It might appear simply like a large group of privileged young women idling their summer afternoons away at a five star hotel near the ocean shore. But delve a little deeper and you’ll discover there is something much more substantial going on. The Ramada Hotel in Edison, New Jersey is this year’s site for the Beis Chana International summer conference for young women and couples.

Now in its 29th year, Beis Chana and its director, Rabbi Manis Friedman, have been dedicating themselves to providing seminars for young Jewish women on the fundamentals of Judaism and on enhancing Jewish family life.

The Beis Chana programs focus on issues relevant to young women who are preparing for the responsibilities of marriage and raising families. “Even matters as seemingly basic as honoring one’s parents require exploration and understanding,” says Rabbi Friedman. "The family is the basic component of the Jewish people and the role of parents and children must be properly established.

“When these young women return home from the program they have a completely different appreciation for their parents and themselves.”

Initially, the Beis Chana International seminars were conducted in Rabbi Friedman’s home state of Minnesota. In recent years the program has moved out to the larger Jewish communities surrounding major cities.

“We hold the winter seminars in California and the summer ones on the East Coast, in order to make it more accessible for everyone,” says Rabbi Friedman.

It's at the twice yearly gatherings that the accomplishments of Beis Chana International and its effect on multiple generations of Jewish families can be seen first hand.

“Naturally, the most rewarding part of these gatherings for me is to discover the daughters of women I taught in the seventies enrolling in the seminars today,” says Rabbi Friedman.