Mizrachi UK chief executive Rabbi Andrew Shaw said it was “vital that everyone who wishes to attend yeshivah or sem is able to. This is what the campaign is about.
“We know from JPR [Institute for Jewish Policy Research] what impact it can have for young men and women to go and study for a year in Israel. The community also benefits when they come back and take up roles in the community. They are fantastic role models.”
Up to 150 students from the UK go to yeshivah or seminary through Masa annually. The cost of fees and living in Israel could be up to £20,000 a year, Rabbi Shaw pointed out. Masa, the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government have promised to put in triple the amount raised by the 48-hour campaign.
Rabbi Doron Perez, chief executive of World Mizrachi, said “few experiences transform Jewish lives more than a gap year in Israel. We are not allowing the crisis to weaken our incredible Torah institutions or deny even one student this life-changing year. This is the essence of Mizrachi’s mission.”
Some 3,000 students from America, Canada and the UK participate in advanced Torah learning at the institutions covered by the campaign.
