Welcome To Olami Manhattan
We’re a young , vibrant community interested in the search for meaning, joy and the unique ways we can make ourselves and the world simply better.
Our Mission
Our mission is to democratize Jewish education by offering high-impact one-on-one mentoring, classes, workshops, educational trips, and special events to people in their 20s who didn’t grow up with these opportunities, and empower them to pay forward these kinds of opportunities to others.
Our Programs
Ignite
Girls night out!
Deepen and broaden your knowledge about what it means to be a modern Jewish woman.
This year’s theme is all about growth. Recognizing that we are Human, imperfect, and working towards strengthening our spiritual self.
Educators: Faigy & Shana
- Women's Class
- Monday Nights
- 6:30-9:30 pm
Tapestry Tuesday
No better place to be on a Tuesday night!
A whole new night of learning. Dinner and live music, followed by a choice of rotating classes. Then stay and hang out, with dessert, drinks, and friends!
Educators: Rabbi Lynn, Ruthi Lynn MA, MFT, Rabbi Kenny, and Reb Arye
- All genders
- Tuesday Nights
- 6:30-9:30 pm
Tapestry X
Xtra credit downstairs on Tuesday’s nights!
Whether you can only make it later in the evening or just looking for more inspiration. This class won’t disappoint.
Educators: Rabbi Kenny & Reb Arye
- All genders
- Tuesday Nights
- 8:30 pm
Manhattan Learning Lounge
Thursday night’s are for the boys!
Join us for a night of learning, eating, and hanging out! Dinner, weekly Torah portion class, and 3 tracks of Talmud learning.
Educators: Rabbi Blachman & Rabbi Ribner
- Men's Class
- Thursday Nights
- 7:00-10:30 pm
opportunities
Research and internships
Spend a semester or your summer interning at the Technion American Israeli medical school or working on a research project under the Israeli Ministry of Health.
Retreats And Trips
Join networking weekends with peers and mentors as well as national and international health experiences.
About Us
Working out of the Jewish Enrichment Center in Greenwich Village, Olami Manhattan is changing Jewish lives in the heart of New York City.
Since 2004, Meor Manhattan has been working on college campuses to inspire, educate and empower young Jews — the future leadership of the Jewish community. Recently, a brave group of educators, young lay leaders, and donors came together to take it to the next level. Olami Manhattan was born.
Rabbi Shmuel Lynn
Founder & Executive Director
Meor Manhattan started as one of Rabbi Lynn’s visions of what could be. After over a decade at the helm of one of Meor’s first and most vibrant campuses, he realized that if Meor did not evolve to galvanize its thousands of alumni that were living in NYC, it would be missing a historic opportunity to impact American Jewry. For years, Rabbi Lynn would make trips up from Philly to keep his former students from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) connected to what had turned them onto Judaism in college. The time had come to help this network become the thriving community it is today. Under his guidance and inspired by his out-of-any-box-you’ve-ever-encountered creativity, we have built a full ecosystem of communal learning opportunities and social meeting points for young Jews of New York to mature and become the young leaders that we need to lead the way forward.
Rabbi Lynn served for 12 years as Executive Director of Meor at Penn, where he continues to teach regularly. The Maimonides Leaders Fellowship, his flagship program there, is now available at more than 50 campuses throughout North America. The Israel and Poland trips he pioneered in his early years at Penn have become national entities, receiving generous support from foundations and Israeli government initiatives with thousands of alumni.
Before coming to Penn, Rabbi Lynn lived in Israel for nine years. He studied Torah, Jewish philosophy, and Talmudic law at the renowned Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem, the largest yeshiva in Israel. Not having taken the most typical track to the Mir Yeshiva, Rabbi Lynn first graduated from Duke University, and then went on to the Tisch Film School at NYU, later spending several years working as a writer in Los Angeles. He was born in New York City, and is happy to be back, but he grew up in sunny Palm Beach, Florida.
Zahava Roth
Chief Operating Officer,
Educator & Mentor
Coming Soon!
Rabbi Avi Blachman
Director of Education
Rabbi Blachman was born and raised in Jerusalem. He studied at the famed Chevron Yeshiva and went on from there to study under Rabbi Yitzchak Berkowitz in the prominent Jerusalem Kollel, which trains rabbis who serve all over the globe. Aside from his yeshiva studies, he undertook several business endeavors, one of which involved founding his own ice cream company in Israel.
He moved to New York City to be part of the team at Meor Manhattan, and lives on the Upper West Side with his wife Rivka and two children. He hosts lively Shabbos meals with 20+ guests which is talked about far and wide. Additionally, he founded the Manhattan Learning Lounge men’s learning program to inspire and help guys break into the exhilarating study of the Talmud.
Faigy Blumstein
Senior Educator
Faigy has been working with the JEC Meor Manhattan for 10 years now! Although born and bred in Brooklyn, she is currently a “Real House Wife” of Long Island. She is married to the entrepreneur, Elimelech Blumstein and has a boatload of kids (5 to be exact). She spent 4 years living in Israel while attending College abroad. After receiving her Masters in Psychology, she works as a school psychologist for the Board of Education. She teaches Wednesday evenings at Meor in City and host’s her very own “Faigy Show”. Faigy is known as a “Mystic Millenial” and teaches Chassidus to the masses. Along with learning one on one with students, she spends time with Brides and teaches them the secrets behind the beauty of a Jewish Marriage. Her favourite things are manicures, skiing, starbucks and a good hashtag every now and then! She prides herself on trying out new recipes and loves hosting for Shabbat.
Margaux Betesh
Director of Women's Department, Director of Trips, Director of Community Engagement, Senior Educator & Program Development.
Margaux Betesh was born and raised in Deal, NJ. She grew up in a pretty traditional Syrian home, but as a child spent a large part of her summers in Bar Harbor, Maine. This is where her enthusiasm for all things adventurous and outdoors were fostered. After highschool she spent the year in Israel, learning at Midreshet Tehillah on the Neve Campus in Har Nof.
Margaux got her start in Jewish education as a Madricha in Israel for Jinternships in the summer of 2018 and has been active in working with students from all backgrounds and levels since! She gained a lot more experience working and traveling with students as a madricha for Yehudi of Miami with college students and young professionals on many of their educational trips abroad.
Her passions include: traveling, music, and reading. She is passionate about learning about different cultures and food around the world! She has worked professionally in cooking and baking and loves art and photography as well.
Margaux is excited to be involved with Meor Manhattan and to be meeting you all.
Elana Kovalev
Director of Events & Programs
Elana is a native New Yorker. She embarked upon her journey at Meor Manhattan by attending a Poland Trip as the grandaughter of Holocaust survivors and the rest is history (which is appropriate, given her love of history). Elana received her degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in Communication Design with a background in Fine and Applied Arts. She then moved on to the prestigious Starr Restaurant Group where she honed her hospitality and signature event style.
After a decade, Elana left the restaurant world to join the Jewish nonprofit world where she uses her hospitality sensitivities to make people feel at home in the Jewish community. She brings her design and artistic vision to Meor Manhattan, and is fueled by her love of the Jewish People to curate beautiful events and programs. In her spare time, she can be found S.C.U.B.A. diving, hiking, or exploring New York on bicycles alongside her husband Alex.
Malka Diamond
Marketing Manager
Malka was born and raised in Brookline, Massachusetts. Coming to New York for college, she graduated with a degree in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons: The New School of Design – right around the corner from the JEC!
Malka has previous experience doing marketing in both the fashion and food industry, and is excited to now have the opportunity to combine her love of Judaism with her marketing vision and skills. A certified pastry chef, Malka loves to bake and create beautiful desserts. She can also be found hiking, biking, playing tennis, cooking, and crafting in her spare time.
Contact Us
If you have any questions please feel free to contact any of our staff.
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Learn from the world’s leading Jewish medical and healthcare practitioners about how to best launch your career, how to infuse Jewish values into your workplace and so much more.
Learn from the world’s leading Jewish medical and healthcare practitioners about how to best launch your career, how to infuse Jewish values into your workplace and so much more.
Learn from the world’s leading Jewish medical and healthcare practitioners about how to best launch your career, how to infuse Jewish values into your workplace and so much more.
Learn from the world’s leading Jewish medical and healthcare practitioners about how to best launch your career, how to infuse Jewish values into your workplace and so much more.
Learn from the world’s leading Jewish medical and healthcare practitioners about how to best launch your career, how to infuse Jewish values into your workplace and so much more.
