Ohr Torah Stone (OTS) () is an international

Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

organization that aims to develop Jewish life, learning, and

leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

. The organization is led by

Rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

Kenneth Brander Kenneth Brander (; born April 18, 1962) is an American Modern Orthodox rabbi who is president and Rosh HaYeshiva of the Ohr Torah Stone network of institutions. He is a member of the Jewish Federations of North America's Rabbinic Cabinet Round Ta ...

. OTS was founded by Rabbi

Shlomo Riskin Shlomo Riskin (; born May 28, 1940) is an Orthodox rabbi, and the founding rabbi of Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side of New York City, which he led for 20 years; founding chief rabbi of the Israeli settlement of Efrat in the Is ...

in 1983. As of 2020, OTS included 27 educational institutions under its auspices. The organization also includes a network of over 300 emissaries who serve in positions of spiritual and educational leadership across

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

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Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. The organization has implemented initiatives in Jewish women’s leadership and empowerment, leadership training,

Jewish outreach Jewish outreach () is a term sometimes used to translate the Hebrew word ''kiruv'' or ''keruv'' (literally, "to draw close" or "in-reach"). Normative Judaism very strongly discourages seeking converts to Judaism from other religions, although ...

, and

social action In sociology, social action, also known as Weberian social action, is an act which takes into account the actions and reactions of individuals (or ' agents'). According to Max Weber, "Action is 'social' insofar as its subjective meaning takes acc ...

. These programs have garnered national and international recognition for their innovative approach.Isi Leibler, "The Incredible Rabbi Shlomo Riskin," The Jerusalem Post, Thursday, March 3, 2011, OTS has stated that its primary guiding principle is to ensure the accessibility of

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

to every

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

—particularly addressing populations that have historically been marginalized, disenfranchised, or alienated.

Jewish women's empowerment

OTS programs for women have played a role in advancing Orthodox female scholarship and leadership. The organization established the first school dedicated to teaching advanced

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

to post-high school-age women. The women's college affiliated with OTS hosts the largest women's ''

beit midrash A ''beth midrash'' (, "house of learning"; : ''batei midrash''), also ''beis medrash'' or ''beit midrash'', is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall". It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth knesseth''), although ...

'' (study hall) in recorded Jewish history. Notably, graduates from the college college have become leaders in Jewish communities globally, with one even being the first female to officially serve as the director of a rabbinical court. OTS's women's college developed a program specifically for women with special needs. The curriculum allows participants to acquire both learning and vocational skills, build independence, and improve self-esteem while expanding their love of

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

, Israel, and the Jewish people. The program had proven so successful that in 2017, a parallel program was established for young men. Another OTS program enables religious women to serve in the

Israeli army The Israeli Ground Forces () are the Army, ground forces of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The commander is the GOC Army Headquarters, General Officer Commanding with the rank of major general, the ''Mazi'', subordinate to the Chief of the Gen ...

. Previously, Israeli women were forced to choose between service to their country and an observant lifestyle. By way of the program, female participants are inducted as a group and strengthened by intense study before, during, and after their service. OTS also opened the first school in the world to train, certify, and ordain women as heter hora’ah, or "permission to make Halachic decisions," for service in the rabbinical courts. Only because of OTS’s appeal to the

Israeli Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Israel (, Hebrew acronym Bagatz; ) is the Supreme court, highest court in Israel. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all other courts, and in some cases original jurisdiction. The Supreme Court consists of 15 jud ...

did women win the legal right to practice in the courts–an arena that was previously open only to men. The school then opened a Legal Aid Center and Hotline for Israeli women who are agunot (The

agunah An aguna or agunah (, plural: , ''ʿaḡunoṯ'') is a Jewish woman who is stuck in her marriage as determined by traditional halakha (Jewish law). The classic case is a man who has left on a journey and has not returned or has gone into battle ...

is a woman literally “chained” to a dead or abusive marriage whose husband refuses to grant her a Jewish writ of divorce) and need free advice and legal representation in matters pertaining to the process of obtaining a religious divorce.

Contemporary Jewish leadership

Ohr Torah Stone’s Rabbinical Seminary prepares rabbis to be both fluent in secular learning as well as the

. The curriculum is geared toward contemporary concerns as well as Jewish law and legal texts. At the same time, the OTS Educators Institute comprehensively trains educators to teach Judaic Studies in both Orthodox and non-Orthodox state and community schools across Israel and the Diaspora. An additional OTS yeshiva is geared toward young men both with and without previous yeshiva backgrounds from North America,

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, and

. Hundreds of OTS-trained teachers and spiritual leaders have served in communities spanning the globe. Many of the OTS graduates have joined the ranks of OTS-trained Jewish Cultural Facilitators who provide formal and informal Jewish education for Israelis of all ages and backgrounds. This initiative works in conjunction with Israeli Community Centers. Media coverage has reported that these facilitators actively promote Jewish values, national unity, and heritage awareness in a non-coercive environment.

OTS high schools

OTS has established 6 modern Orthodox high schools within the Jerusalem and Gush Etzion regions. All of these high schools offer official matriculation and have been awarded the recognition of excellence from the Israeli Ministry of Education.

OTS around the world

Each year, OTS sends spiritual and educational leaders to serve as emissaries in Jewish communities all over the world. These emissaries are active in

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

s, campuses and schools, and Jewish communities across the globe.

Schools and programs

Programs for men

* Joseph and Gwendolyn Straus Rabbinical Seminary * Robert M. Beren College * Robert M. Beren Machanaim

Hesder Hesder ( "arrangement"; also Yeshivat Hesder ) is an Israeli yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces, usually within a Religious Zionist framework. The program allows Orthodox J ...

Yeshiva * OTS Metivta, Carmiel * Elaine And Norm Brodsky Darkaynu Program

Programs for women

Midreshet Lindenbaum Midreshet Lindenbaum (), originally named Michlelet Bruria, is an Orthodox midrasha in Talpiot, Jerusalem. It counts among its alumnae many of the teachers at Matan, Nishmat, Pardes and other women's and co-ed yeshivas in Israel and abroad. Hi ...

College for Women, Jerusalem * Midreshet Lindenbaum-Lod * Midreshet Lindenbaum-Matat, Carmiel * Yad La’isha: The Monica Dennis Goldberg Legal Aid Center And Hotline For Women

Emissary programs

* Beren-Amiel Educational Emissaries * Claudia Cohen Women Educators Institute * Maarava – Rabbinic Emissaries to Sephardic Communities * Straus-Amiel Rabbinic Emissaries * OTS Amiel BaKehila * Ohr Torah Nidchei Yisrael * Yachad Program for Jewish Identity

Junior high and high schools

* Derech Avot Junior High and High School for Boys, Efrat * Jacob Sapirstein Junior High and High School For Boys, Ramot, Jerusalem * Jennie Sapirstein Junior High and High School For Girls, Ramot, Jerusalem * Neveh Channah High School for Girls, In Memory Of Anna Ehrman, Gush Etzion * Neveh Shmuel Yeshiva High School for Boys, In Memory Of Samuel Pinchas Ehrman, Efrat * Oriya Girls' High School, Gush Etzion * Ann Belsky Moranis Program For Arts And Drama

Conversion programs

* Conversion Institute for Spanish Speakers - Efrat, Israel * Jewish Learning Center - New York

International programs

* Hertog Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding And Cooperation (CJCUC) * OMEK - A Transformative Learning and Touring Experience in Israel

References

External links

* {{authority control Educational institutions established in 1983 Jewish organizations based in Israel Educational organizations based in Israel Jewish education in Israel Education in Israel International educational organizations Jewish movements Jewish educational institutions Jewish educational organizations Orthodox Jewish educational institutions 1983 establishments in Israel Words and phrases in Modern Hebrew

Jewish women's empowerment

Contemporary Jewish leadership

OTS high schools

OTS around the world

Schools and programs

Programs for men

Programs for women

Emissary programs

Junior high and high schools

Conversion programs

International programs

Further reading

References

External links