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del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 07:22 17/12/2007 Top yeshivas sever ties with Jewish Agency program MASA By Daphna Berman, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Orthodox, MASA, Jewish  Three top yeshivas have decided to sever ties with the Jewish Agency sponsored program, MASA, and several other Orthodox schools are considering following suit, Haaretz has learned. MASA, which enables Diaspora Jewish youth to spend time in Israel within the framework of a wide range of programs, is jointly sponsored by the Jewish Agency and the Prime Minister's Office. Yeshiva representatives, speaking on condition of anonymity, cite MASA's failure to respect their religious sensitivities in mandatory events, as well as an abundance of paperwork that they said made the partnership no longer tenable. Advertisement "While we respect the efforts of your organization toward bringing youth of the Diaspora to Israel, after evaluating the present requirements and grants of the MASA program we feel that we are unable to renew the relationship between MASA and our yeshivot for the 5769 academic year," read the letter addressed to MASA officials, a copy of which was obtained by Haaretz. The signatories on the letter included rabbis and administrators from Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavne, Yeshivat Har Etzion and Yeshivat Sha'alvim. MASA holds a mega-event for its estimated 9,000 participants, ¬ about 35 percent of whom are Orthodox, about once a year. However, yeshiva officials said these events weren't geared toward a religious audience. "We felt they weren't respectful of our needs," an official at one yeshiva said of decision. The official also cited changes in the way that MASA funds participants as a reason for the decision. All MASA participants from North America now receive a $2,000 scholarship, regardless of financial need, unlike in years past when grants were need-based. The result, yeshiva officials say, is that even needy students aren't receiving the sufficient scholarship funds they would require. MASA officials, in response, said they never received a letter from the yeshiva heads describing their desire to leave the program. They further denied having overlooked religious participants' sensitivities. "MASA is a pluralistic project that respectfully treats the broad array of opinions and movements within Judaism. These are the measures we employ toward the Orthodox public: in every MASA event, we make sure to allocate special spots in the designated hall to separate between men and women. In every MASA event, mehadrin food is ordered specially." A MASA spokesperson also said that changes to the scholarship program nevertheless ensure that "every participant can get a scholarship that will cover most of his/her costs, just like in the past." Related articles: Young Diaspora Jews to visit Israel in record numbers in 2007 One people, many pockets Diamond magnate Leviev funds religious programs in schools Bookmark to del.icio.us Groundbreaking discovery Israeli research is among '50 most significant scientific breakthroughs in 2007.' Floating the PA International donors pledged $7.4 billion to help boost the PA economy .   1.   Hang together or hang apart. 02:18  |  Hal 17/12/07   2.   MASA 03:40  |  Yaakov Kornreich 17/12/07   3.   yeshivas 04:44  |  am yisrael chai 17/12/07   4.   A sea change in support for kiruv 06:13  |  Ploni, sad @ Neteq 17/12/07   5.   The religious do FAR more than their share of the work 08:11  |  Dani 17/12/07   6.   jewish aency 08:15  |  colin 17/12/07   7.   totally true 08:17  |  Jewish State 17/12/07   8.   masa boycott by orthodox 08:58  |  david 17/12/07   9.   Uncovering MASA Scandal 10:01  |  Steve 17/12/07   10.   IGNORANCE IS THE OPIATE OF THE MASSES 10:07  |  SPTZ 17/12/07   11.   "It is only money that counts." 10:27  |  Ploni Almoni 17/12/07   12.   Painting themselves into a corner 12:46  |  Yonatan 17/12/07   13.   Mixed Dininng and Mahadrin 13:32  |  Yaakov Sullivan 17/12/07   14.   Great start 13:40  |  Obervant Jew 17/12/07   15.   Curiosity 14:31  |  Jebedia Springfield 17/12/07   16.   jebediah in amsterdam on kaas v`chaleela 14:46  |  Yaakov Sullivan 17/12/07   17.   "Great Start" 18:20  |  Ploni Almoni 17/12/07   18.   To Ploni Almoni 20:14  |  Observant Jew 17/12/07   19.   To Justinian Chrisostom "Yaakov" Sullivan 22:29  |  Jake 17/12/07

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