Respected Rabbi Rebecca Shapira, Co-Founder of Ofra Seminary, Dies at 91

Rabbi Rebecca Shapira, a co-founder of the "Shuva" seminary in the settlement of Ofra, passed away Tuesday at the age of 91. She was the mother of Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira, head of the Ramat Gan Hesder Yeshiva, and Rabbi Yitzchak Shapira, author of "Torat Hamelech." Born in Afula, Rabbi Shapira later moved to Jerusalem for her studies at the Hebrew University. After marrying Rabbi Moshe Shapira, she was involved in education, teaching at the Kfar Pines Ulpana and the "Ora" Institute. Together with her husband, she established the "Shuva" seminary in Ofra, where she mentored generations of students. The "Shuva" seminary eulogized her, stating, "With a broken heart, we mourn the passing of our great and beloved teacher Rebecca Shapira... She taught Torah of grace and kindness." Rabbi Shapira was the daughter of Yaffa and Rabbi Chaim Schnur. The funeral was scheduled to depart from Ofra at 10:00 PM on Tuesday.