Torah Tours Impacts Jewish Communities Across America
Twice a year, YU students have the opportunity to participate in Torah Tours, a community outreach program in which students go to small Jewish communities around America for Simchat Torah and Shavuot. YU students have been participating in Torah Tours since its establishment in 1974, making it one of the longest running programs at YU.
Torah Tours is “part of YU’s broader commitment to providing leadership opportunities for students, challenging them to grow by experiencing the diversity of Jewish life across the continent,” Haviva Chernigoff, program coordinator for the Office of Torah and Spiritual Life, told The Commentator. “Through this initiative, participants not only contribute to the communities they visit, but also develop the skills and mindset to serve as future leaders of the Jewish world.”
For Tali Novick (SCW ‘27), this Shavuot was her second time taking part in Torah Tours — her first time being this past Simchat Torah. Novick, along with three other women and four men, traveled to West Hartford, Connecticut.
The West Hartford community placed a strong emphasis on their teens and children. As opposed to Novick’s previous Torah Tours experience, this Shavuot she spent more time getting to know the youth of the community, eating two out of the four meals with them. Novick greatly admired the community’s effort in including the children and teens, making them a valuable part of the community.
Novick also gave a shiur to the community on Shavuot night from 3:45-4:30 a.m. “I really saw the difference between learning Torah and teaching Torah,” said Novick. “Shavuot is a night all about learning and teaching, and usually, I’m on the learning side of that, but this time I was on the teaching side of that.”
Novick “got to see the value in helping others and being someone who allows others to learn and not just learning for [herself].”
In contrast to Novick, Daniella Weil (SSSB ‘26) visited Charleston, South Carolina to the “oldest Ashkenazi shul in America,” Brith Sholom Beth Israel (BSBI). BSBI is a small, older community that does not have a lot of kids or young adults. Weil started her Torah Tours journey only knowing one of the other participants, but by the end she felt like they all became good friends. Because the community was so small, Weil got to know everyone personally.
Weil gave two shiurim, one at night, on the butterfly effect of Ruth and Orpah’s decisions, and a women's shiur, during the second day, about gam zu l'tovah. Teaching the opening shiur on Shavuot night was a highlight for Weil.
“Going in I felt like who am I to teach? How do I know enough? But they weren’t judging and they were just happy to learn with each other,” Weil shared with The Commentator. “[I]t wasn’t like I was teaching and they were learning. We were all learning from each other, and I just gave out the source sheets.”
Weil expressed gratitude to Rabbi and Rebbetzin Bart of BSBI for being incredible role models and for teaching the participants how to be Torah teachers.
Nosson Oirich (YC ‘28) went to Birmingham, Alabama with three other students. Oirich described Birmingham as “the most friendly and warm community I have ever seen.” He and his fellow students had the unique opportunity to see two communities, the Modern Orthodox shul, Knesset Yisroel, and the local Chabad. Oirich felt that both communities were extremely welcoming and interested in learning and hearing from new perspectives. In fact, the shul was so homey that the group slept in Knesset Yisroel.
Oirich’s favorite part was seeing and experiencing what it was like to live in Birmingham as he walked around the community during the day. He truly appreciated that Torah Tours gave him the chance to experience life outside of the “in town” community he grew up in.
Even though Novick, Weil and Oirich had vastly different experiences, they all had one thing in common — they highly encouraged other students to participate in Torah Tours. They all felt they had broadened their horizons and experienced a deeply meaningful chag.
Students should participate because “you have a real chance to impact lives,” Oirich told The Commentator.
However, going to a completely new community is nothing to shake a stick at, and it can be hard for people to leave their hometowns for the chagim. Despite this, Weil encourages students to venture out of their comfort zones because “[these communities] appreciate it more than you know.”
When addressing students who are considering participating in Torah Tours, Novick encouraged students to “take advantage of it because now is the time when you have more flexibility in your life, so you get to explore different communities and learn new things about yourself.”
Photo Caption: A Torah scroll
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
