A few nights ago, at Midreshet Nishmat in Jerusalem’s Pat neighborhood, a remarkable group of young women gathered for a ceremony known as Birkat Haderech – the Blessing of the Way.
The ceremony marked the completion of their studies in Nishmat’s Ma’ayan program and the beginning of the next stage of their lives. As a board member of American Friends of Nishmat, and as someone whose family has proudly supported the institution for many years, I was privileged to witness the event.
At my age of 77, one develops a long view of Israel. I have watched the country absorb immigrants from every corner of the globe, fight wars, build cities, develop industries, and create opportunities that earlier generations could scarcely imagine. Yet every so often, one encounters a program that seems to capture the very essence of the Zionist enterprise.
For me, Ma’ayan is one of those programs.
To understand its significance, it helps to go back to Nishmat’s founding. Established in 1990 by Rabbanit Chana Henkin, Nishmat opened new opportunities for advanced Torah study for women. A decade later, the institution identified another challenge facing Israeli society and created a program specifically designed to assist young women from Israel’s Ethiopian community.
Straightforward but ambitious
Originally known as N.E.W. (Nishmat Ethiopian Women), the program eventually became Ma’ayan. Its mission was straightforward but ambitious: combine serious Jewish learning with academic preparation, personal mentoring, and practical support, enabling talented young Ethiopian-Israeli women to realize their potential.
The need was real. Ethiopian Jews arrived in Israel with extraordinary faith and determination. Many had endured tremendous hardships to reach the Jewish homeland. Yet their integration into Israeli society was often accompanied by economic and educational challenges. Too many families struggled with poverty, and too many young people found themselves without the opportunities available to their peers.
Ma’ayan sought to change that reality.
The program provided far more than classroom instruction. Participants received housing, stipends, academic guidance, leadership training, and ongoing mentorship. Just as importantly, they were given the confidence to believe that higher education and professional achievement were within their reach.
The results have been impressive. The overwhelming majority of Ma’ayan graduates continued to universities and professional training programs. They entered fields such as medicine, education, law, social work, and technology. They became leaders in their communities and contributors to Israeli society.
The sense of possibility in the room
BUT STATISTICS tell only part of the story.
What struck me most at the Birkat Haderech ceremony was the sense of possibility in the room. These young women were not being celebrated because they had overcome obstacles, though many certainly had. They were being celebrated because they were prepared to help shape Israel’s future.
Their accomplishments also remind us of something important about the Ethiopian Jewish community itself. Too often discussions focus on the difficulties Ethiopian immigrants faced after arriving in Israel. Less attention is paid to the extraordinary strengths they brought with them.
Henkin once observed that Ethiopian Jews arrived in Israel with a “doctorate of faith.” It is a beautiful description. Families who preserved their Jewish identity for centuries under difficult circumstances possessed a spiritual resilience that deserves admiration. Programs such as Ma’ayan do not replace that heritage; they build upon it.
In many ways, Ma’ayan represents Israel at its best. It identifies talent, invests in people, strengthens communities, and helps ensure that no segment of society is left behind. It is both an educational initiative and a statement about national responsibility.
For Jews outside of Israel, there is an important lesson as well. We often speak about Jewish unity and mutual responsibility. Ma’ayan demonstrates what those values look like in practice. It shows how targeted support, thoughtful mentoring, and a commitment to opportunity can transform lives and strengthen an entire community.
As the young women received their blessings and prepared to embark on the next stage of their journeys, I found myself thinking not only about their futures but about Israel’s future.
The graduates of Ma’ayan are becoming doctors, teachers, lawyers, social workers, and professionals. They are building families, communities, and careers. They are taking their place in the story of the Jewish state.
And that is why the ceremony felt so significant.
A blessing for the way is, after all, a blessing for the journey ahead. Watching these young women begin that journey, it was impossible not to feel optimistic about where that road will lead – for them, for the Ethiopian Jewish community, and for the State of Israel. ■
The writer is an attorney and father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995. He is the author of A Father’s Story: My Fight for Justice against Iranian Terror, available on Amazon.com, and is president of the Religious Zionists of America-Mizrachi.