To enrich and grow the Cincinnati Jewish Community by creating an environment of Torah study and providing access to our spiritual heritage.
The word “kollel” is related to the Hebrew word k’lal, which means a community or group. A kollel is a place where men (typically married) devote themselves full-time to the study of Torah. There have always been kollelim (the plural of “kollel”) in major Jewish communities (New York and Jerusalem, for example). In recent years a movement has begun in which smaller Jewish communities are opening kollelim, as well. These “community kollelim” are more than just places where young scholars meet and study. They are community institutions that are bringing Jews of all backgrounds closer to their common heritage.
Our staff currently consists of two directors ( “Roshei Kollel” ), five scholars-in-residence, two outreach professionals, and an administrator. To learn more about our staff members, past and present, check out our Staff Bios and Alumni Bios.
As Rosh Mosad (President) , Rabbi Spetner oversees all of the operations of the Cincinnati Community Kollel. A fifth-generation Midwesterner, Rabbi Spetner served as a congregational rabbi in Richmond, Virginia before moving to Cincinnati in 1995 to help establish the Kollel. His wife, Chaya Gittle, is an active mentor in Partners in Torah.
As Rosh Kollel (Director) , Rabbi Minster’s mornings are spent leading the studies of a new Kollel initiative, wherein members of the community are welcome to join to study the Torah’s monetary law, known as Choshen Mishpat. He leads as well the afternoon studies of the staff scholars and has been delivering a daily Daf Yomi class since the Kollel’s founding twenty five plus years ago. His wife, Aviva, is involved in many aspects of women’s outreach and education.
As Rosh Kollel (Director) , Rabbi Chaim Heinemann looks for new ways to enhance the staff’s own learning, create new opportunities for the community to benefit from the Kollel, and is always ready to help those in need of halachic guidance. He now directs the Staff Scholars in their morning studies. The Sunday brunches that he initiated regularly draw dozens of participants from all backgrounds for entertaining and informative Torah learning.
You can also learn about Torah and Judaism with one of our rabbis, individually or with a group, at the Kollel or in your own home or business! Contact the Kollel for more information.
Kollel Partners helps members of the greater Cincinnati Jewish community connect to the Torah, to their own rich heritage, and to each other.
Visit Cincinnati Partners at its dedicated web site, kollelpartners.org .
See our weekly parsha sheet, or our Classes and Programs page for the latest schedule!
As always, last minute changes may occur, so please confirm the scheduled time before attending.
Fill out this form and we will try to get back to you within 48 hours!
The Kollel has published a number of Holiday Readers , which we are proud to present here in electronic form. Each reader is a collection of essays about a specific season in the Jewish calendar.
To view a reader, click on its image; it will open up in your web browser.
To download a reader, right-click on its image (on a Mac with a one-button mouse, control-click); a menu will pop up. Select “Save target as…” or “Download link” and follow the instructions that appear.
