Torah and Tikkun Olam “I have had the zchut (merit) to live in the state of Israel, to serve it and to aid others in its name.” As 21-year-old Daniella Meltz approached her final days of IDF service and contemplated hanging up her army uniform in exchange for civilian garb, she felt a burning urge …
Congratulations to Rabbi Michael Kohn, a graduate of the Straus-Amiel Program, upon his appointment as the Chief Rabbi of Berne Canton, Switzerland In an emotional ceremony, OTS alumnus Rabbi Michael Kohn was inaugurated as the Chief Rabbi of the Swiss Jewish communities of Berne and Biel. Kohn, a graduate shaliach of the Straus-Amiel Practical Rabbinics …
Magnificent ritual bath in Wroclaw, Poland rededicated, half a century after closing its gates In the presence of the Chief Rabbi of Poland, the hundred-year-old mikva (ritual bath) was rededicated at the end of the week, after having suffered great neglect during Communist regime in the country By Itamar Eichner, Yediot Acharonot Judaism Reporter – …
Forty-six years after her family saved his family in the Holocaust, Steni and Leszek finally stood together under the chuppa and married according to the Laws of Moses and Israel Published in Israel Hayom – July 2, 2018 [Translated from Hebrew] It has been a long time since the Jewish community in Lodz, Poland, witnessed …
The events of the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel continue around the world. This week, the Jewish community of the Amazon, with only 500 Jews, was visited by an Israeli delegation which held classes and talks for members of the community. At the end, they all joined in singing Hatikva. Published in Kipa – …
FEBRUARY 8, 2018 BY JARED FORETEK For Rabbi Shalom and Revital Hadad, the beauty of Ocean City is matched only by the tenuousness of Jewish life. In the seaside town, kosher isn’t exactly commonplace. But the couple has set out to fill in the gaps since landing there three years ago to lead the small flock at …
Friday 02nd, February 2018 Two years ago, Rabbi Gideon Osher Shmueli donated a kidney to a stranger, saving that individual’s life. These days, he works at Magen David Yeshivah in Brooklyn, N.Y., teaching Hebrew and bringing with that teaching the culture and values of Judaism and eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel. To him, teaching about …
Rabbi Eli and Rivka Magzimof, Chaplaincy Couple at Leeds University, were “blown away” by generosity of current and former Leeds students who helped them rebuild their sukkah after it was destroyed by fierce winds. Rebuilding the sukkah enabled Eli and Rivka, respective graduates of OTS’s Straus-Amiel Institute and Claudia Cohen Women Educators Institute, to host hundreds …
Eateries in Champaign-Urbana are beginning to receive Kosher certification, thanks to an initiative led by Illini Hillel and the OU’s JLIC. The initiative was spurred by JLIC “couple on campus,” Kollel Torat Yosef musmach Rabbi Shlomo Schacter and Rebbetzin Ahava Schacter-Zarembski, graduates of OTS’s Beren-Amiel and Claudia Cohen Women Educators Institute. “Eating is one of …
Warsaw’s Jewish community buried fragments of pre-war Torah scrolls inside two enormous clay jars at the city’s Jewish cemetery on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the start of the Warsaw ghetto uprising. Kol Hakavod to OTS Straus-Amiel graduate, Warsaw’s Chief Rabbi Moshe Bloom, for organizing the burial in cooperation with Poland’s Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich …
For over 500 years there was no Shul in Palermo, Sicily. This week, part of a Catholic Church will become a synagogue. Kol Hakavod to OTS Straus-Amiel graduate, Rabbi Pinhas Punturello, on this incredible achievement. Palermo, Sicily, to get first synagogue in 500 years In a gesture marking anniversary of expulsion, Catholic Church will finance …
In Bratslav, Ukraine, Straus-Amiel emissary Rabbi David Basok joined other faith leaders, including the Dalai Lama, in a united APPEAL FOR PEACE. “We have gathered here in this unique place, in this truly amazing region where people of many nations and cultures have successfully co-existed despite their different beliefs and religions. To …
