Meet the Staff

RABBI YISRAEL KIRSHTEIN

Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Kirshtein came to Kiryat Shemona in 1978.  Before arriving at Kiryat Shemona, he spent ten years learning at Yeshivat Hebron and went on the Yad Meir Kollel, where he studied with some of this generation’s most revered Torah scholars.  He also served as a contributing member on the editorial board of the Talmudic Encyclopedia.

After the first war in Lebanon (1982), katyusha rockets were fired at Kiryat Shemona, causing suffering and damage.  Citizens would gather at local cafeterias and restaurants for refuge and solace. Taking advantage of these informal social get-togethers, Rabbi Kirshtein came up with the idea to offer shiurims to the gathering crowds as a way to try and heal the psychological scars and provide a taste of spiritual nourishment to the people.  In time, these shiurim expanded and extended, eventually becoming a part of the lives of hundreds of citizens in Kiryat Shemona.

His main focus is on intensive study of Talmud, with a keen involvement in the instruction of first-year Hesder students, for whom he has taken personal responsibility for over three decades.  Rabbi Kirshtein also gives regular shiurim to the local population in town, and within this framework he has completed three cycles of communal Daf Yomi (daily study of a page of Talmud), and is currently working through the fourth.  Additionally, Rabbi Kirshtein is also involved in the upkeep of the Shabbat Eruv and the Mikva’ot (ritual baths).

Our Staff

Linda Stern

- Overseas Administrator and Liaison Officer

Chana Talanet

- Kitchen

Avraham Ben-Yishay

- Maintenance

Chaim Bomash

- Director of Yeshivah

Shimon Ohana

- Maintenance Manager

Itay Morag

- Fundraiser (Israel)

Shula Toledano

- Kitchen

Leah Bukovsky

- Office Manager

Sagit Amsalem

- Kitchen Manager

Reut Eigner

- Secretary

Yossi Cohen

- Maintenance

Meir Vaknin

- Maintenance