🎙️From Ashes to Empire: How Torah Took Root—and Thrives—in America

Recorded live at the Columbus Community Kollel’s historic 30th Anniversary Celebration on November 19, 2025, inside the majestic Ohio Statehouse, this rare conversation brings together two of the most consequential leaders of American Torah Jewry—on one stage, in one unforgettable dialogue.

In this landmark episode, Rabbi Aaron Kotler, President Emeritus of Beth Medrash Govoha, and Rabbi Boruch Neuberger, President of Ner Israel Rabbinical College, trace a three-generation journey that reshaped the destiny of Torah in the United States.

They begin with their grandfathers—survivors of the European devastation—who arrived on American shores with little more than unshakable emunah and a daring conviction: Torah could not only survive in America, it could flourish. They continue with their fathers, who transformed that vision into living institutions as Torah life took root and spread across the country. And finally, they turn inward—reflecting candidly on their own leadership, responsibility, and the weight of carrying a mesorah that now shapes tens of thousands of lives.

Along the way, you’ll hear:

• Powerful, never-before-shared stories of chesed and achrayis (responsibility)—often expressed in the most unconventional and surprising ways
• A penetrating look at the current stage of American Torah Jewry: its strengths, its tensions, and its unprecedented opportunities
• A forward-looking charge on how Torah learning can continue to thrive amid the cultural, spiritual, and communal challenges of our time

The conversation closes with a stirring vision for the future of the Jewish people—rooted in humility, courage, and unwavering commitment to Torah.

This is not a panel.

This is not a speech.

This is a once-in-a-generation conversation between the stewards of the two largest Torah institutions in America.

🎙️ Hosted by: Rabbi Hillel Kapenstein

📍 Presented by: Columbus Community Kollel

📰 Media Sponsor: Columbus Jewish News

🤝 In partnership with:

The Henry, Bertha and Edward Rothman Foundation

(Circleville, Ohio • Cleveland, Ohio • Rochester, New York)

✨ A rare moment. Historic voices. A timeless mission.