Purposefully impressive signage informs passersby that the building houses the “Oorah Embassy”

Living Higher

R

esidents of Yerushalayim may notice an addition to the city’s ever-evolving skyline. On a stately, multistory Jerusalem-stone building near the Central Bus Station, purposefully impressive signage informs passersby that the building houses the “Oorah Embassy,” which will serve as the Jerusalem headquarters of the US-based kiruv powerhouse. The embassy was fittingly inaugurated with a hachnassas sefer Torah that made its way down Rechov Yirmiyahu, the familiar tunes wafting thru the Holy City.

The building itself has a history of its own. At one point it housed Jerusalem’s Yeshivas ITRI, but it eventually fell into disuse. For years, the edifice sat dormant, and various plans floated to utilize the impressive structure never materialized. Late last year, Oorah purchased and repurposed the building to serve as its “embassy,” the primary function of which will be to house its Shteigers program, as well as a base for the ancillary Israel-based activity. Walls that once pulsed with the kol Torah, before being reduced to an unsettling and disconcerting quiet, will now sing again, though this time with a distinctly American cadence, as Hashem’s children find their way home.

Happening in… Ramat Eshkol

The Kav Halacha Kollel, located in Ramat Eshkol, Yerushalayim, recently celebrated its completion of hilchos niddah. This milestone was marked by rigorous testing administered by senior poskim Rav Asher Weiss, Rav Bentzion Wosner, and Rav Pinchas Breuer.

Rav Weiss also delivered an impassioned address focusing on the crucial importance of training future rabbanim to service the rapidly growing community.

Deeply impressed by their knowledge and clarity, Rav Weiss gave his blessing to the group of young talmidei chachamim aspiring to become the leaders of tomorrow.

3,500

The approximate number of calls received by and responded to by Chaveirim of Central Jersey over a one week period beginning with the onset of the blizzard that blanketed large swaths of the country with nearly a foot of snow.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1098)