“Every girl comes home from seminary with stacks of notes... We came home with something we truly invested ourselves in (ah, the memories of sitting on the floor with my friends at 3am creating our portfolios). In addition to having a really beautiful way of reflecting on your year and having something tangible to look back at, it also teaches you to live with a certain frame of mind. Though I wish I still scrapbooked all my inspiration, I still think along the lines of how am I processing this, what am I taking out of this- a life of real reflection. ”

“From the moment I stepped in the doors I felt at home. When the principal looks at you and calls you by your name, how could you not? The girls were so friendly, everyone was excited to get to know each other. Everyone was just friends, we were in this year together! If you are sick it is noticed, The Eim Habayit will make sure you have what you need, be it Advil, toast, or a hug. There is always someone to talk to…The teachers are ALWAYS around to answer a question for you.”

“There’s always a teacher there. Even if you just want to shmooze or something, there’s always someone you can talk to.”

“You can tell that an incredible depth of thought goes into creating the seminary programs. I really feel that the way things are set up to help girls get the most out of their year is unique.”

“I realized how much of the kedusha I have in my life right now is thanks to the classes and influences of all the teachers I had in Ateres.”

“I got the gift of a lifelong connection to my seminary mentors. I know girls who were in seminary far more recently than I was, but who would not reach out to their seminary staff: it’s a lifetime ago. But if the connection was real, it’s forever.”

“I’d heard so much about how close the girls get with the teachers… I love how the teachers are so approachable. After every class you come out learning something new, growing and being inspired. I love looking at my notes and just feeling like, wow, I’m growing so much and it’s so special.”

“The hashkafos of this seminary have been built on the brilliant and powerful hashkafos of Rabbi Belsky and carried over by his own daughters, who have been raised to live this hashkafa. Two feet are always grounded in reality while helping the girls to reach their spiritual potential in a balanced way that they can hold onto when they come home. When my daughter came home in June, I could see the way she’d been taught and she said “This is the way you do it so that you can hold onto it.”

“The classes are so amazing. My daughter called us so many times to share what she was learning. She found the classes so uplifting and inspiring. She connected with them. So many times, she told us she walked her teacher to the bus stop, because she just had to continue the conversation!”

“The personal connection between every single staff member, throughout the year… my daughter called and emailed, quoting things from class. There was a very deeply personal connection she made. And she told me “I know they are caring for me, whatever happens.” And she’s reached out on several occasions to ask for advice. The connection they make so clear to the girls also translates into an unbelievable experience…I’ve visited other seminaries in the past. The warmth among the girls here was really extraordinary.”

“I’ve known the Belsky family for over 30 years… I didn’t even consider any other seminary for my first daughter. I looked at it as “I haven’t finished raising my daughter yet, so I need to send her somewhere where they are going to continue what I’m trying to do. Where I can trust.”

“Thanks to my time in seminary, I have come away with a "guidebook," a set of ideals and halachos that have become the backbone of how I strive to live my life, and the reference I go back to when the secular forces befuddle my clear thinking. My year in Ateres laid the spiritual foundation and oriented me in the right direction for the rest of my life.”

“The most inspiring thing to me is when people want to genuinely grow, so hearing from the girls made me so proud to be part of a seminary where everyone is like that. Being in a place where the girls share their honest thoughts and talk about the ideas that were taught in class long after the yom iyun made me want to be a part of it.”

“Everyone is so friendly, it doesn’t really matter where you’re from. We have girls from in town and out-of-town.”

“At the Ateres open house I got a glimpse into non-fluff, real talk… I was very happy about classes: genuine handling of every topic. All very real. Nothing was said without explanation, no blanket statements. I had friends in all other seminaries saying “ I wish we could have had your classes,” Particularly yemei iyun: music, and tzniyus.”

“Just as my views of Rosh Chodesh changed, so did my idea of a Yom Iyun. This became a day to focus all my attention on the topic. To spend time asking the questions I may have been afraid to ask and to understand a topic more deeply but also more practically.”