Kollel Ohr HaShemesh: Illuminating Torah. Enriching Community.
Nestled in the scenic hills of Eretz Yisroel lies Ramat Beit Shemesh Dalet—Israel’s newest and fastest-growing Torah community. With 30,000 housing units planned and thousands of English-speaking families already on their way, RBS Dalet is not just another neighborhood. It’s a city in the making.
But a city is only as strong as its spiritual foundation.
Enter Kollel Ohr HaShemesh—a transformative institution founded to be the beating heart of this growing Anglo Torah community. Led by HaRav Yerachmiel D. Fried shlit”a, a visionary and veteran of building Torah communities across America, this kollel is poised to do something unique: build Torah for the entire community—yungerleit, their families, working professionals, women, newcomers, and long-time residents alike.
More Than a Kollel. A Community.
A kollel isn’t just a place of learning. It’s the spark that lights up an entire city. A kollel influences every home, every classroom, every conversation on every block. It’s not just the avreichim—it’s their families, their neighbors, the shiurim they give, the questions they answer, the Torah they spread.
Kollel Ohr Hashemesh Is Designed With This Vision in Mind.
- A kollel that speaks the language—literally and spiritually—of Anglo families in Israel.
- A kollel that supports, uplifts, and connects.
- A kollel that enriches the present while building the future.
Why Ramat Beit Shemesh Dalet? Why Now?
Yes, there are many kollelim in Eretz Yisroel. But there is no English-speaking kollel in Ramat Beit Shemesh Dalet 4, a neighborhood being built from the ground up. Families are coming with dreams, but many face language barriers and the disconnection that can come with Aliyah. Kollel Ohr HaShemesh offers a spiritual anchor—a place where they can find guidance, connection, and community in their native language.
“The RBS-D neighborhood is home to many American avreichim who are in need of an authentic makom Torah… Rav Fried will establish such a place.”
— HaRav Eliezer Spetner, Mara D’asra, RBS-D
“There is a great need for this Kollel… Rav Fried will give over his vast Torah knowledge and years of practical experience to the younger generation.”
— Rabbi Elimelech Kornfeld, Rav, Kehillas HaGra, RBS
The Time Is Now. The Need Is Real.
From the Mayor of Beit Shemesh to Nefesh B’Nefesh, from Rabbanim across America to leaders in Israel, support for this kollel is pouring in. The only thing missing is the funding to open the doors.
We are asking for your partnership.
- $1,000/month sponsors a full-time kollel member.
- $500,000/year covers stipends, startup costs, staff salaries, and technical overhead.
This is an opportunity to help shape the future of Torah in Eretz Yisroel. A gift to Kollel Ohr HaShemesh isn’t just tzedakah—it’s an investment in a city’s soul.
Will You Be Part of This Light?
Join us in building a beacon of Torah for generations to come. Because when we build Torah, we build everything. ■
Kollel Ohr HaShemesh is a tax exempt 501(c)(3)
EIN 33-2757968
3117 Bandolino Ln
Plano, TX 75075
A Living Legacy: Honoring Rabbi Yerachmiel Fried's Transformative Impact on Dallas
By Rabbi Yaakov Rich
As Rabbi Yerachmiel and Rebbetzin Marcy Fried prepare to embark on a another chapter in Eretz Yisroel, where they will be founding a new kollel in Ramat Beit Shemesh called Ohr HaShemesh, the Dallas Jewish community pauses to reflect on—and celebrate—the profound and lasting impact Rabbi Fried has had on our city for over three decades.
Rabbi Fried’s journey in Dallas began with vision, passion, and a fierce commitment to Torah and Klal Yisroel. As the founding Rosh Kollel of Dallas Area Torah Association (DATA), Rabbi Fried transformed the landscape of Torah learning and Jewish outreach in the Metroplex. Under his leadership, DATA became a city-wide institution of growth and connection, spawning branches, impacting countless lives, and building a bridge between observant and unaffiliated Jews through education, compassion, and authenticity.
But, Rabbi Fried’s influence cannot be contained by any one institution. He is a teacher in the truest sense of the word, having personally taught thousands of men and women from all backgrounds—whether through formal shiurim, casual conversations, campus classes, or late-night learning sessions. His clarity, warmth, and unwavering devotion to truth made Torah accessible and alive for generations of Dallas Jews.
In addition to his work as an educator, poseik, author of acclaimed seforim, and communal leader, Rabbi Fried served with integrity and sensitivity as the Av Beis Din for Geirus in Dallas. Through this role, he shepherded countless individuals through the sacred process of converting to Judaism according to halacha. Every geirus case was approached not just with halachic precision, but with deep humanity and care, creating Jewish lives rooted in truth and nurtured with love.
As the Frieds prepare to establish Kollel Ohr HaShemesh in Ramat Beit Shemesh—a city burgeoning with young families and spiritual opportunity—they carry with them the light they ignited here in Dallas. Their departure is not a farewell, but a sending forth. The seeds planted here will continue to flourish, and the new seeds they plant in Eretz Yisroel will be nurtured by the same dedication that defined their years in our midst.
To Rabbi and Rebbetzin Fried: Your legacy is not in buildings or titles, but in the thousands of lives you’ve touched, the minds you’ve shaped, and the souls you’ve inspired. May Ohr HaShemesh shine brightly, and may you continue to illuminate the world with the light of Torah.
With deep gratitude and love,
Yaakov & Susan Rich