Historic Jerusalem Courtyard Becomes Haven for Returnees to Judaism

The historic Strauss Courtyard in Jerusalem, once a center for Lithuanian ethical teachings, has been transformed into a spiritual home for the growing baal teshuva (returnee to Judaism) movement. In the 1970s and 1980s, under the patronage of Rabbi Amram Deutsch and later Rabbi Moshe Binstock, the complex was established as a unique yeshiva for baalei teshuva.

Rabbi Deutsch, son-in-law of Rabbi Moshe Halberstam, founded a kollel within the courtyard for students preparing for rabbinical ordination, with many continuing their studies there after marriage. The yeshiva attracted a diverse group of baalei teshuva, including academics, individuals with advanced degrees, doctors, and even former Israeli Air Force pilots. Notable students included former naval commando Eliyahu Merav, footballer Alon Kaplan, and a doctor from Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

These students, often from affluent backgrounds, chose to live in challenging conditions, including rooms with leaking ceilings and minimal heating, subsisting on a meager diet. Rabbi Deutsch later worked to improve living conditions for the students.

Adjacent to the courtyard was the "Shevet Achim" synagogue, led by Rabbi Yechiel Shneur, a Moroccan kabbalist and miracle worker. The article recounts a story of a servant of Rabbi Shneur who suffered from unbearable ear noises. After conventional and mystical treatments failed, a local Arab sheikh recognized the servant and rebuked him for not seeking help from his rabbi. The servant returned to Rabbi Shneur, who predicted the exact date and time the suffering would end, which then occurred precisely as foretold.

Under Rabbi Binstock's guidance, generations of students emerged from the Strauss Courtyard, many becoming prominent figures in the Breslov Hasidic movement. The courtyard also hosted lectures by Rabbi Binyamin Kanflamacher and daily Talmudic study sessions. Rabbi Binstock currently runs a yeshiva for the children of those he helped return to Judaism decades ago. The article concludes with a brief mention of a kabbalist who slept at the yeshiva and a miraculous event involving a window that obscured the moon.