Machanaim
Encyclopedia
Machanaim is a word from book of Book of Genesis (32:3) meaning "two camps".
It is also a name of organization dealing with spiritual absorption of Jewish people from the former USSR in Israel
. The organization produced many books, classes, especially for conversion. Main proponent of Religious Zionism
amongst the Russian speaking Jews.
Machanaim began behind the iron curtain in '79, in Moscow during Brezhnev stagnation
, as a group of young people who gathered to study Jewish history and tradition and pass on this knowledge to their fellow Jews. Over time it developed into an organized underground network for studying Torah, philosophy, and Jewish law.
Almost all the group members were refuseniks
. Classes were sometimes interrupted by KGB
.
In 1987 most of the Machanaim activists received permission to emigrate to Israel. There they set two main goals: to work with new immigrants and to provide assistance in Jewish education for those Jews still in the CIS.
The movement's work and its goals spawned the name Machanaim, a term from the Book of Genesis meaning "two camps": Jerusalem and Moscow.
Since Glasnost
Russian speaking Jews are spread all over the world, and therefore, this World Wide Web site affords Machanaim great potential toward realizing its goals.
Currently Machanaim's main projects include book publishing, teaching Judaism via the media, running a synagogue
and other activities in Ma'aleh Adumim.
Machanaim founders are Dr. Zeev Dashevsky, Dr. Pinchas Polonsky, Dr. Michael Kara-Ivanov.
Machanaim is also the name of a popular game played at Jewish camps and schools. It is sometimes spelled Machanayim
.
It is also a name of organization dealing with spiritual absorption of Jewish people from the former USSR in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The organization produced many books, classes, especially for conversion. Main proponent of Religious Zionism
Religious Zionism
Religious Zionism is an ideology that combines Zionism and Jewish religious faith...
amongst the Russian speaking Jews.
Machanaim began behind the iron curtain in '79, in Moscow during Brezhnev stagnation
Brezhnev stagnation
The Era of Stagnation, also known as Brezhnev stagnation or the Stagnation Period, refers to a period of economic stagnation under the rules of Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko in the history of the Soviet Union which started in the mid-1970s.-Terminology:Various authors...
, as a group of young people who gathered to study Jewish history and tradition and pass on this knowledge to their fellow Jews. Over time it developed into an organized underground network for studying Torah, philosophy, and Jewish law.
Almost all the group members were refuseniks
Refusenik (Soviet Union)
Refusenik was an unofficial term for individuals, typically but not exclusively, Soviet Jews, who were denied permission to emigrate abroad by the authorities of the former Soviet Union and other countries of the Eastern bloc...
. Classes were sometimes interrupted by KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
.
In 1987 most of the Machanaim activists received permission to emigrate to Israel. There they set two main goals: to work with new immigrants and to provide assistance in Jewish education for those Jews still in the CIS.
The movement's work and its goals spawned the name Machanaim, a term from the Book of Genesis meaning "two camps": Jerusalem and Moscow.
Since Glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
Russian speaking Jews are spread all over the world, and therefore, this World Wide Web site affords Machanaim great potential toward realizing its goals.
Currently Machanaim's main projects include book publishing, teaching Judaism via the media, running a synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
and other activities in Ma'aleh Adumim.
Machanaim founders are Dr. Zeev Dashevsky, Dr. Pinchas Polonsky, Dr. Michael Kara-Ivanov.
Machanaim is also the name of a popular game played at Jewish camps and schools. It is sometimes spelled Machanayim
Machanayim
Machanayim is a game similar to dodge ball that is often played by in Orthodox Jewish schools and summer camps. The name Machanayim comes from the Hebrew word meaning "two encampments" or, in this case, two teams.Game Play:...
.