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Ateres Seminary (Israel)
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amother
Oak


 

Post Tue, Feb 26 2019, 3:37 pm
can anyone give me information about Ateres?
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amother
Vermilion


 

Post Tue, Feb 26 2019, 3:57 pm
What would you like to know?
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amother
Natural


 

Post Tue, Feb 26 2019, 4:00 pm
It’s a very warm seminary. Has a significant minority (maybe even majority, at this point) of girls with unstable backgrounds and emotional health. There are also really normal girls, though. It’s the kind of situation where your daughter will have to make a point of associating herself with stable, healthy girls. If she does, she can gain a great deal from going to Ateres.
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Feb 26 2019, 4:05 pm
My sister and my DD's very close friend attended Ateres seminary. My sister - about 20 years ago...DD's friend, very recently.

I would say what amother Natural said is true, both in the past and more recently.

The staff is wonderful. I was in seminary with one of the Belsky girls and she's amazing.
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amother
Oak


 

Post Tue, Feb 26 2019, 4:17 pm
from what schools do the girls come from is it more modern?
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amother
Vermilion


 

Post Tue, Feb 26 2019, 4:28 pm
I went to Ateres 5 years ago(wow thats crazy, still feel fresh back!)
About girls with unstable backgrounds- not sure where you got that a majority of girls come from unstable backgrounds- I can think of a few counting on maybe one hand, if even!
The girls come mostly from out of town (all over the US- Baltimore, Silver spring, Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, Cleavland, Miami, LA, as well as abroad- London, South Africa, France, Australia, and also a handful of intowners, such as I, from Brooklyn, Monsey, NJ- Highland Park, etc.)
The girls are all growth oriented, coming with a different flavor and diversity being that they're coming from so many different places.
The staff are incredible- warm, down to earth and in touch with reality, yet really give over strong hashkafos and lessons. The classes are thought provoking and real.
There are 3 tracks in Ateres to accommodate different learning abilities (something no other BY does, because obviously all frum girls are BJJ material.) It really gives an opportunity for girls of all levels to be together and gain from one another. I was coming from a very academic school and it was truly an important life lesson to learn that people have different abilities and we are not defined by the tools Hashem gave us, but how we use them. I was in the top track and coming from a very academic school, I was still stimulated by their classes, meanwhile there are tracks for girls who can barely read a pasuk.
The seminary also wants true growth and facilities that. We have a beautiful portfolio which every girl makes, it's due halfway through the year and at the end of the year. It can be done in any creative fashion- mine was a scrapbook but you can do anything. What you so if you make 20 enteries each half, of things you learned, experienced, etc. And your reflections on it. Every girl comes home from seminary with stacks of notes and source sheets...how often do they look at it? We came home with something we truly invested in (memories of sitting on the floor with my friends at 3am making our portfolios). I actually brought mine on my 6th date with my husband to go through it with him (mind you I was 4 years out of seminary.) In addition to having a real beautiful way of reflecting on your year and having something tangible to look back at, it also teaches you to live with a certain frame of mind. Though I wish I still scrapbooked all my inspiration, I still think along the lines of how am I processing this, what am I taking out of this- a life of real reflection.
Every seminary has inspiring shabbaton, yimei iyun, classes, trips- but you go through it, feel inspired and then it's fleeting, only when you stop and say how will I implement this, reflect back does it become real.

Ateres is also truly a family, there is warmth that is palpable. My friend lost a box of supplies she had in the hallway while unpacking on the first day of seminary and was very upset (the cleaning lady threw it out thinking it was garbage.) Rabbi Belsky heard about this and called her to his office and gave her 200 shekel. He didn't have to. That's life, things sometimes get thrown out, but that was his welcome. We are a family, we will take care of you.
I remember going to visit Mrs. Sokol on Sukkos afternoon after our seuda just to say hi because we were in the neighborhood. No one does that- goes to their principal to say hi so early in the year when most people still feel uncomfortable. In Ateres it's comfortable. She told us then that her biggest fear before the first day of classes is that she doesn't remember everyone's names. How should she remember our names? From our interviews? That's not even something we expect! But she does it and really knows you!

I don't really keep in touch with my teachers, my fault, not theirs. Sometimes I'll shoot an email to Mrs. Sokol... But I saw her a few months ago and she asked me how I'm doing and within minutes I just started venting about adjusting to a new community, job, etc. It wasn't small talk or a formality- she's someone once you had a connection with you always do, because she truly understands you.
That's just her- but there are so many different styles, and personalities on the staff. She's the smart, intellectual, tough love type, then there's the sweety, the funny, the everything.
It's truly an amazing place!!!!
Ask me any question Smile
(Hope this wasn't just a rant but actually helpful)
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amother
Blonde


 

Post Tue, Feb 26 2019, 8:22 pm
I went 20 years ago. I’m hoping to send my daughter in a few years. I think she will love it. Rabbi Belsky and Mrs Sokol are caring and wonderful and just the perfect educators. I don’t know any unstable people who went there and I think giving a seminary who gives less academic girls a chance a bad name is horrible and unnecessary.
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amother
Pink


 

Post Tue, Feb 26 2019, 8:45 pm
amother wrote:
I went 20 years ago. I’m hoping to send my daughter in a few years. I think she will love it. Rabbi Belsky and Mrs Sokol are caring and wonderful and just the perfect educators. I don’t know any unstable people who went there and I think giving a seminary who gives less academic girls a chance a bad name is horrible and unnecessary.


Well I went 18 yrs ago and most girls were stable but a few girls from my year turned out (in the interim) to be very unstable. So they aren't making it up.

But I loved it!! I would like to hear from more people who went recently.
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amother
Firebrick


 

Post Tue, Feb 26 2019, 9:36 pm
amother wrote:
I went to Ateres 5 years ago(wow thats crazy, still feel fresh back!)
About girls with unstable backgrounds- not sure where you got that a majority of girls come from unstable backgrounds- I can think of a few counting on maybe one hand, if even!
The girls come mostly from out of town (all over the US- Baltimore, Silver spring, Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, Cleavland, Miami, LA, as well as abroad- London, South Africa, France, Australia, and also a handful of intowners, such as I, from Brooklyn, Monsey, NJ- Highland Park, etc.)
The girls are all growth oriented, coming with a different flavor and diversity being that they're coming from so many different places.
The staff are incredible- warm, down to earth and in touch with reality, yet really give over strong hashkafos and lessons. The classes are thought provoking and real.
There are 3 tracks in Ateres to accommodate different learning abilities (something no other BY does, because obviously all frum girls are BJJ material.) It really gives an opportunity for girls of all levels to be together and gain from one another. I was coming from a very academic school and it was truly an important life lesson to learn that people have different abilities and we are not defined by the tools Hashem gave us, but how we use them. I was in the top track and coming from a very academic school, I was still stimulated by their classes, meanwhile there are tracks for girls who can barely read a pasuk.
The seminary also wants true growth and facilities that. We have a beautiful portfolio which every girl makes, it's due halfway through the year and at the end of the year. It can be done in any creative fashion- mine was a scrapbook but you can do anything. What you so if you make 20 enteries each half, of things you learned, experienced, etc. And your reflections on it. Every girl comes home from seminary with stacks of notes and source sheets...how often do they look at it? We came home with something we truly invested in (memories of sitting on the floor with my friends at 3am making our portfolios). I actually brought mine on my 6th date with my husband to go through it with him (mind you I was 4 years out of seminary.) In addition to having a real beautiful way of reflecting on your year and having something tangible to look back at, it also teaches you to live with a certain frame of mind. Though I wish I still scrapbooked all my inspiration, I still think along the lines of how am I processing this, what am I taking out of this- a life of real reflection.
Every seminary has inspiring shabbaton, yimei iyun, classes, trips- but you go through it, feel inspired and then it's fleeting, only when you stop and say how will I implement this, reflect back does it become real.

Ateres is also truly a family, there is warmth that is palpable. My friend lost a box of supplies she had in the hallway while unpacking on the first day of seminary and was very upset (the cleaning lady threw it out thinking it was garbage.) Rabbi Belsky heard about this and called her to his office and gave her 200 shekel. He didn't have to. That's life, things sometimes get thrown out, but that was his welcome. We are a family, we will take care of you.
I remember going to visit Mrs. Sokol on Sukkos afternoon after our seuda just to say hi because we were in the neighborhood. No one does that- goes to their principal to say hi so early in the year when most people still feel uncomfortable. In Ateres it's comfortable. She told us then that her biggest fear before the first day of classes is that she doesn't remember everyone's names. How should she remember our names? From our interviews? That's not even something we expect! But she does it and really knows you!

I don't really keep in touch with my teachers, my fault, not theirs. Sometimes I'll shoot an email to Mrs. Sokol... But I saw her a few months ago and she asked me how I'm doing and within minutes I just started venting about adjusting to a new community, job, etc. It wasn't small talk or a formality- she's someone once you had a connection with you always do, because she truly understands you.
That's just her- but there are so many different styles, and personalities on the staff. She's the smart, intellectual, tough love type, then there's the sweety, the funny, the everything.
It's truly an amazing place!!!!
Ask me any question Smile
(Hope this wasn't just a rant but actually helpful)


I went a few years before you... agree with every word! Fantastic yimei iyun, incredible teachers, really caring staff and very homey atmosphere... I don’t know what it is like now (almost a decade since my days) but I do know that about 8 or 9 years ago they moved out of rechavia to ramot and began accepting girls that are more “right wing” than they had been accepting previously, but still a nice variety of backgrounds...

The reason why some might say “unstable” is because the belsky family is looking for girls that are sincere in their desire to learn and grow in seminary ... some of the girls (a very small percent) my year had a challenging family situation back at home... but these girls are anything but “unstable” ...they were super strong and awesome because of where they had been..

School types that I can remember:
Brooklyn: prospect, masores, machon
BY of Baltimore
Hanna saks (Chicago)
UK - Bais Yaakov and Hasmonean
Monsey- YSV, Bais Yaakov of ramapo, and a chassidish school that I don’t remember the name...
Bais Yaakov of Miami
Bunch more but can’t remember now
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amother
Peach


 

Post Tue, Feb 26 2019, 11:34 pm
Another huge Ateres fan and alum here. Not so recent lol.

I'm not at all sure it's true that there are more "unstable" girls there than in any other seminary. Not sure how one would judge that. But I think it may well be true that they are more willing to take a "risk" on accepting a girl who has a strong will to grow without a perfect resume. The different academic "tracks" are just one aspect of that. Anyway the other side of that coin is that you're spending the year with people (both staff and kids) who are not judgy and pretentious.

Rabbi Belsky and Mrs. Sokol are exceptionally masterful educators. You can tell that an incredible depth of thought goes into creating their seminary programs. Again, the way that the class tracks are set up, and the portfolio project others mentioned, represent that. I really feel that the way they set things up to help girls get the most out of their year is unique.

The teachers were amazing people (ugh that sounds so cliche. But they were!) and there were many different opportunities to build relationships with different types of people. didn't do a great job keeping in touch but some of my friends did better. When I did reach out to some of my teachers years later, the spark was still on.

When I was there the girls were a big mix of different "types" and that made for an interesting and rich experience. A lot of OOT of all types from very yeshivish to total BT but mostly somewhere in middle or "JPF." Tristate area also a big mix but slanting less yeshivish/more modern, with a majority probably Flatbush/5T "type" but others mixed in from all over the spectrum.
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amother
Burlywood


 

Post Wed, Jan 15 2020, 7:47 pm
amother [ Natural ] wrote:
It’s a very warm seminary. Has a significant minority (maybe even majority, at this point) of girls with unstable backgrounds and emotional health. There are also really normal girls, though. It’s the kind of situation where your daughter will have to make a point of associating herself with stable, healthy girls. If she does, she can gain a great deal from going to Ateres.

Where do you get your info from ?? Doesn’t every sem have Stable and unstable girls ??
Hmmm maybe it’s not the right fit for my daughter then as she comes from a STABLE background
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amother
Aquamarine


 

Post Wed, Jan 15 2020, 8:38 pm
I agree with the 'unstable' sentiment. My sister was there rather recently and many girls confided in her about their questionable backgrounds. A number of girls were not 'shomer'. Some had current or past boyfriends. One girl had two fathers...as in, her biological dad had married another man. Another girl had an irreligious father that was on his third unhealthy marriage. Another girl confided in my sister that she was raped by another girl in sleep away camp. There were at least two girls in the seminary that were s-xuallu attracted to one another and were displaying such behavior and I believe one of the girls was asked to leave. And from what I understood, these girls weren't the earnest, looking to grow type. There was plenty of illicit behavior going on from getting high on drugs to partying with boys and getting drunk in Ben Yehuda. Moreover, my sister found Rabbi Belsky to be a rather unpleasant mechanech. Just saying.

However, I must add that I have a wonderful friend that went to Ateres two years before my sister and she loved it. Another friend went to Ateres three years before my sister and hated it.
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HealthCoach




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 19 2020, 11:22 am
amother above (aquamarine), please pm me
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amother
Seafoam


 

Post Wed, Aug 12 2020, 11:30 am
Hi does anyone have current contact information for Ateres?

Thanks
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amother
Seafoam


 

Post Wed, Aug 12 2020, 2:28 pm
Bump
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amother
Firebrick


 

Post Thu, Aug 13 2020, 3:20 am
ateresapplications@gmail.com
025663288
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amother
Mustard


 

Post Thu, Aug 13 2020, 11:06 am
amother [ Aquamarine ] wrote:
I agree with the 'unstable' sentiment. My sister was there rather recently and many girls confided in her about their questionable backgrounds. A number of girls were not 'shomer'. Some had current or past boyfriends. One girl had two fathers...as in, her biological dad had married another man. Another girl had an irreligious father that was on his third unhealthy marriage. Another girl confided in my sister that she was raped by another girl in sleep away camp. There were at least two girls in the seminary that were s-xuallu attracted to one another and were displaying such behavior and I believe one of the girls was asked to leave. And from what I understood, these girls weren't the earnest, looking to grow type. There was plenty of illicit behavior going on from getting high on drugs to partying with boys and getting drunk in Ben Yehuda. Moreover, my sister found Rabbi Belsky to be a rather unpleasant mechanech. Just saying.

However, I must add that I have a wonderful friend that went to Ateres two years before my sister and she loved it. Another friend went to Ateres three years before my sister and hated it.


Sounds like you’re talking about my year as some of these stories sound very familiar from friends I had there. My friends loved it anyway and many of the unstable girls were asked to leave or find a diff place to go. I heard Rabbi Belsky and Mrs Sokol we’re truly amazing and on top of things.
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amother
Turquoise


 

Post Sun, Sep 06 2020, 10:03 am
Bumping up for more info.my DD is interested in ateres but I’ve been hearing some information that is concerning. Has it gotten more of a wild crowd the past year or 2? Anyone send very recently that can give some info?
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amother
Pewter


 

Post Sun, Sep 06 2020, 10:20 am
amother [ Turquoise ] wrote:
Bumping up for more info.my DD is interested in ateres but I’ve been hearing some information that is concerning. Has it gotten more of a wild crowd the past year or 2? Anyone send very recently that can give some info?


My daughter was there this past year..

What do you mean by wild crowd?
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amother
Smokey


 

Post Sun, Sep 06 2020, 10:37 am
Two of my daughters good friends just went last week. Neither are wild at all. They are very sweet, good girls who are not super academic. I have had them in my house numerous times and find that they have a calming, balancing effect on my type A super driven academic daughter. I will miss them this year. If I had a daughter who fit that profile I wouldn't hesitate to send her there.
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