American Friends of Nishmat

American Friends of Nishmat (AFN) is the US-based entity proud to support the work of Nishmat, The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women, in Jerusalem. For over two decades, Nishmat has been educating Jewish women, empowering Jewish leaders, and strengthening Jewish communities. Nishmat is not just an institution but a vision. A vision of the advancing status of women as Torah scholars and leaders. A vision of broad and expanding communal and rabbinic consensus in support of women's spiritual leadership in mainstream Orthodox Jewish communities. With a 23 year track record of changing the Jewish communal landscape for the better, Nishmat remains the only place in the world where a woman can be trained as a Yoetzet Halacha (Woman Advisor in Jewish Law). Concurrently, Nishmat strives to reverse the cycle of poverty for disadvantaged Ethiopian immigrants to Israel, trains teachers for religious and secular Israeli schools, and promotes a culture of volunteerism.