OTS Amiel BaKehila
May 2018 - April 2019 Impact Report 1,028 128 activities community visits 31,817 participants
12 months 25 communities The Government of Israel is committed to the future of the Jewish people around This report opens a small window into the wide range of OTS Amiel BaKehila activities the world. during our inaugural year. OTS Amiel BaKehila is part of a larger initiative of Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Ohr Torah Stone created OTS Amiel BaKehila to address unique challenges facing many Affairs aimed at strengthening and meeting the needs of small and medium- small communities around the world. With the critical support of the Israel’s Ministry sized Jewish communities - because strong communities are key to the future of of Diaspora Affairs, OTS Amiel BaKehila programming has reached tens of thousands of the Jewish people. Jews from diverse communities and backgrounds, providing them a new way to connect Today, many Jewish communities throughout the world seek to enhance their to their own community and to the State of Israel. Working with incredible partners on cultural and educational services in the areas of Jewish identity, culture and the local level, we have reached Jews of all ages in a multitude of venues - from schools connection with the State of Israel. Communities also desire to strengthen and deepen their existing programming in order to increase the number of members to synagogues to community centers to private homes and offices. of their community and strengthen their connection to their community In addition to the meaningful programming we have provided, we have also learned about members. the needs of many smaller communities and the unique challenges that they face. Over This report summarizes the first year of the OTS Amiel BaKehila project and the coming year we will grow over 150 percent in size, reaching over 65 communities in its many achievements; the impressive diversity of the delegations, the many North America, Europe and Latin America. As OTS Amiel BaKehila expands, we look to activities organized and the large number of participants. find new ways to facilitate and support Jewish life in our partner communities, helping We look forward to our continued fruitful cooperation, as we strive to continue them share information, resources and programming. to build a strong relationship between the State of Israel and Jewish communities As we look back at an incredible first year, we recognize the challenges that lay ahead throughout the Diaspora. and look forward to continuing our work supporting and bolstering Jewish communities around the world.
Hagai Elitzur Senior Manager Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander Rabbi Eliahu Birnbaum Rabbi Reuven Spolter Ministry of the Diaspora Affairs President & Rosh HaYeshiva Director, Straus-Amiel Institute Director, OTS Amiel BaKehila Ohr Torah Stone Executive Director, OTS Amiel BaKehila North America 5 Cherry Hill, New Orleans & Charleston delegations
2019 January August 2018 Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider Community Educator Community Educator Yahav Kriti Dov Maisel Chef Volunteer Emergency Sagit Peretz Deri 127 Responder of United Hatzalah Speaker and Activist activities May 2018 Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider October 2018 March 2019 Community Educator Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider Rabbi Reuven Spolter Community Educator Community Educator Barak Malichi
Musician Sheva Chaya Shaiman Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom Spiritual Artist Ethiopian Community Leader
Oren Sapir Tour Guide and Lecturer Daniel Yehuda 4,010 Musician The speakers and topics have been varied and have appealed to different" participants " people and different ages, so we were able to reach more people, including the unaffiliated. Ava Kleinman, Charleston, SC North America 5 Ottawa, West Hartford & Buffalo delegations
October 2018 Rabbi Reuven Spolter Community Educator February 2018 Laura Ben David Rabbi Reuven Spolter Photographer, Writer Community Educator Yahav Kriti Jordan Herzberg 147 Chef IDF and Israel Security Expert activities May 2018 December 2018 April 2019 Rabbi Reuven Spolter Rabbi Reuven Spolter Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider Community Educator Community Educator Community Educator Eitan Morrell David Friedman Leah Hecht
Tour Guide Kaballah Artist Refugee Advocate
Yitzchok Meir Malek Erez Zadok OTS Amiel BaKehila has brought to our community uniquely talented guests that have Musician Graphic Artist sparked conversation and engagement with various groups and individuals – from 4,170 " women involved in Hadassah and children at our day schools, to non-Jewish seniors" in one of our community Senior Centers to children who attend a local independent participants school. OTS Amiel BaKehila has deepened our ties to the people of Israel and for that we are grateful. Rob Goldberg, Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Buffalo Latin America 6 Bahia Blanca, Montevideo & Tucuman delegations
June 2018 March 2019 Ariel Kraitman Mercedes Hadad Community Educator October 2018 Community Educator Matias Linetzky Rabbi Richard Kaufmann Deborah Jacubovsky Musician Community Educator Actress Miquel Segura Martin Sipicki David Danino 167 Journalist and Writer Actor and Dance Teacher activities ZAKA Volunteer April 2018 August 2018 Rabbi Rony Gurwicz Ariel Kraitman December 2018 Community Educator Community Educator Rabbi Richard Kaufmann
Ianir Kilinsky Toni Piña Florit Community Educator
Musician Chef Sarah Mintz Gustavo Junovich Actress Hi-Tech Expert " 4,679 The diversity of the people who come to visit really participants " impresses our community. Fernando Elgart, Sepharadi Community of Tucuman Latin America 5 Monterrey, Cancun & San Salvador delegations
August 2018 December 2018 Rabbi Israel Diament Community Educator Rabbi Israel Diament Sarah Beck Community Educator Journalist and Singer Deborah Jacubovsky 133 Actress activities
May 2018 October 2018 February 2019
Rabbi Israel Diament Rabbi Israel Diament Rabbi Israel Diament Community Educator Community Educator Community Educator
Sarah Mintz Danny Limor Jana Beris Security and Intelligence Journalist Actress " Officer Toni Piña Florit Salomon Suton Matias Linetzky Photographer 4,740 Chef Musician Your visits are indispensable and long-awaited. participants " Gabriel Abraham Gorisnic Raitman, President of the Cancun Community Latin America 5 Lima, Quito & Bogota delegations
August 2018 Rabbi Aaron Gulman Community Educator Deborah Jacubovsky December 2018 Actress Rabbi Aaron Gulman Gustavo Junovich Community Educator Hi-Tech Expert Ianir Kilinsky 115 Musician activities May 2018 March 2019 Rabbi Aaron Gulman October 2018 Community Educator Rabbi Aaron Gulman Rabbi Aaron Gulman Community Educator Jana Beris Community Educator Journalist Rabbi Dr. Elad Dokov Felipe Wolokita
Documentary Filmmaker
David Leon Technion Lecturer Singer Pablo Betzer 5,359 Archaeologist Finally our community has programming for everyone, and even" " those who find themselves the most removed have started to come. participants This program is very important for Jewish life in Ecuador. Sebastián Medina, Quito's Community Director This project is very important. The wide range of themes, " " which are always innovative, bring new knowledge to the whole community. Latin America Evelyn Seruya, Belem 4 Belem, Porto Alegre & Manaus delegations
August 2018 March 2019 Rabbi Abraham Dahab Rabbi Abraham Dahab Community Educator Community Educator Simja Dujov Yossi Roitburd 79 Musician MDA Volunteer activities June 2018 October 2018 Rabbi Abraham Dahab Rabbi Abraham Dahab Community Educator Community Educator Leonel Caraciki Sergio Zukerman Expert on Zionist Studies Hi-Tech Expert Ruben Bransburg Felipe Wolokita 2,128 Musician Documentary Filmmaker participants
The perfect combination of Rabbi Pash, who knows Polish and can have direct relationships with our children and teachers, and on the " other hand a new guest each time, make the visits very interesting. The " delegation members represents different segments of Israeli society, showing how diverse and colorful it is and at the same time providing interesting activities. Europe Karolina Szykier Koszucka - Chief of Jewish Education, Lauder Morasha School 6 Warsaw, Wroclaw & Lodz delegations
June 2018 Rabbi Boaz Pash Community Educator September 2018 Geula Twerksy February 2019 Rabbi Boaz Pash Rabbi Boaz Pash Artist Community Educator Miriam Cieslar Community Educator Reuven Bransburg Nati Malchi 159 Tour Guide Musician activities TV Producer April 2018 Rabbi Boaz Pash July 2018 November 2018 Community Educator Rabbi Boaz Pash Rabbi Boaz Pash Laura Ben David Community Educator Community Educator Photographer, Writer Lydia Clem Reuven Bransburg Mishael Dickman Artist-Judaica, Paper-cutting Musician 4,121 Musician participants Europe 4 Copenhagen, Malmo, Oslo & Helsinki delegations
November 2018 March 2019 Rabbi Gideon Sylvester Rabbi Johnny Solomon Community Educator Community Educator Ariel Lazarus Avigayle Adler 101 Composer, Guitarist and Lecturer Artist activities August 2018 January 2019 Rabbi Avi Scharf Rabbi Gideon Sylvester Community Educator Community Educator Laura Ben David Avichai Koch
Photographer, Writer Agronomist from the
Yitzchok Meir Malek Gaza Border Musician The community members have gotten to meet different types of Israelis and 2,610 therefore also different points of view of the country. Most of the visitors have" " been olim chadashim and they have shared their own personal experience of participants making aliyah, finding a job and becoming members of the Israeli society. It has been very informative and inspiring. Taija Chaya Votkin, Helsinki community representative About Ohr Torah Stone Ohr Torah Stone (OTS) is a Modern Orthodox movement transforming Jewish life, learning and leadership worldwide. Energized by the leadership of President and Rosh HaYeshiva Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, and building on the unique vision of Founder and Chancellor Emeritus Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, OTS is fueled by a combination of 27 educational institutions, leadership development, outreach initiatives, women’s empowerment programs, and social action projects dedicated to illuminating the beauty and relevance of authentic Torah Judaism in Israel and the Diaspora.
A core value of OTS is making a decades-long impact on the Jewish world through our trained rabbinic and educational emissaries, engaging and inspiring hundreds of thousands to explore, cherish and At the conclusion of our first year of operation connect to their Jewish roots and heritage. OTS Amiel BaKehila engaged a professional outside evaluator to survey our communities, delegates and The OTS Amiel BaKehila program is yet another partners to gauge our effectiveness and qualitative extension of that vision of global responsibility to the impact in the field. We are happy to share the world Jewish community. exciting results of that study with the public on our website, http://amiel-bakehila.org/impact, or scan the attached QRCode to access the report. Looking Forward: Over 65 Communities in the Coming Year
North America: Buffalo, NY Charleston, SC Cherry Hill, NJ Columbus, OH Hamilton, ON Long Branch, NJ New Orleans, LA Ottawa, ON Overland Park, KA United Providence, RI Kingdom San Antonio, TX Birmingham, England Santa Fe, NM Glasgow, Scotland West Hartford, CT Liverpool, England Wilkes Barre, PA Nottingham, England Latin America: Bahia Blanca, Argentina Belem, Brazil Europe: Bogota, Colombia Aix-en-Provence, France Lausanne, Switzerland Allauch, France Lodz, Poland Cancun, Mexico Annemasse, France Malmo, Sweden Cordoba, Argentina Arles, France Marseille, France Corrientes, Argentina Aubagne, France Marignane, France Lima, Peru Avignon, France Martigues, France Manaus, Brazil Bouc-Bel-Air, France Nîmes, France Monterrey, Mexico Calas, France Oslo, Norway Montevideo, Uruguay Carpentras, France Plan-de-Cuques, France Porto Alegre, Brazil Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland Salon-de-Provence, Quito, Ecuador Copenhagen, Denmark France Resistencia, Argentina Evian, France Sète, France Rosario, Argentina Fribourg, Switzerland Toulon, France Salta, Argentina Gap, France Thonon, France San Salvador, El Salvador Geneva, Switzerland Vitrolles, France Helsinki, Finland Warsaw, Poland Santa Fe, Argentina La Ciotat, France Wroclaw, Poland Tucuman, Argentina La Seyne-sur-Mer, France