בית המדרש בשנתו הראשונה 2016
בית המדרש בשנתו הראשונה 2016גרשון אלינסון

Starting today: The new year of learning at Oz veGaon

At the Oz veGaon preserve, the new year of studies will open tomorrow. Faith, Jewish thought, heritage of the Land of Israel and even practices in carpentry design are on the varied menu.

Despite the shadow of the Corona virus, tomorrow (Tuesday), Havruta, the Beit Midrash for women, will begin another season of learning and this time by Zoom, at least during the first part of the season.

The Havruta Beit Midrash was founded at the Oz veGaon Preserve in Gush Etzion and in recent years dozens of women from neighboring communities have gathered there for studies in faith, Tanach, Jewish thought and even art.

At Havruta, another educational-Zionist initiative by Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar, who co-chair the Women in Green movement, there are classes ( in Hebrew) by leading lecturers, among whom are Rav Yitzhak Levy, Rabbanit Shani Taragin, Rav David Nativ, Rav Haim Falk and others.

Among topics to be studied during the season that is now opening: Faith in the parasha of the week, the beginning days of the Return to Zion, Chapters from Eliahu and Elisha, etc.

“We are opening the season under Corona restrictions with distance learning by Zoom, but we expect, as does the entire house of Israel, to return to the routine when we will meet with many other women who will come to the special and experiential learning at the preserve itself”, say Katsover and Matar.

For many women, joint learning was an integral and essential part of the weekly schedule. Women told of how the issues that they learned combining faith, Jewish thought and a direct connection with scenes of the Land of Israel gave them spiritual strength for the rest of the days of the week”, say the two women, noting that after the end of the shutdown and the cancellation of restrictions there will also be a special carpentry workshop at the preserve for women conducted by artist Dafna Tidhar.

“If, in previous years, it was important for us to combine art with faith, studying drawing with Avital Sharansky, this year we will also learn design and building of useful and decorative furniture for the home”.

It shall be noted that besides the Havruta Beit Midrash, there are also lectures on general topics at the preserve, touching on the core of Zionism and the essence of the People of Israel’s life in the Land of Israel.

These lectures, some in Hebrew and some in English, are held on Sundays and will be held this year as well, on Zoom, due to the Health Department’s guidelines.

Among the lecturers for this year are Atty. Nitzana Darshan Leitner, chairman of the Har Heron Council Yohai Damari, Prof. Aryeh Eldad, Tzipi Shelisel,

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