About Bat Ayin
and Gush EtzionBat Ayin
“Guard me like the pupil of Your eye (bat ayin); shelter me in the shadow of Your wings” (Tehillim 17:8)
Nestled in the Judean hills of Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, the peaceful rural setting of Bat Ayin is an ideal atmosphere for exploring your spiritual roots and building a relationship with the Divine. With panoramic vistas, natural springs and rugged mountain ridges, its landscape lends itself to a true connection with Hashem and the Land of Israel. The community of Bat Ayin is unique in its diversity, comprising of scholars, artists, farmers, educators and many others from all walks of life who warmly open their homes and hearts to the students of B’erot Bat Ayin.
Bat Ayin is situated on a hilltop at an altitude of approximately 870 m, in a mountainous area on the border between Gush Etzion and the plains of Beit Shemesh. Around Bat Ayin there are some forests and three natural water springs .
Bat Ayin was founded by 10 families on Israel’s Independence Day in 1989 and today is the home of over 200 families.
Facilities in the village of Bat Ayin include a post office (with limited services), grocery store, thrift store and Leumit Health Centre (where B’erot’s Rabbi Siegelbaum serves as a GP there and as the local emergency GP).
The Egged #362 (takes approximately 40 minutes) and #364 (takes approximately one hour) buses conveniently travel between Bat Ayin and the central bus station in Jerusalem. The #264 Night Bus also serves Bat Ayin from Jerusalem (Thursday and Saturday nights/Saturday-Thursday nights during high school vacations). Bus #44 travels to Efrat and throughout the local communities. Buses travel also to Talpiyot in Jerusalem.
Bat Ayin
A new project by Hevria
“The primary goal, is we wanted to show that the Jewish world is much richer and more diverse than we give it enough credit for…
Episode One: Shlomo and Rina Shoshana
Episode Two: The Artist
(Both families in these videos are B’erot host families and/or teachers)
Gush Etzion
It was here that Abraham and Isaac passed through on their sojourn from Hebron to Mount Moriah, in its pastoral landscape Ruth gathered the sheaves from the fields of Bethlehem, upon its hilltops David shepherded his father`s sheep and then went on to proclaim his kingdom, and in its deep caves the Maccabees and the Jewish fighters of Bar Kochba sought shelter…
“If there is a Jewish Jerusalem today, the Jewish people owe their gratitude to the defenders of Gush Etzion.” – David Ben Gurion, First Prime Minister of the State of Israel
Learn more about Gush Etzion
Baruch Hashem, the communites and utilities in Gush Etzion are expanding and most immediate needs can be met locally. In Kibbutz Kfar Etzion just up the hill, there is almost everything you need – a grocery store, a vegetable market, shoe and clothing stores, cafe, falafel and hummus bar, home and hardware stores, phone store and a photo development shop… Also in Alon Shevut there is a Post Office (which is open for longer hours than the one in Bat Ayin) a bank and a grocery store. Just next to Alon Shevut is the local swimming pool, gym and theatre. The Gush Etzion Junction (Tzomet HaGush) offers a large supermarket, health food store, bakery & cafe, and a brand new mall. Across the road is the Gush Etzion winery & restaurant. The nearby town of Efrat hosts two shopping centers with supermarkets, restaurants, clothing stores, dry cleaners, a pharmacy, hardware stores, stationary stores and travel agency, among others.
Security
The Village of Bat Ayin is located in the Gush Etzion area of the Judean hills, which is approximately 4 miles over the 1949 Armistice Agreement Line (commonly called, “the green line”). Since the location of our seminary is occasionally of concern to the families of potential students, we felt it important to address the issue of security.
Gush Etzion is an entirely Jewish bloc of some twelve communities with a population of over 20,000 and is located within the post-1967 borders of Israel. People feel safe and go about their normal daily lives.
The staff and faculty of Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin take our responsibility for the safety of the students in our care very seriously. We do everything humanly possible to ensure that our students are kept out of danger.
The Midrasha policy is that we do not allow our students to hitchhike. There are approximately twenty buses that go from Bat Ayin to Jerusalem daily. It is between half an hour to one hour ride to Jerusalem.
The village of Bat Ayin is protected by the army and local village security. The boundaries of Bat Ayin are under constant security camera surveillance. The security officer of Bat Ayin is on call 24/7. In Bat Ayin, as in most yeshuvim, in the case of any kind of emergency there is Rapid Response Unit in which is a group of army-trained residents, doctors and members of Hatzalah (Emergency Medical Volunteers).
According to the statistics, the greater Tel Aviv and Jerusalem areas experience more security incidences than Bat Ayin (may Hashem spare us) and in addition to the normal security protocols that exist within the community, our institution has established procedures which conform to those practiced by the majority of seminaries and yeshivot in Israel.
When students arrive, they are given information on who to call and what to do in a security or medical emergency. Staff and security personnel are available to answer any questions that may arise.
The administration of Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin are parents ourselves and we understand your concerns. We want you to rest assured that when you send your daughter to Israel for the year, that she will be learning in an environment that is not only concerned with her spiritual growth, but also with her physical well-being and security.
The Hebrew word for security, בטחון – bitachon, is the same word that we use when we speak of trusting Hashem. We live in uncertain times. Regardless of location, security is simply an illusion – there are never any guarantees. The only real security we have in life is in trusting G-d’s loving hand to protect us from harm and every day we clearly see His miracles.
