into something you kept doing after the program?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 3.8 out of 5 (1 = No I did not continue any learning after the program, 5 = Yes I have many chavrutot and do daily learning (ie daf yomi)), based on 12 responses.
n=12Was the program what you expected, or different?
1 Much worse than expected5 Much better
Closest to: Better than expected
Asked "Was the program what you expected, or different?", alumni of Machon Maayan answered closest to "Better than expected", based on 12 responses.
n=12How much did the program actually make you want to stay in Israel?
1 No desire whatsoever · 5 Changed my trajectory
Asked "How much did the program actually make you want to stay in Israel?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 4.5 out of 5 (1 = No desire whatsoever, 5 = Changed my trajectory), based on 11 responses.
n=11How much are you still connected to learning now, after the program?
1 Not at all · 5 It's a part of my life
Asked "How much are you still connected to learning now, after the program?", alumni of Machon Maayan averaged 4.0 out of 5 (1 = Not at all, 5 = It's a part of my life), based on 13 responses.
n=13Who it's for
Especially good for young women from all types of backround who want a warm, growth-oriented year pairing Torah study with getting to know the land physically, and internships.
- Duration
- Gap Year — 1 year
- How to sign up
- Apply through the website's Apply page or schedule a one-on-one conversation via the 'Let's Talk' option https://machonmaayan.org/apply/
- Contact
- office@machonmaayan.orgNot yet verifiedhttps://machonmaayan.org/
Videos
Reviews
Would you recommend it to a friend?
How much did your connection to israel grow
I already had a deep connection to Israel before Machon Maayan, but it truly connected me so much more.
I used to have a negative feeling about Israel and then after I feel in love with it!
How much did your Hebrew actually improve, honestly, by the end?
It really transformed and I learned to read Rashi script
How did you typically spend your free evenings during the program?
At the beginning of the year I would go to town every night off but halfway through the year I started to prefer staying in
How much did your experience depend on which specific staff/rabbis/madrichim you got?
Ultimately you choose all of your classess, so if one didn't connect with a rabbi they dont need to learn with him..
The staff were really kind and supportive, and very big on the idea that growth is different for everyone so they were supportive of everyone no matter how they came out of the program at the end.
How much free time do you have outside of a learning schedule?
There are optional classess people can take during the breaks. I felt personally like there was a lot of free time so I fuilled my schedule. Although for people that need longer breaks, there is room for that.
If you go from public school it feels like very little free time but if you go from private school it feels like you hve so much more free time
How was the food, realistically, day to day?
Its regular israeli food from a cafeteria-- lunch was pretty good, but dinner was not so great
A lot of people complained about it but I didn’t think it was that bad at all. Some days are better than others but worse comes to worse you can always make yourself food
How would you rate the living conditions?
very nice dorms
Nice dorms. And I liked how there were only 3 girls to a room and each room had its own bathroom so there weren’t big communal bathrooms
How much privacy/personal space did you have?
Due to the fact that it is in a large campus, it is very easy to get personal space.
Me and my roommates were respectful that everyone wants some personal space sometimes so we would let each other have alone time in our room whenever someone asked for it
How responsive was staff when something practical broke or went wrong?
There is someone specifically on this
Shoutout Rav K
How available are resources for learning hebrew, (ie ulpan)?
There is an ulpan, but it has changed greatly since I jave been there.
They had lunch ulpan optional if you wanted it you can get it
How much of the day did you need to use Hebrew vs. able to fall back on English?
Unless you wanted to take classes in Hebrew through the connected midrasha next door
Did the program give you a real social circle of Israelis to lean on?
BUT there is an Israeli midrasha and they might be creating a new program with them!
How easily did you find people you clicked with?
Everyone there was so friendly!
How much do you feel you gained close friendships that lasted?
Some of my best friends now are from seminary
Overall, how was the program?
I had an incredible time at Machon Maayan. The staff are incredible with very individualized attention. The weekly "seminars" were a perfect way to learn outside of the classroom, and really connect with Israel. Additionally, the campus adds a lot! There's a lot of physical freedom around the campus, and it adds a lot that its not located in jerusalem.
It was amazing! The girls and the staff were all so amazing and everyone was so supportive of each other! The program itself was great and it helped me grow a lot. It was an amazing experience and I loved it!
How much did the program push you out of your comfort zone?
depends on each girl and her wants/needs
How much are you still connected to learning now, after the program?
I’m not generally someone who loves sitting around learning but after seminary I enjoy going to Shiurim or other kinds of classes every now and then
Was the program what you expected, or different?
Unique girls from different backgrounds which made it into an amazing and very special experience!
Alumni References
Some past participants have offered to answer questions about their experience.
- Aviva Rafkin · attended 2023
- Tziyo Gold · attended 2023-2024
Im happy to talk about any questions anyone has!
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