Tzvait) “Chemdat Yehuda” in 1997 in the Yishuv Chemdat in the Jordan Valley.
At Chemdat, our years of experience have led us to develop a unique program of studies “Torah Poretzet L’Chaim” – Torah Bursting to Life. The aim of this program is to encourage our students to choose a path that will lead them on a journey of personal growth, both spiritual and social, towards leadership roles.
Our students are young men who just finished high school and are faced with challenges as they transition from civilian to military life, including the physical and mental demands of training and their encounter with values and lifestyles different than those with which they’ve been raised. They are often ill-equipped to meet these challenges.
Our curriculum of studies faces outward, towards the real world. While focusing on individual character building and enrichment we aim to empower students to excel in the face of challenges both during their army service and beyond. The program combines learning of Jewish and secular texts with educational visits to political and social institutions, guest lecturers, workshops for personal and spiritual growth, physical training, work in agriculture and volunteer opportunities with marginalized populations. Emphasis is placed on instilling Jewish values and preparing the students for leadership roles.
We expect our alumni, as we have observed in past years of the program, to serve in elite combat units and command positions. Following their army service, we anticipate that our alumni will continue to make significant contributions to Israeli society and occupy key positions in civilian life.
Chemdat has its unique program that is different than other Mechinot, we have a saying in Chemdat that we have a "Beith Midrash with big windows", torah life that does not oppose living a fulfilling life. The staff of the Mechina keeps in touch with the students through the army service and even after, through marriage and adult life.