100 Chabad-Style Study Directors Gather in Jerusalem for Major Support Rally

A large gathering took place this week in the grand new study hall of the Ma'ayanei Yisrael community in Jerusalem to strengthen study of Hasidic teachings under the theme “Nishmata deOraita.” The event was led by rebbes, well-known lecturers, rabbis, and 100 heads of kollels, together with the patron of the Tiferet Shimshon network, Rabbi David Fisher. The assembly was held near the yahrzeit of his father, Rabbi Shimshon Fisher, in whose memory the kollels network was established and which has since expanded throughout major Torah centers in Israel.

The program opened with a tour of the heads of kollels at the yeshiva Ma'or ShebaTorah, followed by afternoon prayers and remarks from the network’s director, Rabbi Mendl Fogel. He praised the patron for supporting “hundreds” of advanced scholars every month. Other speakers included Rabbi Shlomo Winstock of the Boyan kollel, Rabbi Shmuel Zalman Shpitz of the Dushinskaya kollel, and Rabbi Elazar Yona Brander of the Munkacs-Belz kollel, who said the grants allow the scholars to study Tanya daily and spread Hasidic teachings. They also praised Rabbi Fogel’s regular classes on Tanya and the teachings of the Alter Rebbe.

Later, Rabbi Yisrael Fisher of the Even HaEzer kollel and Rabbi Amram Fisher of the Choshen Mishpat kollel highlighted the network’s blend of halachic study, practical law, and Hasidic learning. The patron then handed out elegant pocket editions of Tanya to yeshiva students from Ma'or ShebaTorah who excelled in an oral exam on its chapters.

In the second session, senior mashpi'im Rabbi Shneur Zalman Gopin, Rabbi Chaim Shalom Deitsch, and Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Walberg spoke about Chabad preparation for Gimmel Tammuz and the broader effect of the network. Deitsch said Fisher had “created a real revolution” in Hasidic study, with hundreds of scholars from different communities learning with understanding. Boyan, Munkacs-Belz, and Dushinskaya rebbes also attended, blessing Fisher for his support of Torah study. The Munkacs-Belz Rebbe recalled visiting the Lubavitcher Rebbe and wished Fisher success in continuing to support hundreds of scholars. Fisher said he had also founded similar kollels in Hasidic communities across the United States. The event ended late with a Hasidic farbrengen attended by the kollel heads, who described the network’s growing impact in cities and communities across Israel.