The Phoenix Community Kollel recently welcomed Rabbi Don Bacharach as its new rosh kollel and dean. He and his family moved to Phoenix the last week of December 2013: “We came at the best time – we left behind the cold Chicago winter!” he wrote in an email.
Before moving to the Valley, he visited twice to familiarize himself with the Jewish community and has already started the recruitment process to hire four new full-time rabbis and their families to join the kollel team.
“I have a deep-seated passion in two areas,” he wrote. “To connect with Jewish people in a real way and to share with my extended Jewish family what is most dear to me: Jewish education. A kollel provides a perfect opportunity to accomplish these goals.”
He describes a kollel as “an organization that harnesses the talents of a group of young families who are dedicated to continuously advance in their own studies and share their Torah knowledge with others in a warm, nonjudgmental, and upbeat environment.
“It is a privilege for me to enable the growth of Jewish education in the Greater Phoenix community.”
Bacharach studied at Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, where he received his master’s degree in Talmud law. He then moved to Jerusalem with his family to attend an advanced rabbinical study program and received smicha(ordination) there. He also has a life coaching certification and was a teacher at Ohr Sameach Yeshiva in Jerusalem and the rosh kollel/dean of a kollel in Buffalo Grove, Ill.
His wife, Dina, is the “true partner in the work I do,” he wrote. She has a master’s degree in education, with an emphasis on curriculum development, and has more than 10 years of experience in elementary through college-age and adult education. She also does freelance writing for various Jewish publications. The couple have four children.
“There is a fervent feeling of Jewish pride and desire for knowledge which I see here across all affiliations and ages,” he wrote. “Whether you’re Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, unaffiliated or somewhere in between, the kollel is your home for Jewish learning that is relevant, invigorating and inspiring. I look forward to further enhancing an already vibrant Jewish community.”
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
11 Responses
Baruch Hashem there are east coast people willing to be moser nefesh to bring these backwater communities up to our helige standards.
Sorry Greater Phoenix Jewish community. There is just no stopping these people anymore.
Crisis, I’m sorry. Your communities aren’t so perfect, and ours aren’t so backwater-ish. Keep your heiligeness to yourself – it comes with too many problems that Baruch Hashem we don’t suffer from!
Rabbi Bacharach is coming L’Shem Shamayim and we wish him much Hatzlachah! Phoenix has been a beacon of light for this part of the country. An example to emulate.
Crisis I hope you’re being sarcastic because otherwise that is one arrogant and off-putting comment to make. Rabbi Yoni is right. Seeing young couples from the East coast bring their madness to my out of town community makes me angry. They are destroying what my friendly and warm community once was with their East coast attitudes and lack of manners and consideration.
And I am not referring to the Rabbis and their families who come with derech eretz and Ahavas Yisrael to spread Torah. May they have hatzlacha and bracha. They are welcomed with open arms!
I don’t see anywhere that it says the Bacharachs are “east coast” people. Ner Israel produces many young idealistic rabbis with amazing middos to match. The only standard they need to measure themselves by is Torah, not some sheker that poses as east coast heilige-ness! Kol hakavod and Hatzlacha to the Bacharachs-I’m sure they will be a light unto all nations in Phoenix and anywhere else they may find themselves!
@#2 and @#4
I was lampooning the idea that the “Out Of Town” communities welcome these people to come in and ruin everything.
Everyone knows that once you get one “east coast” family, it all begins to unravel.
The lakewood kollel in Chicago was the begining of the end for West Rogers Park. And the destructive trend continues in places like Phoenix. Soon no community will be safe.
I’m even more confused then all Of above , I visited phoenix Last winter was really impressed by the rosh kolell there rabbi Gonsky I wonder why he would leave seemed like everyone really liked him there and he was doing great work .
richtig Rabbi Gonsky was never the Rosh Kollel he is the excutive director of the Kollel. Rabbi Gonsky is still here and he is continuing to do great work
Interesting . Last winter while in phoenix for work for almost a week I was afforded a rear opportunity to for me these days at home, to spent time in a beis medrash , the phoenix community kollell where I met rabbi Gonsky , in-between his various different chavrusas and classes I had pleasure of talking with him in learning , hashkafah and just good old everyday events I found him to be a breath of freash air
Although he never told me he was rosh kollell I guess I just assumed based on how others talked about him in community and that he seemed to me be the mainstay in beis medrash his positive energy was refreshing . I definitely did not mean to offend anyone by referring to him as rosh kollell . Most importantly I’m glad he’s still there dong wonderfulll work !