(Courtesy of Ohr Torah Stone) After three years of virtual events, Ohr Torah Stone proudly held its annual dinner event in person at the Midtown Loft and Terrace in Manhattan. Under the banner of “Make the World Better, One Life at a Time,” the dinner celebrated the activities of one of the Jewish world’s most influential educational organizations comprised of a network of 30 institutions and programs making a transformative impact on Jewish life, learning and leadership worldwide.
“Each of our programs seeks to make the world better—to provide each student, whether in Israel or in the Diaspora communities we are blessed to impact, with the best possible Jewish education,” said Ohr Torah Stone’s President and Rosh HaYeshiva Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander. “Our vision is to create a Jewish experience that is tailored to the needs of the individual and the community, to ensure that women and men can learn Torah at the highest levels and to engage secular Jews with the beauty of their heritage.”
The dinner allowed the organization to honor the work of Ayelet and Jonathan Wiener of the Riverdale community, who have dedicated themselves to furthering the cause of Jewish education both in the tri-State area and in Israel. The dinner also honored Miriam Gedwiser with the OTS Torah Scholarship Award; Gedwiser has leveraged her academic and Torah experience within Ohr Torah Stone to now serve as the director of the Drisha Kollel and as a Talmud teacher at the Ramaz Upper School in New York City. Dr. Tammy Jacobowitz was the recipient of the OTS Distinguished Alumna Award. A past student of OTS’s Midreshet Lindenbaum, Dr. Jacobowitz is chair of the Tanakh department at SAR Academy and director of the school’s immersive adult education program, Makom B’Siach, where she invites parents into high level encounters with Torah.
“Ohr Torah Stone is truly a light to those in and outside of Israel, a beacon that shines throughout all weather illuminating safe shores and a safe place for every Jew,” said Jonathan Wiener in his remarks. “It is a model of Halachic Judaism guided both by Torah m’Sinai and true human decency, virtue and warmth. Inclusion, not exclusion is its mission. Thank you, OTS, for the opportunity and zechut to be involved with such a game-changing and unique organization. We need you now more than ever.”
