AN INTRODUCTION TO OUR YESHIVA
Yeshiva
Ahavas Torah Baranovich
is a flourishing young institution that encompasses several major
projects of perpetuation, documentation and publication, relating to the
pre-Holocaust Jewish Community of Baranovich. It is based in Jerusalem,
Israel, and was founded by Rabbi Leib Baron (originally Baranovich) of
Montreal, Canada, who is one of the most famous and accomplished alumni
of the "Ohel Torah" Yeshiva in Baranovich. The student body
numbers approximately thirty, and there are over ten members on the
staff. Here is a list of the Yeshiva's activities in its short two years
of existence:
1)
Yeshiva
Advanced
institute of higher Torah learning for unmarried post-secondary
students. Includes dormitory and dining facilities, and boasts a staff
of renowned Torah Scholars.
2)
Kollel
Scholarship program for advanced married students. Distributes
monthly stipends to worthy students.
3)
Publishing
The Yeshiva has already published several works, which include
heretofore unpublished Rabbinic material from the great Torah Scholars
of Baranovich. A new major compilation is now in the preparatory stages.
This monumental work will include writings from all the scholarly Rabbis
of Baranovich.
4)
Holocaust Education
The Yeshiva organized a trip to Baranovich and the other major
centers of Torah Learning in pre-Holocaust White Russia and Lithuania in
1998. Four scholars who grew up and studied in Baranovich were invited
to lead the group. More such educational tours are anticipated.
5) Documentation
The Yeshiva has initiated the writing of several newspaper and
periodical articles in English, Hebrew and Yiddish about life and study
in pre-Holocaust Baranovich, and other major Yeshivas of White Russia
and Lithuania. A ten hour video of the historic tour mentioned above is
available. A one hour edited version of this film is being distributed.
6) Archives
The Yeshiva is in the process of creating comprehensive archives
including any documentation relating to the Jewish Community of
Baranovich. The Yeshiva is already a major source of information for
people seeking information about Baranovich. A website is in the
production stages.
7) Assistance to
the Jewish Community in Baranovich
During the historic trip to Baranovich, a connection was
established with the contemporary struggling small Jewish Community of
Baranovich. The relationship has subsequently deepened to include the
following projects:
1) Subsidizing the rental of an apartment
for community services in Baranovich,
2) Contributing religious articles to
the community
3) Negotiating with the various levels of
government in Belarus for the return of a building for the use of the
community (no Jewish community building exists for hundreds of
kilometers in all directions), and
4) Training a student from the
Yeshiva’s student body to become the Rabbi of Baranovich, and help
redevelop the Jewish Community after decades of communist repression.
Photo Album
of the Yeshiva
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