Ma’yan was founded in 1993 by Barbara Dobkin, the leading Jewish feminist philanthropist in the United States, and Eve Landau, Ma’yan’s Executive Director. The organization was created to pursue the broad vision of a Jewish community where women’s and girls’ ideas, experiences, and bodies are valued, where their needs and concerns are attended to, and where women’s leadership flourishes, to the betterment of the Jewish community as a whole.

The Jewish Women’s Project In our first decade, Ma’yan’s work focused on three program areas: Jewish Ritual and Women’s Spirituality, Jewish Women’s Leadership and Philanthropy, and Jewish Feminist Education. During this time, Ma’yan encouraged the creation and use of innovative ritual objects, hosted educational programs and produced original research reports, and became widely known for its feminist Passover seders, held annually in New York City from 1994 until 2005. The “Ma’yan seder” and its corresponding haggaddah, The Journey Continues, helped to popularize this practice and expand feminist ritual components (such as Miriam’s Cups) into countless home observances across the United States and beyond. 

Listen for a Change Starting in 2006, Ma’yan now focuses on bringing Jewish girls’ voices to the forefront, providing resources for parents, communities, and youth professionals.