Return of Rabbi Rosner

Former local rav visits Five Towns, encourages aliyah

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of April 3, 2009 / 9 Nissan 5769

Rabbi Shalom Rosner returned to his roots this week, visiting the Five Towns to reflect on his first seven months of living in Israel. Rabbi Rosner, the founding rav of Cong. Beis Ephraim Yitzchok in Woodmere, made aliyah with his family last summer to become the rabbi of Nofei Hashemesh, a burgeoning community in Beit Shemesh.

“Baruch Hashem, everyone is really coming together, and there is really a kehilla feeling and a kehilla atmosphere,” Rabbi Rosner told The Jewish Star, describing his new home. “We are trying to continue building our kehillah, which is based on ahavat Torah, ahavat habriyot and ahavat Eretz Yisroel (love of Torah, fellow man and Israel), a kehillah (community) which we and our children can be proud of.”

Nine new families are currently living in Nofei Hashemesh, with several more scheduled to move in this summer. Over 50 people daven in Rabbi Rosner’s shul each Shabbat, including some from the adjoining communities of Sheinfeld and Nofei Aviv, both home to large Anglo populations.

“Those communities have been very welcoming to all the members of Nofei Hashemesh and we are building to add on to those wonderful communities,” Rabbi Rosner said.

So far, 35 houses are built, with further construction slated for the coming months. Rabbi Rosner is optimistic that families will continue to move in, despite the financial deterrent of the recession.

“Obviously, the economy has affected people’s ability to sell their houses, but there are challenges in every generation and we have to remain strong,” he observed.

“Two years ago, when people could sell their houses, there wasn’t a major overflow of aliyah. Everyone faces their own obstacles and we have to work to overcome them and get to Israel as soon as we can.”

Though the majority of the families in Nofei Hashemesh are American, there are also several Israeli families, and one from South Africa.

“I like to think of it as our own kibbutz galuyot,” said Rabbi Rosner, describing his congregation as an ‘ingathering of the exiles.’ “We have 25 member families... and every family is playing an active role in our kehillah. We have a board, a sisterhood, daily daf yomi and weekly shiurim.”

One disparity between being a rav in America versus Israel, Rabbi Rosner pointed out, is the type of halachic questions one is asked.

“You get used to different areas of shailos, like shmitta issues, terumos and maisros,” he noted. “It’s a great opportunity to learn more about areas of halacha that I’m not used to learning... But the major role of a rav, in terms of being involved in people’s lives, doesn’t change regardless of where you are.”

Reflecting on his overall experience so far, Rabbi Rosner is just happy that he has the opportunity to live in Israel.

“The more one lives in Israel, the more one feels that you only have one home,” he explained, “and the more you live there, the deeper the feeling gets.”