Making the First Minyan
Rabbi Shmuel Rothman
Shmuel was one of the first ten students at Ohr Somayach, arriving in Israel in the spring of 1972 fresh out of Yeshiva University High School. Since that time Shmuel has proven to be the quintessential Ohr Somayach alumnus. After a few years of intensive learning at Ohr Somayach, Shmuel married in the States and returned to Israel for two more years of Kollel study. When he returned to the States he maintained his connection to Ohr Somayach and particularly to Rabbi Schiller by raising funds for the yeshiva. After a short while, however, Shmuel realized that he would be of much greater value to Ohr Somayach in the long run by employing his business acumen and motivation for the benefit of Ohr Somayach. His various business ventures have included investments and real estate, and he is currently president of a highly successful chemical engineering firm. In the midst of the demands of a consistent learning schedule, raising a large family and running his business, Shmuel has never wavered from his generous financial commitment to the solvency of Ohr Somayach.
As a dedicated talmid of Rabbi Schiller, Shmuel has not only adopted the Rosh Yeshiva's passionate devotion to Torah learning, Ohr Somayach and the Jewish People, but he has extended his horizons to include fine red wine and aged single-malt scotch. With all these excellent accomplishments, we are nevertheless still waiting for Shmuel to catch up to Rabbi Schiller's erudition as a giant of English literature!
