Mechina
Encyclopedia
A Mechina is an Israel
i educational program that prepares high school graduates for serving in the Israeli Army
or study at an institution of higher learning in Israel. Most mechina programs last one academic year.
Many of the pre-army Mechinot are located in territories occupied or annexed by Israel since 1967.
high school, and prepares them for their service in the Israel Defense Forces. Focus is placed on preparing them for the encounter with secular society in the army by studying Jewish thought, beliefs and outlooks. Students also prepare physically for their service period and receive leadership training from active-duty officers.
The first religious Mechina, Bnei David, was founded in 1988 in Eli
, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank
.
Other religious Mechinot:
service. The program of studies covers leadership, principles and practice of democracy, volunteer service to the community, ideological and individual identity, Zionism
, Jewish history and heritage, philosophy, and more. While "secular" in matters of religious observance, the program of study includes Judaism
with a focus on ethics and tradition.
The first secular Mechina was Nahshon, founded in 1997 in Nili
in the West Bank.
Other secular Mechinot:
Joint religious and secular Mechinot:
Mechinot Olim offer different content-based tracks of study (i.e. Life Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, or Physical Science). The Technion will only accept students from its own Mechina.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i educational program that prepares high school graduates for serving in the Israeli Army
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
or study at an institution of higher learning in Israel. Most mechina programs last one academic year.
Pre-army Mechinot
There are three types of pre-army Mechinot:- Religious
- Secular
- Joint Religious and Secular
Many of the pre-army Mechinot are located in territories occupied or annexed by Israel since 1967.
Religious pre-army Mechina
A religious Mechina is intended for graduates of a YeshivaYeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
high school, and prepares them for their service in the Israel Defense Forces. Focus is placed on preparing them for the encounter with secular society in the army by studying Jewish thought, beliefs and outlooks. Students also prepare physically for their service period and receive leadership training from active-duty officers.
The first religious Mechina, Bnei David, was founded in 1988 in Eli
Eli (town)
Eli is a large mixed communal Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located on Highway 60 north of Jerusalem and Ramallah, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. At the end of 2008 it had a population of 2,800...
, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
.
Other religious Mechinot:
- Ateret CohanimAteret CohanimAteret Cohanim, , also known as Ateret Yerushalyim, is a Religious Zionist yeshiva located in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem in Israel. Founded in 1978, it uses the building of the historic Torath Chaim Yeshiva...
in (East JerusalemEast JerusalemEast Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
) - AMITAMITAMIT is an American Jewish Zionist volunteer organization, dedicated to education in Israel and nurturing Israeli children to become productive, contributing members of society...
Rosh Pina in Rosh PinnaRosh PinnaRosh Pinna is a town of approximately 2,500 people located in the Upper Galilee on the eastern slopes of Mount Kna'anin, the Northern District of Israel. The town was founded in 1882 by thirty immigrant families from Romania, making it one of the oldest Zionist settlements in Israel... - Arzei HaLevanon in Ma'ale EfraimMa'ale EfraimMa'ale Efrayim is an Israeli settlement and local council located along the eastern slopes of the Samarian mountains in the Jordan Valley, within the West Bank. Founded in 1978, the town's municipal status was upgraded to local council in 1981. Over 1,400 people now live in the yishuv...
(West Bank) - Avnei EitanMechinat Avnei EitanMechinat Avnei Eitan , also referred to as Leadership Yeshiva Academy in English, is a pre-military mechina which combines classical Yeshiva learning with the preparation for the service in the Israeli Defence Forces and leadership functions in Jewish communities...
(Golan Heights) - Carmey Hayil in Beit RimonBeit RimonBeit Rimon is a religious kibbutz in Israel. It is named after the Biblical Rimon in the Tribe of Zebulun . Located in the Lower Galilee on a ridge of mount Toraan at a height of 400 meters above sea level, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lower Galilee Regional Council...
- Hemdat Yehuda in HemdatHemdatHemdat is a village and Israeli settlement in the West Bank located in the Jordan River Valley on a plain at an altitude of 178 metres along the Allon Road in the municipal jurisdiction of the Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. Other villages in the area are Ro'i, Beka'ot. The closet city, Beit...
(West Bank) - ElishaElishaElisha is a prophet mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, or Alyasa via Arabic.-Biblical biography:...
in HalamishHalamishHalamish , also known as Neveh Tzuf , is a communal Israeli settlement in the West Bank, located in the southwestern Samarian hills to the north of Ramallah, 10.7 kilometers east of the Green line. The Orthodox Jewish community with a population of 1,054 was established in 1977...
(West Bank) - Eretz HaTzvi in PeduelPeduelPeduel , is a communal village and an Israeli settlement located in the West Bank, about 25 km east of Tel Aviv. The town, under the administrative municipal government of the Shomron Regional Council, is adjacent to Alei Zahav, Beit Aryeh-Ofarim and Bruchin...
(West Bank) - Katzrin in Katzrin (Golan Heights)
- Kiryat Malachi in Kiryat Malachi
- Keshet Yehuda Pre Military Academy - Aliyah and Integration Program for English Speakers http://www.aliyah18.org ] (Golan Heights)
- Magen ShaulMagen ShaulMagen Shaul is a moshav near Gilboa Mountain in northern Israel. It belongs to the Gilboa Regional Council.The moshav was founded in 1976 by children of families who lived in other moshavim of the Ta'anakh region....
in NokdimNokdimNokdim , lit. Shepherds) is a communal settlement and Israeli settlement in the West Bank, located south of Bethlehem in the northern Judean hills...
(West Bank) - MaskiotMaskiotMaskiot is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. It is named after the Bible : "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in arty bowls." Located in the northern Jordan Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council...
in Shadmot MeholaShadmot MeholaShadmot Mehola is a national-religious moshav shitufi and Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located in the Beit She'an Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 536...
(West Bank) - Otzem
- Yatir in Beit YatirBeit YatirBeit Yatir , also known as Metzadot Yehuda , is a religious Orthodox moshav and Israeli settlement in the southern Hebron Hills of the West Bank along the Green Line south of Susiya...
(West Bank) - Yemin Orde in Hatzor HaGlilit
Secular pre-army Mechina
A secular Mechina focuses on preparing high school graduates for citizenship as well as IDFIsrael Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
service. The program of studies covers leadership, principles and practice of democracy, volunteer service to the community, ideological and individual identity, Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
, Jewish history and heritage, philosophy, and more. While "secular" in matters of religious observance, the program of study includes Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
with a focus on ethics and tradition.
The first secular Mechina was Nahshon, founded in 1997 in Nili
Nili
Nili of Israel will not lie") was a Jewish espionage network which assisted the United Kingdom in its fight against the Ottoman Empire in Palestine during World War I.-Establishment:...
in the West Bank.
Other secular Mechinot:
- Aderet at Moshav Aderet
- Amichai at Moshav ArgamanArgamanArgaman is a moshav and Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located in the Jordan Valley eight kilometres north of the Damia Bridge with an area of 4,500 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 166...
(West Bank) - Meitzar (Golan Heights)
- Ma'ayan Baruch
- Mechinat Rabin in Kiryat Tiv'on
- Mechinat Hanegev
- Minsharim Kalu at Ma'agan MichaelMa'agan MichaelMa'agan Michael is a kibbutz in Israel. It is currently the largest kibbutz in the country, with a population of over 1,400 residents , and falls under the jurisdiction of Hof HaCarmel Regional Council.-Geography:...
Joint religious and secular pre-army Mechina
The joint religious and secular Mechinot were founded to help bridge the widening gaps in Israeli society. As such, they focus on teaching a range of subjects to a mixed student body, including Zionism, leadership, Judaism, political science, philosophy, alongside intensive community and societal involvement and volunteering.Joint religious and secular Mechinot:
- Beit Yisrael at Kibbutz Beit Yisrael in GiloGiloGilo is a neighborhood in southern East Jerusalem with a population of 40,000, mostly Jewish. It is one of the five ring neighborhoods of Jerusalem and is built on land in the West Bank that was annexed to Israel in 1980 under the Jerusalem Law. The international community regards it as an...
(East Jerusalem) - Ein Prat (Co-ed) in Kfar AdumimKfar AdumimKfar Adumim is a communal Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located in the Judean Desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. In 2007 it had a population of 2,500...
(West Bank) - Gal (a new mechina) in Akko
- Jaffa (Reform) in Tel Aviv-Jaffa
College preparatory programs
Several frameworks operate in Israel to prepare for entrance to institutions of higher (post-secondary) education, those students who otherwise lack the necessary academic qualifications. These are geared for various populations.Academic Mechinot
These are operated by Israeli universities, for students with an Israeli high school education.Mechinat Olim
A Mechinat Olim is designed specifically for prospective, new, or recent immigrants intending to study in an Israeli institution of higher education. The programs are generally conducted for one year, and all courses are taught in Hebrew. The program has two basic goals:- to raise the student's level of Hebrew, including those who started with no prior knowledge of the language, suitable for enrolling in post-secondary academic coursework
- acquainting the student with academic material as taught in the Hebrew language, including subjects from the Israeli curriculum such as Civics and Jewish History
Mechinot Olim offer different content-based tracks of study (i.e. Life Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, or Physical Science). The Technion will only accept students from its own Mechina.
Remedial courses preparatory to higher education
In addition to the above, there are private (i.e. commercial) educational institutions in Israel offering remedial courses for students after high school who wish to complete or upgrade their scores in their subject matriculations or prepare for the psychometric examinations required for entrance to college or university.Pre-army
- Jewish Agency for Israel, Army Mechinot
- Rochelle Furstenberg: Israeli Life: Idealism From Below Hadassah Magazine, October 2008 Vol. 90 No. 2
- The Mechina Program of the Northern Negev Midot Analysis Report No. 7, November 2008
- Children and Youth at Risk The Pratt Foundation, Israel 2006
- Amos Harel: 'Shooting and crying' Haaretz.com, retrieved March 31, 2009
- Anshel Pfeffer and Amos Harel: IDF ends Gaza probe, says misconduct claims are 'rumors' Haaretz.com, retrieved March 31, 2009
- Btselem, Settlements
Academic
- the Mechina of the Hebrew University of JerusalemHebrew University of JerusalemThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
- the Mechina of the Technion
Olim
- the Mechina for immigrants of the Technion
- the Mechina of Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...