ABOUT

Nishmat is dedicated to nurturing and fostering women in their Avodat Hashem and Yirat Shamayim through high-level Torah study. We are a trailblazer for women’s scholarship, leadership, and social responsibility, and a world leader in paving a new path for women in Jewish life.

Social Responsibility

In-Depth Learning Rooted in Yirat Shamayim

Torah Learning as a First Language

At Nishmat, women from Israel and around the world come together for deep and meaningful Torah study at transformative stages of life: before or after National Service, IDF service, university, marriage, professional life, or other major transitions. Through the diverse programs of Nishmat’s Israeli Beit Midrash and the Alisa Flatow Global Torah Community, women engage in serious learning in person and online through gap-year programs, summer learning, post-college study, the Kollel, community initiatives, programs such as Maayan for Ethiopian-Israeli students, and Nishmat’s flagship Yoatzot Halacha programs and services. Across all stages and frameworks, students acquire the tools to encounter the foundations of Torah in depth while becoming part of a spiritually vibrant, growth-oriented, and deeply committed community.

Our learning model combines structured classes with chavruta study and sustained Beit Midrash learning rooted in independent learning in chavrutot. The curriculum spans Gemara, Halacha, Tanach, Chassidut, Jewish thought, and more, integrating breadth with depth.

Throughout the year, our faculty accompany each student with personal guidance and mentorship. They join students for Shabbatons and program trips, and provide ongoing support for their individual growth and communal experience.

Nishmat’s engine is its core Beit Midrash programs. Rooted in the belief that “great is Torah study, for it leads to action,” Nishmat’s Beit Midrash serves as an open and welcoming space for women, teens, and broader community audiences, integrating Torah learning with meaningful social engagement.

Through our Beit Midrash Chevrati, students explore each week the connection between halacha and lived practice, and then devote two hours to volunteer service in the community. Our students lead a range of community-based projects, including a Bat Mitzvah program, chavruta study with seniors, a weekly Parashat HaShavua class, programming for high school students, academic tutoring, support for families in need, and the organization of a community food pantry for those in need.

In addition, the midrasha hosts open community initiatives such as study series for new mothers on maternity leave, holiday learning afternoons for mothers and children, a Purim carnival, and other community programs.

Nishmat was founded in 1990 by our Chancellor, Rabbanit Chana Henkin and her husband, Rabbi Yehuda Herzl Henkin, of blessed memory. Rabbanit Henkin dreamed of creating a place for women’s Torah study at a time when the world of seminaries was just beginning. Her vision is that every woman should feel part of the Torah world and that Torah study would be a central part of women’s Avodat Hashem in our generation. Over the years, Nishmat and its various programs have inspired other seminaries to follow its lead and contributed to strengthening Torah learning for women.

At Nishmat, we invite young women, both before and after their national service or IDF service, to dedicate a year to deep and meaningful Torah study. This is a year of serious learning, acquiring the tools to engage the foundations of Torah within a spiritually vibrant and committed community.

In Nishmat’s full-time Midrasha and Shana Ba’Aretz programs, faculty accompany students throughout the year with personal guidance, mentorship, and meaningful relationships. Faculty members join students for Shabbatons and program trips and provide ongoing support as students navigate both their individual growth and their shared community experience

Faculty

Rabbanit Chana Henkin

Founder & Chancellor

Rav Yehuda Henkin z”l

Founder

Rabbanit Yoetzet Halacha Atara Eis

Dean

Rabbanit Yoetzet Halacha Ilana Hadad

Dean

Rav Da’vid Sperling

Rosh Beit Midrash

Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon

Halachic Authority

Noam Adoryan

CEO

Rabbanit Yoetzet Halacha Rachel Eilon Kochva

Ra”mit Lifnei Sheirut

Rabbanit Tamar Newman

Ra”mit Shiur Alef

Rabbanit Emuna Lapid

Ra”mit Shiur Alef

Rav Avi Blidstein

Ra”m Shiur Hemshech

Rav Kobi Gigi

Rosh Kollel

Dr. Esti Bar-El

Director of Academic Advancement, Nishmat Ethiopian College and Level Up Programs

Malka Schwartz

Head of Recruitment and Program Manager

Rabbanit Navit Tzadik

Director of Alisa Flatow Programs

Tzivia Katsman

Rakezet Shana Ba’Aretz

Bhran Worku

Identity Seminars Coordinator

Tehila Schwartz

Coordinator of Army Program

Rav Ari Sat

Ra”m Kollel Halacha

Rabbanit Yoetzet Halacha Rachelle Sprecher Fraenkel

Educator

Rabbanit Neima Novetsky

Educator

Rabbanit Simi Peters

Educator

Rav David Sabato

Educator

Rav Yaakov Varhaftig

Dean of Keren Ariel

Rabbanit Yoetzet Halacha Gilla Rosen

Educator

Rabbanit Yoetzet Halacha Noa Lau

Director of Keren Ariel

Rav Assaf Bednarsh

Senior Lecturer and Halachic Supervisor of Golda Koschitzky Women’s Halachic Hotline

Rav Michael Edrei

Halachic Supervisor, Yoatzot Halacha and Fertility Counselors

Ayelet Habba

Director of Golda Koschitzky Center

Yoetzet Halacha Dr. Ayelet Kaminetsky

Director, Golda Koschitzky Hotline and Whatsapp Response Service

Rabbanit Yoetzet Halacha Michal Roness

Director of Fertility Counselors & Coordinator of Research Institute

Yoetzet Halacha Nathalie Loewenberg

Director, Yoatzot.org French site

Yoetzet Halacha Goldie Katz Samson

Director, Yoatzot.org Spanish site

Yoetzet Halacha Shira Mnitentag

Director, Yoatzot.org Hebrew site

Yoetzet Halacha Hadassa Klein

Director, Yoatzot.org English site

Rabbanit Yoetzet Halacha Laurie Novick

Yoatzot.org Responder

Ateret Meir

Em Bayit, Shiur Alef Coordinator and Shadchan

Lior Malka

Social Coordinator and Shiur Alef Coordinator

Yoetzet Halacha Fay Blashka

Yoatzot.org Responder

Rinat Blum Pechler

Shiur Alef Coordinator

Hodaya Elgrabi

Shiur Hemshech Coordinator

Yoetzet Halacha Ilana Eltzufon

Yoatzot.org Editor

Ketema Mendfero

Ethiopian College Program Coordinator

Yoetzet Halacha Rotem Glasser

Director of Mikveh Attendant Course

Sinayet Mekare

Recruitment and Level Up Coordinator

Chana Peles

Student Village Coordinator

Tehila Gottlieb

Alumnae Coordinator

Julie Weisman

Director of Development

Liora Rosenblatt

Public Relations and Donor Services Manager

Sarah Cassar

Social Media Coordinator, Hebrew

Michal Sklar

Social Media Coordinator, English

Tzipora Templeman

Administrator of Overseas Programs

Rivka Sabo

Office Manager

Anat Persi

Administration Manager

Tzippy Dayan

Dormitory Secretary

Israel Board

Stuart Hershkowitz • Elan Zivotovsky • Elisabeth Mayman • Dr. Dan Polisar • Dr. Tzippy Katz • Adina Rotem • Abby Weisz • Stuart Hershkowitz • Rachel Weiss • Estie Agus