The Be’eri Mechina

Our goal at Be’eri mechina is to prepare our students for a life of social action. The various topics of study are aimed at helping shape an independent worldview, placing an emphasis on knowledge, critical thinking and opinion development. The main subjects covered are politics, current affairs, philosophy, economics, leadership and activism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Zionism,  Jewish thought and Arts. 

We offer several seminars, including a group-building seminar at the beginning of the year, Field trips in the Negev Desert, and in the Golan Heights  and an advanture field trip next to Arad. Our educational seminars cover Politics and Liberal Democracy, Zionism, Israeli – Palestinian conflict, Periphery –  center relations and more.

A life of community and independence creates a sense of responsibility and of partnership, and encourages open and supportive discourse. We believe that creating a broad impact on society begins with establishing friendships and close relationships during the year of the mechina. These form the foundations needed for students to fulfill their worldview as adults.

The social action taken in the mechina reflects our motivation to prepare a generation of leaders for impacting their own communities. The encounter with underprivileged populations and the day to day challenges they face shapes our student’s actions in the world and gives them the experience and understanding to serve them in the future, when they become policy makers themselves.

The year of mechina prepares our students for a meaningful service in the IDF, through physical training, field weeks, personal meetings and lessons dealing with values, moral dilemmas and different mental situations. We see the IDF service as an opportunity for our graduates to meet various sectors of Israeli society and to expand their circles of influence through significant positions in command and office ranks.

During the year, the students work for a total of about 40 days, the purpose of which is to earn most of the annual tuition. This is a unique phenomenon uncharacteristic of similar frameworks. It  creates an equal opportunity for all youth who wish to join the mechina, regardless of their financial situation. Furthermore, the work gives the students a sense of personal responsibility and independence. The students themselves choose jobs with added value, such as agriculture and archeological excavations.