THE BOREHAMWOOD KOLLEL
Who are we?
Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu
Nosi of Borehamwood Kollel
Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu served for many years as the head of the London Beth Din. Formerly he was the Rosh Beth Din of Manchester and prior to that he was the Rosh Kollel of the Sunderland.
The Dayan has been awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in recognition of his contribution to the German Jewish community. He is also one of the biggest halachic authorities in Europe with expertise in cutting edge medical and business law.
The Dayan had the vision which has developed into the Borehamwood Kollel.
Rabbi Yehudah Boruch Lieberman
Rosh Kollel
Rabbi Lieberman spent over 15 years in the world's most prestigious Torah institutions including Gateshead, Mir and Brisk before arriving in England to lead the prestigious Edgware Kollel. He has overseen the personal development of the kollel graduates as well as the impact they have had on the broader community. Through the Kollel, Rabbi Lieberman has spearheaded numerous successful communal learning initiatives inspiring the broader community far beyond the walls of the study hall. This has lead to him becoming well known for his ability to communicate the deepest of Torah ideas with clarity and warmth. He will now bring all of that experience to lead the Borehamwood Kollel.
Rabbi Gary Bazak
Director of Education
Rabbi Gary, a former Deputy Head Boy at JFS, has a BSc Hons in Chemistry
with Physics. He brings with him many years of experience in Jewish education both in Israel and in the UK and has launched and taught on various student programmes.
About the Kollel?
What is a Kollel?
Ever since the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai there have always been a dedicated group of people whose sole responsibility was the in depth study of Torah. At a metaphysical level they act like the lungs of the greater Jewish entity introducing the oxygen of learning to ensure the overall wellbeing of our community and people.
Many are familiar with the concept of a Yeshiva. A Kollel is a variation on this theme and is in many respects a yeshiva for married students. The word Kollel comes from the hebrew word klal, which means group or community. A community Kollel is a group of dedicated Jewish families who live, learn, and teach in the community.
These students invest their mornings, afternoons and evenings studying and the Kollel will act as the equivalent of a post graduate college facilitating this higher learning. It will allow the graduates to gain a comprehensive understanding of Torah to become Torah scholars and to fill critical roles in the community. A Community Kollel has an additional component to its vision which is to open its doors and share its learning. It thereby facilitates the personal and unique relationship that every Jew has with the Torah.
I thought a Kollel was only in Israel. Are there many Kollelim (plural of Kollel) in the world?
In the last 50 years there has been a massive proliferation of community kollelim around the globe. This is because there are many people who believe that access to Torah learning shouldn’t be a ‘post code lottery’.
This proliferation of the Community Kollel has been primarily in North America which has seen Kollelim from Toronto to Texas. Even Las Vegas has a Community Kollel!! There are Kollelim in South Africa, Australia and across Europe, East and West. In the UK leeds, Edgware and Whitefield have a Community Kollel.
Under whose auspices is the Borehamwood Kollel?
The Borehamwood Kollel is an independent organisation under the auspices of Dayan Ehrentreu who has inaugurated educational programmes across Europe. Rabbi Yehuda Boruch Lieberman, a world class Torah scholar will spearhead the learning which takes place in the Kollel assisted by Rabbi Gary Bazak, a born and bred ‘Borehamwoodian’.
Why Borehamwood?
Borehamwood is the most vibrant Jewish community in Europe. It is an obvious choice for the location of a Kollel!
What are the Kollel’s goals?
The Kollel has three goals:
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To facilitate the spiritual growth of its full time students and their families.
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To be an educational resource for the community. To provide welcoming hub for vibrant Jewish learning for Jews of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of observance.
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To provide the relevant training for the students to take up roles in the broader community as Rabonim and teachers.