Why choose Panim Meiros?

Panim Meiros: A Nurturing and Accepting Seminary in the Yorkshire Countryside for Learning, Growth and Personal Development

Whilst there are numerous excellent seminary  options available in the UK for post high-school girls, as the Kehillah grows, the need for a seminary that could provide something different for girls finishing Year 11 age 16 and above, has become increasingly clear. To meet this need, a group of askanim, led by Rabbi Yehuda Canter and Mr Menachem Dovid Salzman of Manchester devised Panim Meiros, a new seminary that is providing a non-judgemental space for growth, learning and personal development. The Seminary, which is situated in a modern 30 bedroom previous hotel in the picturesque hills of Yorkshire and only 35 minutes from the Manchester Kehillah, is headed by Rabbi Canter and currently has 20 talmidos in attendance. 

“Our greatest relief has been seeing our daughter happy to learn and comfortable to be herself,” reflects Mr Wasserman from Gateshead. “Baruch Hashem, she is growing. She is an intelligent girl and an independent thinker. She needed a place that will give her direct explanations in a caring way and not just expect blind compliance. The staff truly care and she feels this. We know that since she is happy that she will continue growing in a healthy way. This is not a Sem that tries to force the girls into a mould but rather it tries to adapt itself to the needs of each student.”

Building Knowledge, Skills and Confidence

Of the 20+ staff of the Seminary, who all live in Manchester but are on-site throughout the week to teach and develop a meaningful kesher with their talmidos. They described the breadth of the curriculum: “We are catering for girls of a broad range of abilities and interests and who benefit from personal connection and attention and the Sem aims to provide an interesting and useful curriculum in both Kodesh and Chol.

“We provide a robust Kodesh curriculum which is delivered by 9 inspirational and dynamic rabbanim and our 4 mechanchos. The Halachah shiurim provide our talmidos with a comprehensive understanding and application of hilchos Shabbos l’maaseh along with many other relevant areas of halachah. They benefit from in-depth va’adim which explore inyanei mussar, Chumash, Inyanei d’Yoma, yesodos of Emunah and hashkafah shiurim. Many of them feel like they are exploring the deeper meaning of Yiddishkeit for the first time as the rabbanim and mechanchos encourage the girls to actively participate in the classes via a facilitated discussion which is extremely engaging. This discursive format encourages the girls to share where they are really at and they are able to explore issues that affect them in depth in a guided forum in a way that they have never previously been able to. Our talmidos are open to learning and have many questions which they feel comfortable to ask. It’s wonderful to see their faces as they discover the depth of what Yiddishkeit and reach new levels of understanding.”

“We also offer a broad range of options for Chol including A-levels, graphic design, gym instructor training and beauty courses alongside self-study options. We want our alumni to be equipped with a vocational skill-set that they can develop for their future if they wish but we also believe that skilling-up is a great way of building confidence and feeling fulfilled.

“For many of our girls, the weekly trips are a great opportunity to bond and refresh themselves. They enjoy the hiking, indoor activities, music, dance, horse riding and other sports and many of the girls find that being situated in the countryside gives them a certain harchavas ha’daas that they wouldn’t feel back in the busy Kehillos that they come from. This helps them open up and become more receptive to growing in their Yiddishkeit.

“The Girls Open Up in a Way They Never Thought they Would…”

“It’s essential to us that every girl feels cared for,” Mrs Wahrhaftig continued. “As a small Sem, we seek to provide personal care the way that a much larger institution cannot. There are four mechanchos who are each assigned 5 girls to mentor. Their bi-weekly meetings cultivate a close kesher and often the girls open up in a way they never thought that they would. The mechanchos are supported and guided by Mrs Mimi Pinnes who is an expert therapist with phenomenal insight. Should issues arise, Mrs Pinnes is able to formulate a plan with the mechaneches to ensure that we are providing our girls with the healthiest and happiest place that they can be.

An Accepting Home, Cultivating Genuine Trust and Openness

Mr and Mrs Steinberg described their daughter’s experience of Panim Meiros so far: “They take fantastic care of the girls; Ayala never complains about the gashmiyus. The Seminary is situated in a modern ex hotel; the en-suite bedrooms are comfortable and clean and the food is provided by a professional caterer. I don’t know if there’s any other Sem in the world like that!”

But for the Steinbergs, the most important thing is how Ayala is developing: “She is learning from top Rabbanim. When Ayala comes home for Shabbos and for the first time in years she is telling us Divrei Torah that she has learnt. We’re delighted to see that she is finally enjoying what she is learning but more important to us is that she finally feels secure to be herself. She is getting a clear message that everyone has their own unique challenges and the staff are there to help her. She feels cared for and that she is understanding parts of Yiddishkeit for the first time. We are truly grateful to Rabbi Canter,   Mr MD Salzman , and all the askanim  who are working l’shem shamayim and making our dream a reality for us”.

Rabbi Canter, the Rosh Hamosod, who reflected on the vision and mission of Panim Meiros: “Panim Meiros is a accepting and non-judgemental place where girls who want to grow in a supportive and understanding atmosphere can develop at their own pace with healthy boundaries and without the pressures of most mainstream mosdos. We create a bespoke framework that fits our talmidos, rather than trying to force them into our own. For many of our talmidos, the feeling of finally being accepted as who they are and being part of something much greater is incredibly encouraging and helps them rise above their individual struggles. They are well on their way in their growth”.