Aharon Kotler was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania and the United States; the latter being where he founded Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey.
Rosh yeshiva is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and the Torah, and halakha.
Belz is a Hasidic dynasty founded in the town of Belz in Western Ukraine, near the Polish border, historically the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland. The group was founded in the early 19th century by Rabbi Shalom Rokeach, also known as the Sar Shalom, and led by his son, Rabbi Yehoshua Rokeach, and grandson, Rabbi Yissachar Dov, and great-grandson, Rabbi Aharon, before the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939. While Aharon managed to escape Europe, together with his brother Rabbi Mordechai Rokeach, most of the Belz Hasidim were murdered in the Holocaust. Aharon re-established the Hasidic community in Israel following World War II. As of the 2020s, Belz has sizable communities in Israel, Western Europe, and the Anglosphere.
South African Jews, whether by culture, ethnicity, or religion, form the twelfth largest Jewish community in the world, and the largest on the African continent. As of 2020, the Kaplan Centre at the University of Cape Town estimates 52,300 Jews in the country. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies estimates that the figure is closer to 75,000.
Glenhazel is a suburb of the Municipality of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region E, bordering Fairmount, Sandringham, Lyndhurst and Percelia Estate. The area lies on a sloping hill with a park in the valley. It is known for its large Jewish population as well as for being home to the largest Jewish kosher hub in Johannesburg, which attracts many Jewish tourists.
The Yeshiva College of South Africa, commonly known as Yeshiva College - and formerly known as Yeshivat Bnei Akiva - is South Africa’s largest religious Jewish Day School. The school is headed by Mr Rob Long since 2018; the Rosh Yeshiva is Rabbi Nechemya Taylor as of 2021.
The King David Schools are a network of Jewish day schools in Johannesburg, South Africa, offering nursery through high school education. There are three campuses across Johannesburg: Linksfield, Victory Park, and Sandton; "each school has an atmosphere of its own serving the specific community". The schools are under the auspices of the South African Board of Jewish Education.
Ohr Somayach in South Africa is an affiliate of Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem, a network of Haredi yeshivas and Synagogues. Like its parent institution, it focuses on educating baal teshuvas. It has branches in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Yeshivat Har Etzion, commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, in Israel in Gush Etzion. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced Torah study in the world and with a student body of roughly 480, it is one of the largest hesder yeshivot in the West Bank.
Etz Chaim Yeshiva is an orthodox yeshiva located on Jaffa Road close to the Mahane Yehuda Market in downtown Jerusalem.
Kollel Yad Shaul is a Charedi yeshiva (seminary) based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The rosh yeshiva (dean) is Rabbi Yitchak Grossnass.
Yeshivah Gedolah of Johannesburg was one of the first Yeshivot established in South Africa. Since its founding in 1978, it has played an important - though understated - role in the South African religious community. It is based in Glenhazel, Johannesburg. It was established and headed by Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Azriel Goldfein until his death in 2007, and is now headed by his sons Rabbi Avraham and Rabbi David Goldfein. The Yeshiva accommodates students from across the spectrum of Orthodoxy. The Hirsch Lyons Primary and High Schools are associated with the Yeshivah.
The Lubavitch Yeshiva Gedolah of Johannesburg is a Chabad Yeshiva based in Glenhazel, Johannesburg. It was established by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1983, and is headed by Rabbi Noam Wagner, with Rabbi Y. Kesselman as Mashpia. It focuses on the first two years post high school.
List of Orthodox yeshivot in South Africa:
Aharon Pfeuffer was a Rabbi, Rosh Yeshiva and Posek, and a recognized authority on Kashrut.
The Oxford Shul is an Orthodox synagogue in Riviera, Johannesburg near the suburbs of Saxonwold, Houghton and Killarney. The congregation was established in 1943 and moved into its current building in 1962. The sanctuary is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, with seating for 1,500 congregants. For busier High Holy Day services, it can accommodate for 1, 000 more congregants in its Simon Kuper Hall.
The Talmudical Academy of Baltimore or TA is a K–12 yeshiva founded in 1917. Its present campus, located at 4445 Old Court Road, includes a pre-school building, an elementary school building, a middle school building, a high school building, three gymnasiums, a dormitory, two computer labs, and two study halls which double as prayer sanctuaries.
Kollel Bet Mordechai is a Kollel and Bet Midrash in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is associated with Mizrachi and is based at the Yeshiva College of South Africa.
Rabbi David Masinter is a rabbi, Founder and Director of the Miracle Drive annual charity drive, and Director of Chabad House in Johannesburg. He lectures in Tanya, the primary text of Chabad, and has authored the Grow Your Life series.
