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“Some of you will be leading large and established congregations; others amongst you will be your community’s sole lifeline to Judaism,” Rabbi Riskin told recent graduates of the Ethel and Adolph Beren Educators Institute and the Joseph and Gwendolyn Straus Rabbinical Seminary.“ But each of you individually will make an important contribution, as you expose the richness and relevance of true Orthodox Judaism. And together, as a group, you represent a unique and engaging leadership that will make a profound impact upon the future of the Jewish people.”

With this message in mind, 36 Ohr Torah Stone rabbis and educators embarked upon new positions of leadership, joining over 250 of their predecessors who are already serving in communities spanning North and South America, Australia and New Zealand, Africa, Asia, England and Europe.

“Ongoing support”–Rabbi Shlomo Riskin (right) visiting Straus- Amiel program graduate Rabbi Jay Weinstein in Dallas, Texas in November

“Each year, we are approached by a greater number of communities around the world seeking teachers or spiritual leaders who are prepared to serve in the Diaspora,” reports Rabbi Eliahu Birnbaum, director of the Beren Institute’s Beren-Amiel Educator Training Program and the Straus Seminary’s Straus-Amiel Practical Rabbinics Program. “Our graduates are in high demand; their reputation precedes them. Synagogues and educational institutions across the globe know they can rely on the fact that our emissaries and their wives will arrive with the high standard of education, extensive training and dedication to their mission that distinguishes our graduates. They know that both Beren-Amiel and Straus-Amiel are committed to preserving and building Jewish identity, that our candidates have great respect for every individual and are devoted to contributing to the Jewish community at large. They know they will receive a leader who is motivated, committed and fully prepared to go out and make a difference.”

“Beren-Amiel provided me with the perfect package of ideas and information to carry into my new position,” confirms Rabbi Evyatar Greenfeld, who began teaching at the Brauser Maimonides Academy of Hollywood, Florida in September.“ I have an academic degree in Education, many years of study in Israeli yeshivot and rabbinical ordination, but the Beren-Amiel Program helped me to truly understand American Jewry,” maintains Greenfeld, who will also be overseeing the local branches of Bnei Akiva. “The practical training enabled me to get off to a great start.”

Rabbi Danny Simon also credits the practical tools he learned in the Beren-Amiel Program with easing his transition into the Polish Jewish community, where he is serving as the first Rosh Kollel since the Holocaust. Simon began his affiliation with OTS as an overseas student in Yeshivat Torat Yosef-Hamivtar, where he was struck by the exciting intellectual and spiritual atmosphere. A full decade later, after qualifying as a computer engineer and working in senior positions for multinational companies, he realized that he wanted to make a fuller contribution to the world Jewish community and returned to the Israel Henry Beren Campus as a rabbinical student in the Straus Seminary and a practical education student in Beren-Amiel.

Simon and his wife, Shoshana, who join three other Beren-Amiel graduates in Poland, are based in Warsaw, although  they spend Shabbatot with smaller communities across the country. “My mission is to illustrate that Judaism and Torah learning should not be the preserve of a small elite,” he says. “It should be made available to everyone.”  

Making the Perfect Match

Making Judaism accessible to everyone is indeed a goal of the Beren-Amiel and Straus-Amiel programs. “And that means everyone,” stresses Rabbi Yehoshua Grunstein, who is responsible for both programs’ placements. “We have alumni serving in the most prestigious pulpits, schools and university campuses, and we have graduates in the smallest, most isolated and poverty-stricken communities.” Making the match requires careful analysis and attention to detail: “Each community has its own character and challenges; each position requires a unique style of leadership. We liaise with the leadership of each location to develop a full profile of the post, then meet their needs with the talents, skills and personalities of our students,” Grunstein says.

A responsibility to love and care for every Jew: Rabbi Menachem Pollock

“Taking on the mantle of rabbi in a community on the other side of the world is an enormous commitment for me and my family,” asserts Straus-Amiel graduate Rabbi Nati Friedler, who is poised to take up his new pulpit position at the synagogue in Adelaide, Australia. “But it’s also an enormous undertaking for the community. It’s important that all parties involved feels comfortable, positive and enthusiastic in order to have the maximum effect.”

Friedler, a qualified lawyer, fulfilled his ambition of becoming a rabbi by combining legal practice by day with rabbinical studies at night. As he makes his way to Adelaide, he joins a veritable force of ten OTS rabbis and educators across Australia, from Sydney to Melbourne to Perth. “The network of support is an incredible advantage,” says Rabbi Ben Hassan who, like Friedler, has just arrived ’down under,’ and is eager to begin working at the Leibler Yavneh College in Melbourne. “That’s one of the benefits of the OTS experience,” explains the Joseph and Gwendolyn Straus Rabbinical Seminary graduate. “You’re never on your own, you have the constant support of both your peers and your former teachers.” In fact, one of the highlights of Hassan’s Straus Seminary training took place outside of the classroom, when he accompanied Rabbi Riskin for two days to see how he performs his clerical duties. “The individualized attention that Rabbi Riskin gave me reflects the personal consideration and guidance that was a hallmark of my studies. Ultimately, that is what gave me the confidence to cross the globe and decide to teach in a new and exciting environment.”

Never Alone

“Our graduates never go out into the world alone,” confirms Grunstein. “We provide them with vigorous backing, and the knowledge that there are tens of others just like them also provides ongoing support. The phone lines are always open to faculty for any questions or crises that may arise. Internet networking enables graduates to consult with one another on common challenges or exchange programming ideas. Beren Institute and Straus Seminary staff are constantly on the road, visiting graduates, and our regional conferences enable alumni to reconnect, share ideas and recharge their batteries,” he says.

While this network of support is important to all the educators and rabbis, it is crucial for those who have taken positions in isolated or small Jewish communities. “I rely heavily on my fellow Straus-Amiel rabbis across Europe and interact with them regularly,” relates Rabbi Abraham de Wolf, who is serving as the rabbi of the Jewish community in Bulgaria. Although Bulgaria saved its 48,000 Jews during the Holocaust, most voluntarily left for Israel under the Communist regime. While there are still several thousand Jews remaining in the country, the community is heavily assimilated. De Wolf is engaged in stemming the tide, reaching out to youth and adults, providing warm hospitality and classes, ensuring the provision of kosher food, and even opening a Jewish nursery school. “I draw heavily on the practical tools I attained as a Straus-Amiel student,” says the Dutch native. “But the ongoing moral support in this relatively isolated area has proven to be equally important.”

Rabbi Abraham and Leah de Wolff

In England, peer support is especially strong, with 18 OTS rabbis and educators working throughout the country. “When I first arrived here a year ago,” notes Straus Rabbi Leo Dee, assistant rabbi of Hendon United Synagogue, “half of my contemporaries in London were also Straus Seminary graduates. ”The ranks swelled this year with the arrival of Menachem Pollock to Liverpool, where he was officially inducted by Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks as the rabbi of the Allerton Hebrew Congregation. Pollock is enthusiastic about his new position and eager to implement new projects. In particular, he is eager to partner with young families in the area to build up the community. ”The Straus-Amiel program put tremendous emphasis on our responsibility to love and care for each and every Jew, regardless of his or her level of faith or observance. That is a message which speaks to me and which I plan to put into practice in my new position,” he says.

A Shared Mission

Indeed, no matter where they come from, what position they are in or what continent they are on, Straus-Amiel rabbis and Beren-Amiel educators share this sense of commitment to world Jewry. “Beren-Amiel prepared me to relate to each individual student in an appropriate and non-judgmental way,” testifies Rabbi Itai Mor-Yosef, who has been enjoying tremendous success as a teacher in Toronto’s Community Hebrew Academy and a sought-after informal educator in the Jewish community.

In September, Mor-Yosef’s fellow program graduate, Rabbi Avi Grossman, arrived with a common mission. “When I first began studying for the rabbinate, I never entertained the thought of emissary work,” admits Grossman. “But I became captivated by Rabbi Riskin’s philosophy and realized the importance of strengthening and uniting world Jewry.” His participation in the Beren-Amiel seminars, lectures and workshops provided him with the practical skills he utilizes in his new teaching position. “And as I learned more,” he adds, “I became more and more excited about the idea of transmitting Jewish studies and values to Diaspora youth.”

“From the most remote and assimilated Jewish communities to large and vibrant Jewish centers, OTS rabbis and educators are spreading a vital message,” declares Rabbi Riskin. “Judaism is relevant to everyone. Judaism is accepting of everyone. And Judaism must be made accessible to everyone.”

Straus-Amiel program graduate Rabbi Jay Weinstein personifies this dictum. Since arriving in Dallas, Texas in the fall of 2007, Weinstein has been reaching out to community members of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. In his capacity as assistant rabbi of Congregation Shaarei Tefila, he is drawing upon the skills he acquired in Straus-Amiel and his masters degree in special education from Columbia University to reach out to his community in every possible way.  Whether through his inspiring classes at the Florence Melton Mini Schools, organizing a rock concert by the popular band Shlock Rock or hosting a Special Needs Family Day, Rabbi Weinstein is successfully connecting community members to their Jewish roots and touching the hearts and minds of his congregants.

Rabbi Riskin’s parting words to the new graduates continue to reverberate. ”The Talmud says that some of the best dreams happen when we are awake,” he said. “This means that our dreams must be comprised of achievable visions that we can execute in the light of day.” Every day, across the globe, the Beren-Amiel and Straus-Amiel educators and rabbis are transforming inspiring ideas into reality.

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