The Donor Appreciation Event isn’t a typical name for an event. Then again, the Denver Community Kollel is anything but typical. And as the Kollel continues to provide Denver’s Jews with innovative and exciting opportunities for Torah study and growth, its events also continue to intrigue and energize Denver’s Jews.
The Kollel’s Annual Donor Appreciation Event, or DAE, was held this past September 10th at the home of Dov and Lara Mowszowski in Greenwood Village, and those who attended didn’t leave disappointed.
“This was one of the nicest, most enjoyable events I’ve ever been to in Denver,” said Donny Bosch, an East Side resident who studies with Kollel Scholar Rabbi Akiva Stern on a weekly basis. “I was especially impressed by the fact that the entire evening was catered by the Kollel women!”
The DAE, which helps the Kollel obtain funding for its work in Denver, is an opportunity for the Kollel to express its gratitude to its supporters and friends. But it’s a lot more than that, says Rabbi Mordechai Fleisher, the Kollel’s Director of Community Education. “It’s the beginning of a new year, and the DAE really gives us at the Kollel a chance to share our hopes and dreams with those who have helped make those hopes and dreams into a reality for sixteen years.”
The Kollel, after successfully kicking off a new era last year with the arrival of three new families, added a fourth family this September, and is looking forward and thinking big. Kollel Dean Rabbi Aron Yehuda Schwab announced at the event that the Kollel is in the process opening its Southeast Torah Center. In addition, the Kollel is moving forward with obtaining new, expanded quarters for its Torah Center on the West Side. “The energy emanating from these powerful Torah centers,” said Rabbi Schwab, “will spread throughout the metro area, revolutionizing the landscape of Jewish Denver.”
And while the DAE is the Kollel’s chance to thank their friends, it also gives people the chance to express their support and appreciation for the Kollel. “The Kollel does such wonderful and amazing things and changes people’s lives every day!” said Natasha Krochmal who, along with her husband Josh, is a member of Aish Denver. “Thanks for everything!”