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Houston, we have a solution

On April 14, 1970, the crew of Apollo 13 radioed mission control with a now-famous message: “Houston - we have a problem." On Nov 12, 2023, there was a different message resonating from a mission in Houston.

Toronto to Miami

A Tale of Two Cities

What do frigid Toronto and sun-drenched Miami have in common? The Ohr Somayach Mentors Mission! This winter, college students gathered for two separate weekends of Torah study and camaraderie, coordinated by Ohr Somayach’s indefatigable Rabbi Bentzy Shechter. Regardless of the weather, both events were filled with light and warmth.

Knotting tzitzis to knotty Gemaras

Ohr Somayach’s Wartime Mentor Mission:
More essential than ever

Travis, a student at the University of Wisconsin, is in Israel for the first time. He’s learning how to don tefillin – in Tel Hashomer hospital, where he’s visiting wounded soldiers. He wraps the straps around his arms and makes the brachah – and the soldiers answer "Amen"

Just One Shabbos

It Started with a Car Ride

Bennet, a student at Texas A & M University, heard that his Lakewood host was traveling in to Brooklyn on Sunday morning to visit his parents. “My friend Simon would love to visit Yeshiva Shor Yoshuv,” he said. “That’s not far from Brooklyn. Can he get a ride with you?” His host, Mr. Lercher, was eager to help.

Delighting in Donuts

“I hear Lakewood has a kosher Dunkin Donuts,” one college student, a self-proclaimed “donut addict,” said to his Ohr Somayach host. “That’s on my list of things to do in Lakewood.”

Who gained more? It’s hard to tell.

The P. family had never hosted before – and as a Chassidishe family, with no experience in kiruv, they were a bit ambivalent. But the timing was providential.

The price of Shabbos

“I’m not giving up the zechus!”

Daniel, from Boca Raton, ate the Shabbos seudah with his host, Akiva Gontar. They were discussing the beauty of Shabbos, and Daniel said that he would start keeping Shabbos – after he figured out his finances.

Jewish Professionals and Secular College Students Unite

Ohr Somayach’s Mentors Mission

What happens when a group of secular Jewish college students spends a week in Israel, together with Orthodox lawyers, financial officers and other professionals?
What happens when every moment of that week is filled with meaning and adventure?
What happens when a college student discovers the beauty of Gemarah - and gets hooked?

On this Side of the Atlantic…

The Ohr Somayach Summer Retreat

The Ohr Somayach experience came to the US, with a five-day Summer Retreat in Upstate New York that mirrored the Mentors’ Mission in Israel.
Twenty-eight college students from across the country joined Ohr Somayach rabbis, staff and mentors for a heady mix of Torah study, adventure, business, and camaraderie.

Torah Meets Law School

Columbia University Mentor Mates Program

Mr. Shimon Falik has long been connected to Mentors Mission. So it is not surprising that he passed his passion and sense of responsibility for Klal Yisroel to his children. When his son Zevi joined Columbia Law School last year, he realized that he had the ability to engage with his peers, and inspire them.

Bonding in Boston

Boston Jewish Community hosts Mentor Mission

When mentor Sammy Simnegar and his wife Reyna returned from this summer’s Mentors Mission, they wanted to recreate the experience on a local level. Mr. Simnegar’s mission was twofold. First, he wanted to strengthen the connections made on the Mentors Mission, so that students would be able to continue learning.

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Houston, we have a solution