The heart of our work is a deep love for every child as if they were our own
Thanks to you, Migdal Ohr is constantly building and expanding to bring the absolute best to Israel’s youth at-risk
Migdal Ohr is a place where we transform heartbreak into triumph, not just for one child but for thousands of children and alumni.”
AFMO Director of Development
Explore our Programs
Foster families raising children in a warm and loving home on campus
Imagine six siblings whose parents were tragically killed in a car accident or a group of Jewish children found fending for themselves in a basement... Who will care for them? What kind of institution has everything that they need?
With great sensitivity, Rabbi Grossman has created the Mishpachton Family Dorms on the Migdal Ohr campus. Each dorm is a loving home where one couple raises 12 children, caring for them as their parents would.
Supported by therapists, teachers, and recreational therapists, these foster parents have the support they need to help children heal from trauma and thrive in their new lives.
Migdal Ohr is home to 15 schools and 8 day care centers all created to inspire a child’s true potential
Some highlights from our programs
Day Care Centers
For Infants and Toddlers
Migdal Ohr has 8 different day care centers for hundreds of infants and toddlers who have been orphaned or neglected from a young age. Each baby is raised by loving caregivers who delight in seeing them grow and develop. In addition to their daily care, we oversee all of their medical needs and continue to see them through to school and beyond.
Machshava
Elementary School
Machshava is a gifted and talented school for children from immigrant backgrounds with an advanced program focused on STEM, music, and the arts. The school has a choir, dance troupe, and drama program. Our flagship music program is called “Sulamot” and is run in a partnership with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.
Metivta
School for Boys
Metivta is a boys elementary through high school offering an excellent education for boys from underprivileged and troubled homes. Teachers in the serve as role models and parent figures, helped boys build confidence in themselves and gaining skills that will help them to become successful adults.
Orot B’Emek
School for Girls
Orot B’Emek is a girls elementary and middle school for underprivileged children who do not have a strong Jewish background from home. The school places a focus on STEM and Jewish education providing transportation and three meals a day to students who come from lower income surrounding areas. The school also has a music and drama program with an aviary, critter corner, and hydroponic garden.
Programs for Children with Special Needs
Recently, Migdal Ohr expanded to include programs for children with special needs. These programs engage specialists and different modalities to stimulate children and provide a safe, nurturing environment suited for their needs. Our “Cooking Up a Future” program has also expanded to include a cohort of special needs students studying for careers in the culinary arts and the hospitality industry.
Gan Yavneh
College for Orthodox Students
Orot B’Emek is a girls elementary and middle school for underprivileged children who do not have a strong Jewish background from home. The school places a focus on STEM and Jewish education providing transportation and three meals a day to students who come from lower income surrounding areas. The school also has a music and drama program with an aviary, critter corner, and hydroponic garden.
Mazal is the mother of 3, grandmother of 5, and adopted grandmother of hundreds of children. Every week, the children of Migdal Ohr receive their lovingly laundered, folded, ironed clean clothes from her.
Mazal says, "I love each child as if they are my own and pray for them while doing my job. I pray that they feel loved and happy here. I pray that they get what they need and find a family here.
They should grow up to become wonderful adults! Each child deserves the entire world!"
Mazal is the mother of 3, grandmother of 5, and adopted grandmother of hundreds of children. Every week, the children of Migdal Ohr receive their lovingly laundered, folded, ironed clean clothes from her.
Mazal says, "I love each child as if they are my own and pray for them while doing my job. I pray that they feel loved and happy here. I pray that they get what they need and find a family here.
They should grow up to become wonderful adults! Each child deserves the entire world!"
Mazal is the mother of 3, grandmother of 5, and adopted grandmother of hundreds of children. Every week, the children of Migdal Ohr receive their lovingly laundered, folded, ironed clean clothes from her.
Mazal says, "I love each child as if they are my own and pray for them while doing my job. I pray that they feel loved and happy here. I pray that they get what they need and find a family here.
They should grow up to become wonderful adults! Each child deserves the entire world!"
Here, teens find unconditional acceptance and get a new start
Afikei Ohr
Girls Youth Village
The Afikei Ohr Girls Youth Village in Migdal HaEmek is home to 100 teenage girls at-risk. Many of the girls who have dropped out of school or spent time on the streets where they encountered drugs, alcohol, and crime. Here, they find unconditional acceptance and a family that welcomes them with open arms.
Therapists and staff support all of the girls’ needs while creating unique opportunities for them to practice entrepreneurship, creativity, and get their academics on track to graduate high school.
The campus includes greenhouses, fish hatchery, art studio, wood shop, and cooking school where the girls have the freedom to explore their passions and a chance to get their lives back on track.
Zoharim
Boys Youth Village
The Zoharim Boys Youth Village is set on 30 acres in the scenic Judean hills outside of Jerusalem. It is home to 100 Orthodox boys at-risk who are looking for a way to rebuild their lives and become more integrated into Israeli society.
The youth village focuses on empowerment, education, and helping teens to find their unique path in life. On the campus there are equestrian stables, a goat farm, hydroponic greenhouses, vineyards a carpentry workshop, and a gym, among many other amenities.
In addition to catching up with their high school studies, young men can choose to prepare for IDF service through the Esther and Nathan Miller Preparatory Program.
We are constantly launching new programs to help children achieve their potential
Agricultural Therapy Greenhouses and Vineyards
We’ve invested in greenhouses, vineyards, orchards, and gardens as part of an agricultural therapy program across our campuses. Out in nature, children have the opportunity to plant, water, and harvest the fruits of their labor with time to slow down and take in the fresh air and beautiful views. Migdal Ohr even has a partnership with the Dalton Winery making wines from grapes grown at the Zoharim Youth Village.
Cooking Up a Future
Culinary Institute
Cooking Up a Future (Mevashlim L’Atid) is a partnership between Migdal Ohr, Israel’s Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Education. The program trains students to work in the culinary arts, tourism, and hospitality industries. In our state-of-the-art industrial kitchens, instructors teach everything from food safety to preparation presentation, budgeting, and business management. The final portion entails interning in a professional kitchen before finally receiving a certificate in Food Science and Hospitality.
Chag Saveah
Holiday Food Drives
Twice a year, before Rosh Hashanah and Pesach, Migdal Ohr operates two large-scale national food drives providing food for 25,000 families and children in need. Originally started by a group of Migdal Ohr students, these campaigns are known across Israel for helping the most vulnerable citizens prepare for the holidays with dignity. During the COVID pandemic, the Government asked Migdal Ohr to mobilize their distribution chain to deliver 40,000 packages to homebound and needy residents every week.
Bayit Yehudit
Bridal Fund and Salon
Migdal Ohr’s “Bayit Yehudit Fund” accompanies orphaned or underprivileged brides and grooms to the chuppah with dignity and a warm embrace. Each couple receives modest funds to pay for their wedding, as well as their first month of rent, appliances, home essentials, and anything else they need to get settled. Bayit Yehudit also operates a beautiful bridal gemach with everything that a young bridge needs to feel like a queen on her wedding day - at no cost to her.
Magen Israel
Emergency War Relief
After the massacres of Oct 7th, Rabbi Grossman mobilized “Operation Magen Israel” to shelter 4,000 families and individuals from the Gaza border communities in Jerusalem, support IDF soldiers, and comfort the wounded in Israel’s hospitals. Since then, we have created a Fund for Victims and Orphans of Oct 7th and supported families directly affected by the massacres.
Prisoner Rehabilitation Program
Rabbi Grossman has received the honorary title of “Father of the Prisoners” from the Israeli Government for his groundbreaking work in the prison system. In 1974 he started “Shaked – Rehabilitation Through Religion” which now operates in all of Israeli prisons. Shaked gives inmates, mostly jailed for drugs and robbery, a chance to study Torah in a prison kollel for 3-4 hours a day. At the same time, rabbis mentor the families of these inmates to prepare a support system for after their release. Participants have a third of their sentences reduced for good behavior. The program has one of the lowest recidivism rates (20%) of any initiative in the world!
Our youth group, Ohr Yisraeli, has 160 branches that empower teens from the North to the South of Israel
Ohr Yisraeli branches serve over 8,000 teens with regular Torah classes, programs, and chesed events. The groups visit hospitals and army bases to lift people’s spirits and help mark the holidays.
While teens may be tempted to spend time on the streets, Ohr Yisraeli offers a positive outlet with a great peer group and mentors who are looking out for them! During the summer and school breaks, Ohr Yisraeli groups take teens on dozens of trips as recreational outlets and opportunities to bond.
During the COVID pandemic and after Oct 7th, teens have been involved in organizing relief efforts, delivering food packages, and caring for the needy in their communities.
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