The Program is officially now in its 4th year. We are nearing the end of the second cycle of the program. During the second cycle there has been a solidification of the derech halimud and the goals of the program. With the addition of Rav Kaganoff to the staff we have had the zchus to add shimush talmidei chachamim to the program and it has really added unbelievably to the impact on the avreichim. The yeshiva is already setting its sites for greater accomplishments from the third cycle of this growing program.

From amongst the first program we have placed avreichim across the globe.

Jon Neumann has recently moved to Australia to help with the development of the aish center there.

We have Errol Gamsu (Jo-berg) and Chaim Michael Vegoda (Durbin) working very effectively in South Africa

Ephraim Sauer worked for 1.5 years in developing the halacha program for the Spanish Department in Aish Jerusalem and has recently moved his family to Chile to become a member of the community kollel there. We hope to hear great things from him in the near future!

Aharon Kampf has recently moved to England to help with Aish London.

Marc Zelunka and Gavon Balsom both left the first cycle early to head up programs in aish campus work in North America.

We hope that in early 2007 there will be a number of new placements. Two out of the 9 members of the second cycle have already solidified positions in campus work in North America (Madison Wisconsin and Washington DC). A number of the other avreichim from the second cycle have begun to explore possibilities for after the program.

Rabbi Jon Neumann - Having grown up in a completely secular environment, becoming religious, and learning in Yeshiva in Israel for 4 years, it was somewhat of a natural progression to choose to move into fulltime kiruv. The Aish HaTorah Leadership Development Program, led by Rabbi Tzaddok Cable, gave me a solid base in practical halacha and exposure to a wide range of practical kiruv skills and tools. Now that the program has finished I have accepted a kiruv role in Australia where I expect to use the knowledge and skills I have gained.

Rabbi Ephraim Sauer - I grew up in Chile. I came to Israel in my early 20s and was learning in a Yeshiva which had a Spanish learning Program. After developing essential learning skills I joined the Aish Hatorah Smicha program. Thanks to the program I have now started teaching halacha in the Aish Hatorah Spanish Program. I have modified the source sheets that Rav Cable gave us and I really feel that this is an effective tool to help the Talmidim grasp the depth and significance as well as the detail of halacha. [Ephraim has recently moved his family to Santiago Chile where he is a thriving member of the developing community kollel. His role is to shoulder the responsibility of teaching Hilchos Shabbos and other important sugyos from Orach Chaim in order to develop the baleh batim to a more advanced level of Shmiras Mitzvos]

Rabbi Errol Gamsu – My father became religious when I was 11. But only after school when I came to Israel did I really start to get involved Jewishly. Four years later when I started to go to Aish in Johannesburg I reached a turning point in my development. At that stage I was studying accountancy but I decided to put that on hold for a year to study at Aish in Jerusalem. ! year turned into 6. Over the years I spent in the Beis Midrash I was deeply moved by Aish's approach and really felt a responsibility to other Jews. So decided I wanted to join the Smicha Program at Aish and go out into the field of kiruv. The smicha program gave me good skills for what I am doing now. Most of the questions people ask about halacha are in the area of Shabbos and Brachos which I feel we learned very well. The environment at aish and within the smicha program is one of a family and at the same time they push you to achieve great things.

Rabbi Chami Michael Vegoda - I was brought up in a traditional/secular background. I did a BA hons in Environmental Management at Leeds Uni in England. I worked in the hospital management sector until I went to Aish in my early 20’s. I left at age 30 as an ordained Rabbi to work as educational director of Aish Durban South Africa. Whilst at Aish I was able to develop knowledge in a borad spectrum of topics. I ultimately entered Aish’s smicha program to prepare for going out and making a positive difference to the world. The curriculum is very practical and I can say that being one of only 2 rabbis in the entire city, I am often asked questions in Orach Chaim. What I have learnt in the smicha program has been invaluable in enabling me to help and teach the various different members of my community.

Shimon Kohen - I'm Shimon Kohen. I was born in Santiago Chile 29 years ago. While studying in university I decided to join a trip to Israel sponsored by Aish Hatorah. After the trip I was inspired and continued having greater involvement in Judaism. When I finished college I went to NYU to get my masters. In the middle of my masters program I came to yeshiva to learn for a short time. After this short time in learning I was deeply effected by the realization that I could help make a difference in the Jewish world. Aish has been preparing me for that over the last 5 years. I am now in the Aish Smicha program and hope in the next year to become a Rabbi. This will help me take the next step in reaching the fulfillment of the process I started many years ago.

Yehudah Cano - My name is Yehuda Cano, I am originally from the Dominican Republic, but when I was 11 years old my family and I moved to N.Y, where I grew up. I am the youngest of four siblings. My family was not observant therefore I was brought up with a totality secular education and background. Seven years ago after my mother's passing away I started learning about judaism, every day that passed I became more and more interested in the laws and observance of the Jewish religion. Eventually, I decided to learn about Judaism on a more steady basis. I would meet with a Rabbi every night form to 10.00 to 11.00 and deepen my knowledge and quench my thirst for Torah. At this time the Rabbi noticed my interest and suggested that I come to Israel and learn in a Yeshiva so I would be able to be submerged in the sea of Torah. It is now five years since I have been studying at Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem and every day I feel a stronger bond with the Almighty. I am now involved in the Smicha Program which is very thorough, challenging, and rewarding. I understand that the Rabbi Cable spends many hours organizing our classes making sure that we cover the full spectrum of Halacha to make us competent and reliable Rabbis who G-d willing will effect in a positive way many people who are perhaps in the same situation that I was 7 years ago.

Scott Mathias - My name is Scott Mathias and I am from Buffalo Grove, IL a suburb 30 minutes Northwest of Chicago. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison earning a Bachelors of Business Administration degree specializing in marketing with a second major in psychology. I spent my junior year abroad in Jerusalem at Hebrew University when I was first exposed to Yeshivas Aish HaTorah.
After graduating from University I decided to enroll at Aish HaTorah where I have been studying for the past 6 ½ years. I will be graduating from Aish's smicha program in December 2006. I have grown by leaps and bounds during my time at Aish both intellectually and spiritually.
Through Aish's top-notch smicha program I have done more than mastered Hilchos Shabbos. I have also been challenged to learn the intricacies of the Halachic process in an in-depth fashion. This experience will allow me to master many other areas of Torah and Halacha in the future.
I am moving in December with my wife, Ilana, and daughter, Gila Leah, to Washington D.C. to found and direct Aish on Campus at American University. I feel confident that my experience in Aish's smicha program will prepare me for the challenges that lay ahead teaching unaffiliated Jewish students on campus.