Ohr Somayach (also Or Samayach or Ohr Somayach International) is a yeshiva based in Jerusalem founded in 1970 catering mostly to young Jewish men, usually of college age, who are already interested in learning about Judaism. It is known as a "baal teshuva" yeshiva since it caters to Jews with little or no background in Judaism, but with an interest in studying the classic texts such as the Talmud and responsa. Students are recruited either locally or from other countries where the yeshiva has established branches, such as in the United States, Canada, South Africa, United Kingdom, Australia, Ukraine and Russia.
History
In 1970, Rabbis Noah Weinberg, Mendel Weinbach, Nota Schiller, and Yaakov Rosenberg, founded Shema Yisrael Yeshiva to attract young Jewish men with little or no background in Jewish studies.[1][2] The founders of the Yeshiva eventually parted ways due to differences in philosophy of teaching with Rabbi Weinberg founding Aish HaTorah in 1974[2] and Rabbi Rosenberg founding Machon Shlomo in 1982.
Chai Israel: A gap year program consisting of classes, internships, trips, volunteer work and experiences designed to emphasize Israeli culture. Rabbi Dani Zwick is the current program director.
Pisga:One- or two-year post-high-school program for South Africans and Australians.
^Kotkes, Leah. "A Fairy Tale Prince and Princess". Binah, 1 April 2007, pp. 16–23.
^Herzig, Gur Aryeh (10 April 2013). "Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg Galvanizes Global Audiences"(PDF). Hamodia. Retrieved 20 May 2014. Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg grew up in Brooklyn. His education began in the Bobover Yeshivah and continued in the Chuster Rebbe's yeshivah, Toras Chessed. Later he traveled to Eretz Yisrael and learned in the yeshivah of his cousin, the Pittsburgher Rebbe of Ashdod. From there he went on to the Mirrer Yeshivah in Yerushalayim. He also completed a two-year program in rabbinical outreach at Yeshivas Ohr Somayach.
