MARAN HAGAON, GADOL HADOR HA RAV AHARON YEHUDA LEIB BEN NOACH TZVI ZT”L
AH along with Klal Yisroel was plunged into mourning at the death of our father, our leader, and our bulwark, Rav Shteinman ZT”L. Everything that AH accomplished was due to his guidance, care and love. Rav Raanan attended the funeral together with hundreds of thousands of Klal Yisroel from every walk of Jewish life. Rav Raanan was deeply moved to see this incredible achdus. That joining together of Klal Yisroel was a tribute to Rav Shteinman’s ZT”L, humility, humanity and gadlus.
DEDICATION OF SYNAGOGUE AND SEFER TORAH TEVA PHARACEUTICAL INDUSTIRES, LTD. KFAR SABA
Rosh Chodesh Teves, AH dedicated a sefer Torah and Schul at Teva’s Kfar Saba location. Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Dovid Lau and the Horowitz family (founders of Teva) officiated at the dedication. Unfortunately, Teva has fallen on difficult financial times, and threatened layoffs of thousands employees. We know from Pirkei Avos, Ch. 3, Mishnah 21, “where there is no flour, there is no Torah; where there is no Torah, there is no flour.” According to Rashi without the Torah there is no value or taste to the flour. May that Torah dedication bring the “flour “ with great value and taste to Teva.
CONDOLENCES TO THE VARDI FAMILY/DEGANIAH ALEPH
Rav Raanan paid a condolence call to the Vardi family of Kibbutz Deganiah Aleph. Five years ago, Mrs. Vardi was instrumental in and collaborated with AH to build the first schul in Deganiah Aleph (103 years after its founding in 1909). At that dedication, Rav Raanan gave the first Aliyah at the dedication to Mrs. Vardi’s father. Her father, aged 80 received the first Aliyah of his life! He passed away recently, and so Rav Raanan paid a condolence call. Mrs. Vardi is the great granddaughter of Joseph Busel one of the original founders of the Kibbutz in 1909.
AH IN BRAZIL
Because more and more communities are asking AH to help build Synagogues, Rav Raanan journeyed to Brazil to meet with potential donors. One person with whom he met, an 82-year old man, shared his story of growing up on a Hashomer Hatzair Kibbutz in Israel. He found it incomprehensible that such kibbutzim were now asking AH to help them build Synagogues—the complete antithesis of their philosophy. Rav Raanan also met a very religious Jew who asked Rav Raanan for help with his son who had moved to a secular Kibbutz in Southern Israel (“to bring him back”). And so it continues: AH has dedicated its existence to bridging the gaps between religious and non-religious.
RETIRED RABBIS INTERESTED IN SECOND CAREER?
AH welcomes Rabbi Yehuda L. Oppenheimer to Israel (arriving as this Newsletter is being written on 26-Dec 2017!). He has retired from the Young Israel of Forest Hills, NY. G-d willing he will be working with AH at Yishuv Manof in the lower Galil. AH is looking for other retired Rabbis who would consider a “second” career working and living in Israel (doing “outreach”) in one of the many secular communities looking to establish a connection to their Jewish roots.