From the start, odds were against Vika Bekker becoming a committed Jew. Growing up in a non-religious home in Buffalo Grove, a small town a half-hour outside of Chicago, she became attracted to Judaism in high school – through NCSY. Her fledgling interest never wavered.
Later when she planned to transfer from the University of Illinois to Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women, Vika had to catch up and keep pace with classmates who had spent years learning Judaism.
Enter Stern’s Mechina Pathways program for students from nontraditional Jewish backgrounds, just what Vika had been hungering for.
A 2023 graduate of YU’s Sy Simms Business School, Vika found in Mechina exactly the environment she had been seeking for years.
Tired of being seen as out-of-step with classmates, Vika now says that “Mechina made me feel included in the Torah environment I longed for.”
The Mechina Program was established in 2004 by Shoshana Schechter, associate dean of Torah Studies and Spiritual Life. Drawing on years of outreach experience across four continents, she recognized the significant gaps in Jewish education many young people face.
She first noticed it when she was a Stern student, when classmates struggled with little to no Jewish knowledge. Schechter was reminded of the gap again in 1998 when she began teaching at Stern.
Known around campus as Mechina Mom, Shechter detected a disturbing gap. “I met young women who had overcome incredible odds to get to Stern,” she said, but there was a disturbing and familiar gap.
“It struck me that while Yeshiva University has the James Striar School, which provides foundational Jewish education for men, there was nothing comparable for women.”
Now there is.
The four-year program supports about 30 new women each year from across the world — including Tahiti, South Africa, Ukraine, Venezuela, Morocco and Australia.
It offers beginner and intermediate Judaism classes alongside the full Stern College curriculum. Beyond academics, Mechina fosters a sense of belonging, with students bonding over shared Shabbatons, events such as the Purim seudah hosted by YU President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, and personal milestones celebrated together.
“Mechina students bring something unique to our community,” Dean Schechter says.
“They enrich the Beit Midrash with perspectives women from traditional religious backgrounds might never consider. They remind us that there isn’t just one way to connect to Hashem.”
“Mechina students bring something unique to our community. They remind us that there isn’t just one way to connect to Hashem.” – Dean Schechter
Although Vika Bekker has graduated, plenty of curious young women are emerging from the world where she grew up.
Esther Serfaty, from Caracas, Venezuela, shares a similar story of growth. Raised in a traditional Jewish family and attending day school, Esther dreamed of deepening her connection to Judaism in college. When it came time to choose, Yeshiva University felt intimidating. “I was nervous,” she said. “What if my background wasn’t enough, and I couldn’t keep up?” she says.
Not to worry. Esther, who graduated last year, said “Mechina is a place where people without strong — or even any — religious background can find their place.”
For Dean Schechter, Mechina’s mission remains both simple and profound. “We aim to show our students the beauty of Judaism,” she said.
“We strive to give them the skills to learn, to keep learning, and to raise their level of Jewish literacy while deepening their understanding of Torah. Seeing how far many of them go — into Jewish communal life and leadership — fills us with pride and hope.”
