Machon Chana is a private religious college for Jewish women affiliated with the Chabad Hasidic movement and geared toward Baalot Teshuva – women from secular backgrounds who become more observant. The school is located in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

History

The school was founded in 1972 as an institution educating women from non-Orthodox backgrounds in an orthodox Jewish environment. The school is open to women of any age, and focuses on Torah study. The Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem M. Schneerson saw this institution as a way to introduce young Jewish women from non-orthodox backgrounds to orthodox Judaism through academic means.

Leadership and goals

Sara Labkowski is the founder and executive director of Machon Chana. The goals of Machon Chana as described in its mission statement are:

Student body

Hundreds of women from all over the world study at the school annually. The backgrounds of the women attending the school vary with some arriving not knowing the Hebrew alphabet.

Programs

Machon Chana offers part-time and full-time options for students. Seminary students can study for a few days to years. Students can pursue online or dual degrees including bachelor and master degrees through partnerships with the Yeshiva Initiatives Educational Programs and Bellevue University. Machon Chana offers classes related to Hebrew, Yiddish, Jewish law, Jewish homes, Jewish ethics, and other topics related to Judaism.

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