The Center
Newman Vipassana Meditation center iNewman Vipassana Meditation center is located in Yavne’el, in the in northern Israel, and offers ideal conditions for personal course taught by the Buddhist Israeli monk Phra Ajarn Ofer Thiracitto (Venerable Phrakhrubhavanabidhan) who has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1989 under the instruction of the most venerable Phra Ajarn Tong . The courses are held with a small number of participants and a permanent staff that allows a warm family & intimate atmosphere during your stay
The center is located in Yavne’el, in the in northern Israel and offers ideal conditions for personal course taught by the buddhist Israeli monk Phra Ajarn Ofer Thiracitto (Venerable Phrakhrubhavanabidhan) who has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1989 under the instruction of the most Ven. Ajran Tong Sirimangalo .
The The center is run by its founders Itamar and Liora Newman and the courses are held with a small number of participants and a permanent staff that allows a warm family & intimate atmosphere during your stay.
Everybody who is interested, with or without previous meditation experience, is most welcome to participate.
The development of mindfulness and the attainment of insights through one’s own experience are independent of one’s origin, age, gender, religion or belief.
ABOUT US
Itamar and Liora Newman practicing Vipassana meditation since 1999 under guidance of Ven. Phra Ajarn Ofer. In 2005 they opened an association with other members from Israel and in 2006 they set up a temporary Vipassana Center to which they invited Phra Ajarn Ofer to be the head teacher.
After few years of searching in the year 2010 they sold their home in Tel Aviv and purchased a house on about4.000 m2 (0,4 ha) of land in the town of Yavniel in the in northern Israel.
In June 2011 the Ven. Ajran Tong Sirimangalo and the Ven. Somdet Phra Buddha Jinawons came to Israel accompanied by an entourage of monk’s in order to officially open the center in Yavniel.
The center was open throughout the years in a continuous and daily manner and Vipassana courses were taught by the Phra Ajran Ofer and guest teachers. Buddhist ceremonies were held according to tradition by the monk Ofer and / or Buddhist monks who were invited to be guests at Yavniel for the service of the Buddhist communities from Thailand and Sri Lanka in Israel
The association operated at Yavniel until 2016 but due to bureaucratic difficulties they were forced to stop their activities at Yavniel and as a result Phra Ajarn Ofer also left Israel and began teaching at the centers to which he was invited around the world. The name of the association was changed by Ven. Ajran Tong Sirimangalo to ‘Santidhmma’.
During the time (2017-2019) with the blessing of the Ven. Ajran Tong Sirimangalo Liora and Itamar continued to operate the center and led introductory courses that they hold to this day.
On December 12, 2020, a few hours before he left our world, the Ven. Ajran Tong Sirimangalo instructed Ven. Phra Ajran Ofer to return to live at the Newman Center in Yavniel on a regular basis.
At present the Vipassana center is open all year round, holding courses on a regular basis by Ven. Phra Ajran Ofer as a head teacher.
Liora and Itamar are assistant teacher of the Ven. Phra Ajran Ofer, take care of his every need as well as building new rooms, renovating and managing on a daily basis of the Vipassana meditation center and continue to develop the vision of building a Buddhist temple on the land they own, named after Ven. Ajran Tong Sirimangalo.
This film was produced with gratitude and appreciation for Most Ven. Ajarn Tong Sirimangalo
In June 2011 the Ven. Ajran Tong Sirimangalo and the Ven. Somdet Phra Buddha Jinawons came to Israel accompanied by an entourage of monk’s in order to officially open the center in Yavniel.