(Courtesy of Matan) The Matan Women’s Institute for Torah Studies, currently in its 35th year, continues to grow and innovate, offering new and exciting learning programs and events for students in Israel and around the world. Matan is led by its president, Rabbanit Malke Bina, rosh batei midrash and academic director, Dr. Yael Ziegler, and CEO Chaya Bina-Katz. It has two main centers in Jerusalem and HaSharon and branches in Beit Shemesh, HaShomron, Hashmonaim, Rehovot, Zichron Yaakov, Modiin, Ir Yaim and Petach Tikvah. In addition, Matan Zooms classes to tens of thousands of students globally, reaching out and uplifting them with Torah learning.
Recently Matan welcomed a group of talented female educators from across the US and the UK, who are studying remotely in the Professional Development Track of the Matan Bellows Educators Institute. They came for a week of Tanakh study and touring in Israel. The women had a chance to deepen their knowledge and tools and to experience Torat Eretz Yisrael in Israel firsthand, with immediate benefit to their Jewish day school students. The participants studied with outstanding Matan faculty, met the students in the Israel Track of the Eshkolot Institute and formed a supportive network and forum for sharing ideas. This program is a Matan success story; it is helping to strengthen and build Jewish education for today and tomorrow.
A trail blazing project launched in September 2022 is the Matan Kitvuni Fellowship which aims to enrich the Jewish bookshelf with a substantial collection of high-quality books written by female educators and Torah leaders. Six impressive female scholars are spending a year writing books on a variety of topics which will be submitted for publication at the end of the year. Matan is providing the framework for the writers, including personal
mentors, workshops, group support and scholarships. The second Kitvuni cohort is due to launch in September 2023.
The Matan parsha podcasts have now reached close to 50,000 listeners globally. Each podcast is a fascinating conversation between moderator Dr. Yosefa Fogel Wruble and a host of guests sharing their insights and thoughts about the parsha of the week. This online resource has quickly grown with more and more listeners tuning in each week.
Dr. Yael Ziegler and Chaya Bina-Katz will be in the US from February 9 – 15 for a series of Matan Torah events. Their trip includes a shiur at the West Side Sephardic Synagogue in NYC on February 9, a Shabbaton at the Altneu Shul in NYC on February 10-11, a Saturday night shiur on February 11 in the Five Towns, a Sunday morning shiur at the Rinat shul in Teaneck, a shiur in Chicago on February 13 and one in Los Angeles on February 15. Dr. Ziegler will be teaching on each occasion and there will be greetings by Bina-Katz. Events are open to women and men and all are welcome.
