Bais Chana Women International: a history and tradition of excellence

Bais Chana has been at the forefront of Jewish women’s education since its founding in 1971.

Inspired by the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and his avid support of education for all Jewish women, Rabbi Moshe Feller, Mindy Feller, and Rabbi Manis Friedman opened the doors of Bais Chana in its first home in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, as a place where women with little or no formal Jewish education could rediscover their heritage.

Thirsty for knowledge and sense of community, women came and Bais Chana’s popularity quickly grew. Since then, many thousands have passed through our doors from nearly every country in the world to attend our extraordinary educational retreats all over the US.

Today as then, Bais Chana is a warm, non-judgmental second home that wins the hearts and minds of teenage girls, stay-at-home moms and career women, students and grandmothers. The deep friendships made at Bais Chana bring the inspiration back home.

From a week-long excursion to the Florida Keys for college women to a secluded weekend created especially for single moms; from a three-week summer camp in the midwest for teen girls to women's retreats all over the country, every session is an opportunity to connect with our Jewish sisters the way only women can. It's a personal journey - shared freely - that begins with Jewish thinking, texts and traditions, and goes straight to the soul.

Bais Chana’s lead teacher, Rabbi Manis Friedman, is an internationally acclaimed educator and has been a guest lecturer at universities, debate societies and community events the world over. He is a social philosopher, a brilliant and very funny teacher, and a sensitive, perceptive counselor whose advice is sought by young and old alike.

The rest of Bais Chana’s rotating faculty is a team of gifted educators and mentors from around the world. Check each session to see which educators are featured.

Study materials include Chassidic texts, Torah, Kabbalah, prayers, Bible commentary, Midrash, Maimonides and Talmud. The potency of a trip to Bais Chana, though, comes from the attention paid to life’s most pressing questions. In Chassidic teachings, everything goes under the microscope: our self-concept and sense of responsibility; our understanding of the human psyche, life’s loves and fears, mind and heart, body and soul, male and female; how we deal with anger and disappointment; what we think about womanhood, intimacy, faith and happiness. The result is remarkable insight into our most important relationships and the ability to find greater meaning and wisdom in our lives.