The Kollel’s campaign to create Torah infrastructure has taken several steps forward in recent weeks.
In Southeast Denver, construction on the Kollel’s Southeast Torah Center is well-underway. Under the expert direction of Kollel Associate Scholar Rabbi Yossi Kaplan of EJC Construction, owned by Efraim Cunningham, a steady stream of construction workers are knocking down walls and constructing others, pouring concrete, running wires, adjusting plumbing, installing doors and getting the Bais Medrash into tip-top shape.
Completion is projected for early January. “We look forward to seeing you at our new Bais Medrash when it’s done!” says Kollel Dean Rabbi Shachne Sommers.
In West Denver, meanwhile, the Kollel was informed that it had to vacate its current premises by January 1, 2017. The projected completion of the Kollel’s new West Denver home is not until sometime in 2018, and the Kollel needed to find temporary quarters. Rather than pay exorbitant sums to rent a location, the Kollel purchased a duplex on the corner of Wolff St. and 14th Ave.
“This was a wonderful opportunity for the Kollel, Heaven-sent,” says Kollel Dean Rabbi Aron Yehuda Schwab. “This happened thanks to a number of dedicated supporters and a large dose of help from Above.”
While one apartment of the duplex will serve as a temporary home for the West Side Bais Medrash, the other is being used for the newest Kollel family, Rabbi Chaim Yeshia and Mira Freeman.
The renovations for the temporary Bais Medrash are being done with an eye to the not-too-distant-future, ensuring that the space can be easily converted to a home for a family once the Kollel’s new building is completed.
“With Hashem’s help, we are looking to the future as we create Torah infrastructure that will provide affordable housing for the Kollel and its families,” says Rabbi Schwab, “and these two structures – one in Southeast Denver, the other in West Denver – are an important part of that vision.”
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