Ohr Somayach, Monsey

Ohr Somayach, Monsey, (officially titled the Ohr Somayach Tanenbaum Educational Center), was an accredited [1] men's college of Judaic studies offering both full and part-time programs.

For other uses of "Ohr Somayach", see Ohr Somayach (disambiguation).
Ohr Somayach
Location
Monsey, New York
Information
TypeBaal teshuva yeshiva
Established1977
AffiliationOrthodox Judaism
AdministrationIsaac Rokowsky, Abraham Rokowsky, David Wexler, Israel Rokowsky.

Its curriculum was designed to provide students with an appreciation for and understanding of classical Jewish texts and Jewish philosophy and from an Orthodox Jewish perspective.

In addition, the yeshiva ran an outreach program called Legacy Retreats and hosted family getaways and retreats in its Beit Shvidler Conference center.

History

In 1977,[2] the Ohr Somayach yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel established an American campus in Yonkers, New York. After two years,[3] Rabbi Ezriel Tauber together with a group of lay leaders purchased land in Monsey, New York to service a full-time Judaic learning center.[4]

Monsey was chosen because of its proximity to New York City (approximately 35 miles (56 km) northwest of the city) as well as the Jewish local infrastructure that ensured easy availability of kosher food and amenities.

They maintained the name Ohr Somayach and enlisted Rabbi Israel Rokowsky as dean.[5]

As of 2019, Ohr Somayach has ceased operating as a yeshiva. However, under the leadership of Ohr Somayach alumnus Rabbi Yosef Simon, and under the guidance of some of the former leadership of Ohr Somayach, a new organization called Toras Dovid now operates a yeshiva for ba'alei tshuva, as well as a kollel for ba'alei tshuva.

Administration
  • Isaac Rokowsky
  • Abraham Rokowsky
  • David Wexler
  • Rabbi Israel Rokowsky, co-Rosh Yeshiva emeritus
  • Rabbi Yisroel Simcha Schorr, co-Rosh Yeshiva emeritus
  • Rabbi Avraham Braun, Menahel emeritus
  • Rabbi Naftali Reich

Student body

The student body hailed from across North America and most countries with a Jewish population. For many students, Ohr Somayach was their first exposure to full-time Jewish and Torah study. For more advanced students, higher-level classes were offered with the aim of acquiring the skills for self-sufficient Talmud study.

Campus

The yeshiva is located in Monsey, New York on a 10-acre (40,000 m2) campus which includes a beit midrash and a residence facility. The adjacent Beit Shvidler complex (a 40000 sq ft retreat and conference center) houses the Ohra VeSimcha family retreats .

Monsey is home to a Haredi community whose residents often provided students with Shabbat hospitality.[6][7]

See also

References
  1. accreditation: http://www.os.edu/accreditation/accreditation.shtml Archived 2010-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
  2. The Monsey campus was founded in 1979; see next sentence
  3. http://ohr.edu/web/branches/monsey.htm
  4. Dana Evan Kaplan (2009). Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal. ISBN 0231137281. "In 1979, Ohr Somayach opened a branch of their yeshiva in Monsey..."
  5. "Rabbi Meir Schuster, zt"l". hamodia.com.
  6. http://www.shabbat.com/Team.aspx says 50 guests is normal. While others may have 100 for the Friday night meal, larger numbers of households have a guest room with sleeping space for 1 - 3, and it is THESE that add up to what the founders of this school were counting on.
  7. The Hebrew phrase for this Mitzvah is Hachnasas Orchim, and an example of this as a way of life can be found at http://www.torahlab.org/doitright/hachnasa_orchim_welcoming_guests

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