Machon Meir is a religious Zionist outreach organization and yeshiva located near Givat Shaul in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Kiryat Moshe. It is one of the larger Jewish outreach organizations in Israel and strongly associated with nationalist politics and the settler movement.

History & Ideology

Machon Meir was founded shortly after the Yom Kippur War in 1973 by Rabbi Dov Bigon. Bigon was educated at Mercaz HaRav under Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook, so while Machon Meir is not officially affiliated with Mercaz HaRav, the two have very similar ideologies. The yeshiva was founded for and geared toward students with less formal Jewish education and/or little knowledge of the Hebrew language. Machon Meir encourages full participation in Israeli society and the Israel Defense Forces.

Programs

In Jerusalem, the Machon Meir yeshiva offers full-time, intensive study programs for young Jewish men of all backgrounds and levels of knowledge in Hebrew, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. Areas of study include Hebrew Bible, Talmud, the writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, history, Musar literature, philosophy, and a male-only Hebrew ulpan. Machon Meir is also a common destination for non-Jews from all over the world seeking an Orthodox conversion to Judaism that will be recognised by the State of Israel. Machon Meir has a sister organization, Machon Ora, with study programs for young women in Hebrew, French, Spanish, and Russian.