WHO IS THE CHINUCH WITHOUT WALLS PROGRAM FOR?
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Teens who are bright, but bored at school.
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Teens whose strengths lie in areas such as hands-on skills, the arts, outdoor skills or creativity and are yearning to be able to express their passions.
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Teens who are seeking a deep sense of belonging in an environment where they will feel welcome, with rich mentorships, deep peer relationships, and a strong sense of community.
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Teens who are facing medical or emotional challenges that require time and space for them to be able to manage.
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Teens who find the structure of a traditional school setting stifling and who need a model that provides less pressure and more flexibility in their lives.
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Teens who thrive when actively learning areas of their own interest and passion, at their own pace and in their own way.
THE TEAM
Rabbi Yaakov Mintz
Director
Chinuch Without Walls is directed by Rabbi Yaakov Mintz, a seasoned mechanech who has taught and served as an educational leader in a wide variety of disciplines, both Torah and secular. Since 2016, he has been developing, through professional training, extensive research, and hands-on experience, alternative educational paths for children in our community. Rabbi Mintz has trained in Alternative and At Risk Education, Self-Directed Learning, and Positive Youth Development, and has used these methods to help children in the Jewish community who have not found success in traditional educational settings. He works as Educational Advocate with Work At It, helping teens find their path forward, has consulted for yeshivas as to how to best address the needs of students who do not fit into the traditional school model, and created self-directed learning programs for students in alternative yeshiva settings.
Advisory Team
Rabbi Avinoam Almagor serves as AMIT Bienenfeld Hevruta Yeshiva in Kfar Batya, Ra’anana. The Havruta yeshiva runs a strength-based program which focuses on the particular skill of each and every child, allowing them to realize their unique potential and thrive.
Rabbi Avinoam Almagor
Mrs. Hinde Goldman is founder of the Lev Miriam Learning Studio in Passaic New Jersey. Her sensitive and welcoming vision of chinuch has helped dozens of young women find their place in the Jewish community.
Mrs. Hinde Goldman
Our Story
Walk into any yeshiva, and you will find certain children for whom the conventional yeshiva educational model, with all that it has to offer, simply is not a structure that fits their lives. How to make a place for every child in the Jewish community, even those for whom the conventional education setting is not a good fit, has long been a major challenge.
Though well-meaning teachers do all that they can to help all of their students, we recognize that some students invariably suffer through the system and do not thrive. The difficulties of both teachers and students in dealing with the proverbial "round peg in the square whole" lead to a situation in which young people feel invariably ostracized and rejected by the Jewish community.
After years of developing resources for young people who find themselves out of the yeshiva system, Chinuch Without Walls was created to assure that every child can find his or her place in the Jewish community…..
Our model relies on years of research in alternative educational models, training in Alternative and At-Risk Education and Trauma Sensitive and Resilience Based Education, and the principles of self directed learning. The Chinuch Without Walls serves families who would like to give their children a chance to self direct their own learning. Given the proper support and guidance from family and community, we see so many of these young men and women discover their niche and find a place in the Jewish community to take meaningful steps forward in many ways. This program is designed to help children find their inner light and strength when supported to succeed in ways that work best for them.
Young people with tremendous promise and potential often are not able to actualize their greatness within the conventional school system. Chinuch Without Walls is aimed at giving these young people a chance to be part of a strong, supportive community to help them find their place and thrive. I look forward to being in touch to see if Chinuch Without Walls is a good fit for your child.