in the years since the Mercaz was opened in 1996 by Dr. Abraham Fuss, there has been a metamorphosis in Israeli society in general and the Chareidi community in particular. Today, many more young men are seeking appropriate training to join the work force with the purpose of supporting their families. With the advent of the “global office” and the global service industry there are increasing advantages and opportunities. Opportunities where one can have a successful livelihood in an environment which is compatible with the religious lifestyles. Many large Israeli corporations, who value the contributions of the former yeshiva students (and their wives), are creating work environments with separate men and women divisions.

Dr. Fuss was a visionary who understood as far back as 1994 that our community needs options within the religious framework that has kept our heritage intact. The Mercaz, and Mivchar its academic sister school, have forged ahead and today many thousands of graduates are setting work standards, dedication and religious ethics in the labor force.

The Mercaz is a non profit school and is solely dedicated to advancing its mission – to empower those who wish to work with the tools to find a suitable trade. Our long term goal is to see our graduates in the position of economic prosperity and contributing to their community. A current member of our Board of Directors, Oren Amar, graduated the Mercaz in 1997 and together with a group of fellow graduates joined Israel’s hi tech industry as employees of Malam Systems , a software innovator. In 2004 the original group of graduates opened their own start up called Saphir-Tech who subsequently sold themselves in 2007 back to Malam . Oren brings to the Board a strong understanding of the potential of the Charaidi community to the Israeli market and is enhancing the Mercaz’s work. You can hear his story elsewhere on the site.

It is our hope and prayer to see all our graduates succeed and for us to continue to enable their successes.

All the best,
Yossi Perl