The Yeshivat Har Etzion Center for Torah Leadership (CTL) is an initiative geared to empower our considerable yeshiva alumni – both from Har Etzion and Migdal Oz – in making a genuine impact upon, and a substantive improvement in, the spiritual and physical lives of acheinu kol beit yisrael world wide.
By coordinating and financing alumni Torah, ruach and chessed initiatives in Jewish communities, and by supplying leadership opportunities and training, CTL helps our alumni provide a great service to Am Yisroel, enabling them to more fully realize their aspirations and hopes for making a real difference.
As a globally unified and cohesive alumni network of Torah, Chessed, and communal service that coordinates its activities and resources, we pray that our efforts will be crowned b’ezrat Hashem with genuine and lasting success.
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Our programming to date has focused on:
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Strengthening Jewish Heritage and Community
Keshet
Based in Jerusalem, Keshet is a unique school for students from religious and irreligious families. With the help of CTL, Nadav Eshel '09H, an alumnus of Keshet now studying in Yeshivat Har Etzion, has spearheaded an initiative to strengthen Torah learning for members of his old school. Every week, a group of talmidim travels from the Yeshiva to learn with Keshet students who volunteer to stay on after school hours. The participants are divided into small groups for source-based learning about the Parsha, which usually leads to discussion about broader topics connected to Judaism, Yeshiva and life in Israel. Explaining what attracts school students to stay on after hours, Nadav commented, "They discover an appealing and relevant approach to Torah and Mitzvot, with a large focus on personal attention and group bonding." Read more.
Garinei Ayala
CTL is proud to support "Garinei Ayala", an educational initiative of Migdal Oz alumna Tamar (Manzura) Gigi (MO 5766).
Garinei Ayala aim to provide key skills and support for 16-18 year-old girls from weak socio-economic backgrounds who do not belong do any youth movement or framework. The aim of Garinei Ayala is to enrich the lives of its participants and guide them through some of the most challenging years of adolescence, so that they should lead more meaningful and independent lives, whilst taking responsibility for themselves and their surroundings. Today, there are branches in four separate cities – Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Netanya and Jerusalem, with plans for new branches in Beer Sheva and Modi'in. Read more.
Achuzat Sara
Achuzat Sarah is a children's home in Bnei Brak for children with exceptionally challenging family situations. For a number of years, students from Yeshivat Har Etzion have traveled in groups to spend Shabbat in the home and we are pleased to bring this important program under the umbrella of CTL.
Over the course of Shabbat, our volunteers lead Tefillot, perform plays, give Divrei Torah, teach songs, lead activities and create a special Shabbat atmosphere. Read more.
CTL Shabbaton in South Tel Aviv
A group of 18 Israeli and Overseas Talmidim, representing a cross-section of the students at Yeshivat Har Etzion, spent Shabbat Parshat Teruma in South Tel Aviv. Organized in coordination with alumni Chaim Goodinger (Hesder machzor lamed-gimel) and Rav Sefi Sherman (Hesder machzor yud-chet) of the Reishit school in Tel Aviv, the Shabbaton brought together High-school students, parents and members of the local communities for a memorable weekend.
During the course of the Shabbat, our students attended services in three different communities, with many community members grateful for the added ruach and festive atmosphere the group brought with them. Read more.
Tanach Shiurim in Yerushalayim
Congregation "Masuat Shalom" is a young community in Yerushalayim, with about eighty families. After recently constructing the Beit Kenesset, the community has set itself the aim of opening itself as a center of Torah and prayer to the general public in the neighborhood.
In order to work towards this goal, the community has initiated regular Tanach Shiurim that are open to the observant and non-observant members of the vicinity. Read more.
Bringing Torah and Ruach to the IDF
Mifgashim beMotzavim
Last year on the 15th of Av, the Yeshiva was rocked by the tragic loss of Sergeant Uriel Liverant z"l in a training accident. Uriel z"l was well known and loved for his Ahavat Yisrael and dedication to Limmud Torah. In order to perpetuate his memory and the values he personified, two of his friends from the Yeshiva, Yonatan Gershon (מחזור ל"ט) and Uri Yaakov Biran (מזחור ל"ט) initiated the "Mifgashim BeMotzavim" (Meetings in Outposts) program, bringing together students from the Yeshiva and soldiers from the local army base and outposts to share Torah and learning experiences together. Read more.
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Adar 2012 / Visit to Army Base
Shana Aleph talmid, Eitan Katlowitz, spoke on behalf of the students. The event was also attended by Rav Noam Sassi and Rav Yossi Ben-Sheshet of the Army Rabbinate, as well as the commanding officer of the battalion, who expressed his appreciation on behalf of the soldiers.
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Rosh Chodesh Adar 2011 Visit to Army Base On Rosh Chodesh Adar, CTL sent a busload of students, equipped with musical instruments, food and a lot of Ruach to celebrate with soldiers on the Carmei Tzur army base. The event was accompanied by divrei Torah from Rav Yitzchak Levi and was very well received by all who took part. The soldiers and their guests concluded the evening by singing "Hatikva". "When the solders went back to their work, I'm sure they felt that through achdut, we can overcome fear" – words written by Overseas Talmid Joshua Fattal, one of the organizers of the event. |
Preparing the Next Generation of Dati Leumi Leadership
CTL Leadership Shabbaton
The week of February 5, Eitan Polster '08, Dovi Hochbaum '08, Dov Lerner '05, Michael Berkowitz '05 and I, Asher Lindebaum '08, attended the CTL Shabbaton in Wesley Hills, NY, to spend Shabbat with Rav Moshe Taragin. Besides the obvious advantage of spending Shabbat with my shana aleph Ra”m, which always proves to be exciting, going to a community like Wesley Hills offered a unique opportunity for all of us. Wesley Hills, a suburb of Monsey, is a small Modern Orthodox community with many YU graduates. The Rav of the shul at which we davened, Kehillas Bais Yehuda (KBY), is Rabbi Josh Blass, a YU Sgan Mashgiach. Read more.
Supporting Talmud Torah of University Students
Chaburot in Columbia University
CTL is particularly pleased to support monthly Chaburot in Columbia University, coordinated by Ariel Cohen '05H, a former Shana Aleph Madrich, now on Shlichut in the US.
Apart from enjoying the pizza and refreshments, the Chaburot provide a fantastic opportunity for alumni to maintain and strengthen their kesher with each other, their relationship with the Yeshiva and their commitment to in-depth learning. Read more.
Promoting Women's Torah Scholarship
Chotam Women's Summer Beit Medrash
This past summer 2010, an exciting CTL initiative began. The Chotam Summer Beit Medrash Program, under the auspices of Rav Yosef Tzvi Rimon, located in Alon Shevut, received a significant boost from six Migdal Oz students and alumnae who, as part of a CTL Fellowship, learned full time in the Chotam Women’s Beit Medrash program.
Thse CTL fellows strengthened the beit medrash with their presence, assisted other participants in preparing for the shiurim, and helped the youngsters in the Chotam Youth Learning Program to understand tefilla and to learn how to daven properly. Read more.
Publishing Exciting Torah Literature
Lalechet 
B'drachav
On the 15th of Av 5769, Yeshivat Har Etzion student Uriel Liverant z"l was killed during training in the army. One of the ways his friends have found to perpetuate his memory is to publish a booklet for daily learning. The booklets, named "Lalachet Bidrachav" highlight and reflect Uriel's daily commitment to Limmud Torah, which expressed itself, amongst other things, in his commitment to studying Daf Yomi, even in the most challenging times in the army. The first booklet was published for Rosh Chodesh Shvat 5770, at the time of Uriel's birthday. Since then, booklets have been produced every two months. Each day's learning includes Halacha, Machshava and other selected passages and thoughts, from within the Beit Midrash of Yeshivat Har Etzion and beyond it. Read more.
