About Us

Rabbi Elie Kaunfer teachingIn June 2006, Rabbi Shai Held, Rabbi Elie Kaunfer and Rabbi Ethan Tucker, launched Mechon Hadar: An Institute for Prayer, Personal Growth and Jewish Study. The founders of Mechon Hadar have spent years teaching and building Jewish community, and have served as founders and leaders of Kehilat Hadar, an independent, egalitarian community committed to spirited traditional prayer, study and social action.

For more information about the relationship between Mechon Hadar and Kehilat Hadar, click here.

Mechon Hadar is an institute that empowers young Jewish who build vibrant Jewish communities through two initiatives:

Yeshivat Hadar

The first full-time egalitarian yeshiva in North America

Sara Labaton teaching A corps of motivated, young Jews who feel empowered to create and strengthen dynamic Jewish communities is crucial to the realization of Mechon Hadar's mission. Unlike any program in the United States, this study program combines the following elements:
  • Text study in Bible, Midrash, Talmud, Halakha, liturgy, and theology.
  • A commitment to the religious and spiritual growth of the individual participants.
  • The creation of a passionate and active Jewish learning community.
  • Social justice initiatives that embody the values embedded in the texts.
  • Intensive, all-day programming for students in an egalitarian setting.
  • Individualized projects students will take home to local communities.
Summer 2009 will be Yeshivat Hadar's third summer, and we will welcome 40 fellows. In Fall 2009, we will launch the first year-round program at Yeshivat Hadar, offering 15-20 fellows an intensive program in New York City, anchored around empowerment, community and the search for meaning and purpose in Jewish life. We are both honored and fortified by the strong demand for this intensive program.


The Minyan Project

Resource, networking and consulting for more than 50 independent minyanim nationwide

A group at the minyan conference In the last 5 years, thousands of unaffiliated young Jews have sought spiritual expression through new, independent minyanim. The leaders of Mechon Hadar have been at the forefront of working with these communities, including organizing a sold-out national conference in November 2008 for over 90 leaders from 32 independent minyanim, representing over 14,000 minyan participants. In addition to the 3-day leaders conference, Mechon Hadar also held a 1-day public forum on minyanim at Brandeis University. This extraordinary day attracted 120 minyan leaders and representatives from traditional Jewish institutions, and featured 8 panels and a keynote address, with scholars, minyan leaders and Jewish professionals. You can find recordings of these sessions here. Mechon Hadar continues to assist these communities in the following ways:
  • Prayer leader empowerment training series.
  • Halakhic consulting for pressing communal issues (gender, kashrut, etc).
  • Practical guides for running complicated prayer services.
  • New melody workshops and resources.
  • Networking conference for leaders to connect and share best practices.
  • Internet resources and email lists for cross-minyan communication.