About Us

The Women’s Beit Midrash of Efrat and Gush Etzion strives to provide the community with local opportunities to learn Torah. We offer a wide variety of classes in Hebrew and English, on different days and at different times, so that everyone, whatever age – and we have students aged 12 to 80 (!) – can find the Shiur that suits them

The Beit Midrash offers a regular schedule of weekly classes,  short series / rotating programs, and Yemei Iyun before the Chagim. Since the WBM was founded over  twenty years ago by Rabbanit Batya Hefter, we’ve run on minimal administration to provide maximum Torah for the community.

The door’s open - come learn with us!

We know that between home, work and family you have no time.
We know this has been an impossible year.
And we know that any slice of time you set aside for learning impacts you, your family and everything you do.

There’s something for everyone: Tanach, Halacha or Parshat Shavua. An hour a week. As scheduled, or recorded for whenever you can catch up.

An Aggada in the Gemara tells how Rabbi Idi, the father of Rabbi Yaakov Bar Idi, walked for three whole months to study for one day in his rabbi’s beit midrash. After one day in the yeshiva he returned home. The other Yeshiva scholars mockingly called him “Bar Bi Rav DaChad Yoma”, a one-day student. Rabbi Idi was offended, until Rabbi Yochanan came to his defense and taught them all the pasuk ”ואותי יום יום ידרשון ודעת דרכי יחפצון, which he interpreted as follows. Anyone who learns Torah even just for one day a year – Hashem praises him as if he’d learned Torah all year long.

The WBM has been serving the entire Gush Etzion community for over twenty-five years. The Gush and Efrat wouldn’t be the same without us. We thank you – all our students and generous supporters, for enabling us to provide the women of Efrat and the Gush significant Torah study opportunities throughout the year. We couldn’t do it without you!

We invite you to mark “Torah” in one space in your schedule,
Make time for yourself – take time for meaningful study.

Staff

wbm-BatyaHefter
Rabbanit Batya Hefter
Founding Rosh Beit Midrash
wbm-saraJo
Sara Jo Ben Zvi
Lecturer
Shani Taragin
Rabbanit Shani Taragin
Lecturer
wbm-LisaFriedman
Dr. Lisa Fredman
Lecturer
wbm-ShuliMishkin
Shulie Mishkin
Tour guide
wbm-AlizaG
Aliza Grynberg
Program coordinator
wbm-AyeletAvraami
Ayelet Avrahami
Back-office manager and bookkeeping

Board members

Sara Tesler
Sara Susswein Tesler
wbm-BatyaHefter
Rabbanit Batya Hefter
wbm-MindBrand
Mindy Aber Barad
wbm-saraJo
Sara Jo Ben Zvi
wbm-ElishevaHerseler
Elisheva Hershler
wbm-OritSaif
Orit Barnea Seif
wbm-RivkaDamski
Rivka Demsky
wbm-VikiFroiliech
Vicki Frolich
wbm-DinaRomer
Dina Roemer