Our Staff

Gad Spector - Head of the Mechina Program

Gad is an educator who has led Orthodox scout groups, taught and trained teams in Mechina programs and diverse educational institutions across Israel. Gad lives in Kibbutz Ma'ale Gilboa, he is married to Hila, they have four children, and he believes opposites can get along!

Odelia Shafir - Program Manager

Odelia has a background in informal and special needs education, employment and protected housing. She is a mother of two from Koranit and she enjoys yoga, the sea, and nature. Odelia believes in people, relationships, and educating toward independence. 

Yisrael Kauders - Program Coordinator

Yisrael is a social worker by profession and a fellow of the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis at Hartman Institute and Midreshet Oranim. Israel loves traveling, woodwork and stargazing. He is married to Lior and they and their four children are active community members in Yavne'el.

Mordechai Arimovitz - Madrich

Mordechai made aliyah at the age of 18 as a student in the Hannaton Mechina Program. He served in an IDF special unit and now lives in Hannaton. He loves traveling, studying, cooking, woodwork, and his adorable pet dog.

Anna Minkovitz - Madricha

This is Anna’s second year as a guide at Hannaton. She lives in Jerusalem and was a student in the second cohort at Hannaton Mechina. During her IDF service she was a Tazpitanit, a field observer. She enjoys travel and yoga.

Amir Golan Yitzhak - Madrich

Amir lives in Mevasseret Zion, he is a graduate of Harel High School and Mechinat Tavor who spent second mechina in Ein Prat. He served in the Paratroopers in the 101st Brigade, he loves yoga and books.

Yuval Shapir - Madricha

Yuval is a graduate of Mitzar High School and Mechinat Hannaton. She served in the IDF in the Search and Rescue Unit and loves to play music, read, and travel.

Lecturers

Udi Bernstein - Political Philosophy

Rabbi Menachem Sukkot - Theory of Wills, Current Issues in the Talmud, Beit Midrash

Nathaniel Faverstein - Psychology and Hasidut, Beit Midrash

Ayal Beer - Talmudic Legends - Perspective, Window, and Vision

Itai Capsuto - On Education

Assaf Azar - Events that Changed the Course of Israel’s History

Iris Prochter Ronen - Middle Eastern Geopolitics, Popular Culture in the Arab World

Dr. Yair Bar Zuri - Zionist Thought and Thinkers, Zionist Myths

Shani Beit Or - Tefillah Analysis, Creative Beit Midrash - Art with Natural Materials

Dr. Nira Nachaliel - Halacha and Legend in the Talmud, Poetry in the Weekly Torah Portion, Beit Midrash

Rabbi Yoav Ende - Halacha, Tefillah Analysis, Beit Midrash

Yami Rot - Society and Economics

Eyal Karan - Between the Sea and the River - The Israeli-Arab Conflict

Gad Spector - Introduction to Israeli Society, Jewish Philosophy, Hasidut, Beit Midrash

Yisrael Kauders - One Poem a Day, Kabbalah in the Beit Midrash

Omer Weiss - Creative Beit Midrash - Playback

Aryeh Lederhendler - Creative Beit Midrash - Painting

Tehila Karo - Creative Beit Midrash - Writing

Nimrod Iwanier - Understanding Sexuality 

Mirav Midan - Gender Studies

Adi Shemesh - Understanding Sexuality 

Ido Amar - The Philosophy of Humanistic Education

Rabbi Natalie Lestriger - Gender and Human Rights in Jewish Tradition

Dr. Dror Greenblum - Social Justice in the Sources

Gabi Ende - When Demography and Democracy Meet 

Rimon Volf - I, You, and Time