Torah Tours: A Boot Camp in Leadership
For the past 50 years, the Aaron and Blanche Schreiber Torah Tours program has been sending YU students across the United States to visit Jewish communities and enhance their Simchat Torah. The program was founded by Rabbi Joel Schreiber, the former chairman of the board of trustees of YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS). Last year, Torah Tours changed its name to the Aaron and Blanche Schreiber Torah Tours Boot Camp in order to “be more shlichut and leadership centered,” Haviva Chernigoff, current head of Torah Tours, told The Commentator.
This article will highlight four students’ participation with the program, the communities they traveled to and the experiences that they had.
Community: Newton, Massachusetts
Tourist Spotlight: Harry Meister (YC ‘25)
The tourists went to Congregation Shaarei Tefillah in the small community of Newton, Massachusetts. Meister did much of the Torah reading and gave speeches about the holiday and its significance to Oct. 7. “Israel is still very deeply a part of the community,” Meister told The Commentator, “even in Newton as a relatively small community was deeply impacted yet impactful in its efforts to support Israel and American Jewry post Oct. 7.”
Meister noted that in addition to the experience being meaningful for the community, it was also significant to him. “I believe that my time on Torah Tours has allowed me to get a sense of what it means to take charge of communal activities…” Meister reported, “and how to best understand and cater to the needs of the community.”
Community: Dallas, Texas
Tourist Spotlight: Naomi Rose (SCW ‘25)
This was the first time in 10 years that Congregation Shaare Tefilla of Dallas has hosted Torah Tours and the first time ever under the tutelage of Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky. On Tuesday evening the tourists got introduced to the shul and some community leaders, and on Wednesday morning they traveled to the Fort Worth Stockyards. “Meeting the community was very special,” Rose told The Commentator, “I got to witness a warm, out of town vibrant Jewish community.”
The Dallas tourists led services, did kriat hatorah, delivered speeches, ran kids programming and brought a festive spirit.
“Torah Tours was genuinely an incredible experience” Rose commented, “and I learned a lot about Jewish leadership and hachnasat orchim.”
Community: Brookline, Massachusetts
Tourist Spotlight: Dovi Pfeiffer (YC ‘25)
Arriving Wednesday before chag, most of the tourists went to a local kosher Indian restaurant. During chag they visited the Brookline Reservoir with a trail that had “a beautiful view of Northeast fall foliage.”
Pfeiffer helped out at the Maimonides kehillah with dancing and spoke between the Shabbat Kiddush and the communal lunch which followed. “I believe the experience of public speaking to a novel community is one that is helpful for developing teaching skills I hope to employ in the future,” Pfeiffer told The Commentator.
“Torah Tours is an incredible opportunity to contribute to a community’s Simchat Torah experience,” Pfeiffer shared when asked how the trip was meaningful to him, “and I feel blessed to be able to be a part of it.”
Community: Memphis, Tennessee
Tourist Spotlight: Rebecca Henner (SCW ‘26)
Unlike most other groups, the tourists going to Memphis consisted of all SCW students who were there in particular to enhance the ruach for the women and girls of the Young Israel congregation.
On Wednesday evening they hosted a “Shmooze in the Sukkah” for middle school girls and on Hoshana Rabbah Henner delivered a women’s shiur on “The Meaning Behind Hilchot Sukkah.” “It was my first time sharing Torah on the community level,” Henner told The Commentator, “[I] got great feedback, and was really able to make an impact.”
During chag the tourists led an oneg, took charge in the dancing and delivered a women’s shalosh seudos. “We really connected to the community, especially the kids there,” Henner said, “there was so much warmth.”
Photo Caption: For the past 50 years, the Aaron and Blanche Schreiber Torah Tours program has been sending YU students across the United States to visit Jewish communities
Photo Credit: Yeshiva University
