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Mechina



 
 
A Mechina (; "preparatory") is an Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
i educational institution for post-secondary youth, aimed at preparing them either for their army
Army

An army , in the broadest sense, is the land-based armed forces of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as an air force....
 or national service
Youth service

Youth service refers to non-military, intensive engagement of young people in organized activity that contributes to the local, national, or world community....
, or for entrance to an institution of higher education in Israel. The duration of a mechina is generally one academic year.

e are three types of pre-army mechinot (Hebrew for plural of mechina):

ligious mechina is intended for graduates of a Yeshiva
Yeshiva

Yeshiva or yeshivah , or metivta or mesivta ) also frequently referred to as a Beth midrash, Talmudical Academy, Rabbinical Academy or Rabbinical School is an institution unique to classical Judaism for Torah study, the study of Talmud, Rabbinic literature and History of responsa....
 high school, and prepares them for their service in the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew Acronym and initialism Tzahal , are Israel's military forces, comprising the GOC Army Headquarters, Israeli Air Force and Israeli navy....
.






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Encyclopedia


A Mechina (; "preparatory") is an Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
i educational institution for post-secondary youth, aimed at preparing them either for their army
Army

An army , in the broadest sense, is the land-based armed forces of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as an air force....
 or national service
Youth service

Youth service refers to non-military, intensive engagement of young people in organized activity that contributes to the local, national, or world community....
, or for entrance to an institution of higher education in Israel. The duration of a mechina is generally one academic year.

Pre-army mechinot

There are three types of pre-army mechinot (Hebrew for plural of mechina):
  • Religious
  • Secular
  • Joint Religious and Secular


Religious pre-army mechina

A religious mechina is intended for graduates of a Yeshiva
Yeshiva

Yeshiva or yeshivah , or metivta or mesivta ) also frequently referred to as a Beth midrash, Talmudical Academy, Rabbinical Academy or Rabbinical School is an institution unique to classical Judaism for Torah study, the study of Talmud, Rabbinic literature and History of responsa....
 high school, and prepares them for their service in the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew Acronym and initialism Tzahal , are Israel's military forces, comprising the GOC Army Headquarters, Israeli Air Force and Israeli navy....
. Focus is placed on preparing them for the encounter with secular society in the army by studying Jewish thought, beliefs and outlooks. Students also prepare physically for their service period and receive leadership training from active-duty officers.

The first religious mechina, Bnei David, was founded in 1988 in Eli
Eli (town)

Eli is a large mixed communal settlement Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located north of Jerusalem and Ramallah, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council....
.

Other religious mechinot:
  • Ateret Cohanim
    Ateret Cohanim

    Ateret Cohanim, , also known as Ateret Yerushalyim, is a Religious Zionist yeshiva located in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem....
  • Amit Rosh Pina in Rosh Pinna
    Rosh Pinna

    Rosh Pinna is a town of approximately 2,500 people located in the Upper Galilee on the eastern slopes of Mount Kna'anin, the North District of Israel....
  • Arzei Halevanon in Ma'ale Efrayim
  • Avnei Eitan
  • Carmey Hayil in Beit Rimon
    Beit Rimon

    Beit Rimon is a religious kibbutz in Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee on a ridge of mount Toraan at a height of 400 meters above sea level, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lower Galilee Regional Council....
  • Chemdat Yehuda in Hemdat
    Hemdat

    Hemdat is a village and Israeli settlement located in the Jordan River Valley on a plain at an altitude of 178 metres along the Allon Road in the municipal jurisdiction of the Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council....
  • Elisha in Halamish
    Halamish

    Halamish , also known as Neveh Tzuf , is a religious communal settlement Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located to the north of Modi'in, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council....
  • Eretz HaTzvi in Peduel
    Peduel

    Peduel , is an Israeli settlement located on the western edge of the northern West Bank, about 25 km east of Tel Aviv. The town, under the administrative municipal government of the Shomron Regional Council, is adjacent to Alei Zahav and Bruchin....
  • Katzrin in Katzrin
  • Kiryat Malachi in Kiryat Malachi
  • Keshet Yehuda in Keshet
  • Magen Shaul in Nokdim
    Nokdim

    Nokdim , is a communal settlement and Israeli settlement located south of Bethlehem in the northern Judean hills of the West Bank. The yishuv was founded on July 5, 1982, by residents of Tekoa , and is within the municipal jurisdiction of the Gush Etzion Regional Council....
  • Maskiot in Shadmot Mehola
    Shadmot Mehola

    Shadmot Mehola is a national-religious moshav shitufi and Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located in the Beit She'an Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council....
  • Otzem
  • Yatir in Beit Yatir
    Beit Yatir

    Beit Yatir , also known as Metzadot Yehuda , is a religious Orthodox Judaism moshav and Israeli settlement in the southern Mount Hebron of the West Bank along the Green Line south of Susiya....
  • Yemin Orde in the Galillee


Secular pre-army mechina

A secular mechina focuses on preparing high school graduates for their service period. Focus is placed on teaching leadership, democracy, volunteerism, identity, zionism, Judaism, philosophy, and more. There is greater weight placed on learning Jewish history and heritage.

The first secular mechina was Nachshon, founded in 1997 in Nili.

Other secular mechinot:

  • Meitzar
  • Upper Galil
  • Oranim
  • Hanegev
  • Minsharim kalu


Joint religious and secular pre-army mechina


The joint religious and secular mechinot were founded to help bridge the widening gaps in Israeli society. As such, they focus on teaching a range of subjects to a mixed student body, including Zionism, leadership, Judaism, political science, philosophy, alongside intensive community and societal involvement and volunteering.

Joint religious and secular mechinot:

  • Aderet
    Aderet

    Aderet is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Judean foothills in the Adullam region, south of Beit Shemesh, west of Gush Etzion and overlooking the Valley of Elah, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council....
  • Amichai
  • Beit Yisrael
  • Gal (a new mechina in Akko)


College preparatory programs

Several frameworks operate in Israel to prepare for entrance to institutions of higher (post-secondary) education, those students who otherwise lack the necessary academic qualifications. These are geared for various populations.

Academic mechinot

These are operated by Israeli universities, for students with an Israeli high school education.

Mechinat Olim

A Mechinat Olim (; immigrants' preparatory) is designed specifically for prospective, new, or recent immigrants intending to study in an Israeli institution of higher education. The programs are generally conducted for one year, and all courses are taught in Hebrew. The program has two basic goals:
  • to raise the student's level of Hebrew, including those who started with no prior knowledge of the language, suitable for enrolling in post-secondary academic coursework
  • acquainting the student with academic material as taught in the Hebrew language, including subjects from the Israeli curriculum such as Civics and Jewish History


The Mechinot Olim offer different content-based tracks of study (i.e. Life Science, Humanities, Social Sciences, or Physicial Science). The Technion will only accept students from its own Mechina.

Remedial courses preparatory to higher education

In addition to the above, there are private (i.e. commercial) educational institutions in Israel offering remedial courses for students after high school who wish to complete or upgrade their scores in their subject matriculations or prepare for the psychometric examinations required for entrance to college or university.

External links



Academic mechinot

  • of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
    Hebrew University of Jerusalem

    The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is Israel's oldest university.The First Board of Governors included Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Martin Buber, and Chaim Weizmann....
  • of the Technion


Mechinot Olim

  • of the Technion
  • of Tel Aviv University
    Tel Aviv University

    Tel Aviv University is a large, public university, located in Tel Aviv, Israel. As of 2006, the Tel Aviv University has a student population of 29,000....