Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem

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For other uses of "Ohr Somayach", see Ohr Somayach (disambiguation).

Ohr Somayach (also Or Samayach or Ohr Somayach International) was founded in 1970. It is a modern Haredi yeshiva based in Jerusalem, Israel, catering mostly to young Jewish men, usually of college age, who already are religious or looking to become religious. They have an interest in studying more about Judaism's classic religious texts such as the Talmud and responsa. The Yeshiva also prides itself on its very strong and respected advanced programs.

Ohr Somayach is one of the most important yeshivas in the non-Hasidic world. It is specifically designed to meet the needs of the many baal teshuvas ("returnees" [to Judaism]) who are recruited either locally or from across the world where the yeshiva has established several branches, such as in the United States, Canada, South Africa, United Kingdom, Australia, Ukraine and Russia.

The need for this kind of yeshiva was conceived and was originally founded by Rabbi Noah Weinberg who later moved on to establish the Aish HaTorah yeshiva in Jerusalem. Aish HaTorah and Ohr Somayach have established a long-standing friendly rivalry for recognition, students and philanthropy.

The yeshiva is headed by its two other co-founders Rabbi Mendel Weinbach and Rabbi Nota Schiller.

The Diaspora Yeshiva began in 1967 and was one of the first of the "Baal-Teshuva" Yeshivos. Subsequently, a number of key Yeshivas opened its doors accepting these "returnees" to Judaism. "Shema Yisrael" was one of these. It was founded by Rabbis Mendel Weinbach, Nota Schiller, and Noah Weinberg. Following a different view on out-reach, Rabbi Noah Weinberg founded Aish haTorah, deals with teaching basic Judaism to returnees with little or no background to Judaism. Shema Yisrael, which became Ohr Somayach on the other hand, although has facilities to cater with similar types of Baalei Teshuva, deals with teaching returnees on how to learn classical Jewish texts.

[edit] Notable Faculty

Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb is a former professor of analytical philosophy at Johns Hopkins University.
Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky is famous in English-speaking Haredi circles for his speeches, which include a lot of stand-up comedy.
Rabbi Dovid Kaplan is a world renowned outreach expert. He authored Impact and The Kiruv Files.