AMIT’s Day of Learning connects Jewish women

Numbers play a significant role in Judaism, and for the 110 women who attended the AMIT’s annual Yom Iyun (Day of Learning) at the Sephardic Temple in Cedarhurst on July 26, specific figures were prominent.

For Mimi Mehlman, wife of retired Lido Beach Synagogue Rabbi Daniel Mehlman, the number 18 stood out — both because it signifies chai (life) but for how many years ago she established the event.

“I used to go to AMIT learning sessions 20 years ago and thought it would be a very nice idea to put together a place for women to sit and learn from AMIT women,” said Mehlman said, who now lives in Woodmere.

AMIT (in Hebrew, the acronym for Organization of Volunteers for Israel and Her Torah) is a New York-based nonprofit helps Israeli youth realize their potential. It strengthens Israeli society by educating and nurturing children from diverse backgrounds in an environment of academic excellence, religious values and Zionist ideals.

The group serves 34,000 students in 110 schools in 29 cities in Israel. More than 95 percent of AMIT graduates enter the Israel Defense Forces or perform national service, and 85 percent of AMIT students graduate high school with a Bagrut diploma — a prerequisite for higher education in Israel — compared to 70 percent of all Jewish high school students in Israel, AMIT reports.

“I feel that this organization is so important for the children of Israel,” said Audrey Wagner, Woodmere resident who pointed out that she has been a part of the 92-year-old organization for 70 years since her mother brought her into the group.

The Day of Learning took place within the Nine Days. “We are very mindful of the tragedies through the nine days, and very much concerned how believe Israel is treated and how the country has grown,” Wagner said.

Regarding recent troubles surrounding the Temple Mount, Mehlman said, “We are afraid, yet we stand together. AMIT let’s us be together in a sisterhood. We learn to live in the Torah.”

Keynote speaker Dr. Shoshana Poupko provided a lesson on how an individual’s actions impact the community as a whole. Also a rabbi’s wife, and dean of students at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck, she spoke about each person’s “communal responsibility.”

“The well-being of the community is at stake,” said the Los Angeles native, who is a neighbor of current AMIT President Debbie Moed. “What if everybody did that, interrupt a conversation or have their cell phone on. Society comes together to achieve what we cannot do alone.”

Sondra Sokal, a past AMIT president, paid tribute to Mehlman and her creation. “I remember some of us at the very first Yom Iyun in Lido Beach,” Sokal said. “What a wonderful, enduring event that you have put together.”