Learn. Connect. Grow.
Ohr Yehudis is a center for women’s Torah learning in Chicago. We are a warm, vibrant community of women interested in high-level shiurim with Chicago’s top mechanchos, including Rebbetzin Michal Cohen, Rebbetzin Rivkie Schecter, Mrs. Faith Neuman, and Mrs. Jenna Handler.
Join Hilchos Shabbos with
Rebbetzin Michal Cohen
Building
on the
Shoulders
of Giants
Ohr Yehudis is inspired by the life and legacy of Rebbetzin Judith Grunfeld, née Rosenbaum (1902 - 1998), the formidable teacher, headmistress, and right-hand woman to Sarah Schenirer during the nascent stages of the Bais Yaakov Movement in Kraków, Poland. While critical to the movement's success as an educator, administrator, and fundraiser, Rebbetzin Grunfeld eventually went on to revolutionize Jewish education beyond Kraków. After fleeing Nazi Germany in 1934 with her husband, Dayan Isidor Grunfeld, the couple settled in London, England. Rebbetzin Grunfeld became headmistress of the Jewish Secondary School in London founded by Rabbi Avigdor Schonfeld.
It was there that his son, Rabbi Shlomo Schonfeld, and Rebbetzin Grunfeld evacuated and cared for hundreds of Jewish children during WWII and the devastating Blitz of London. With many of the children having been rescued from the Nazi inferno in mainland Europe, the vast majority never saw their parents again. Rebbetzin Grunfeld's dedication to Klal Yisroel at its darkest hour exemplifies the power of Jewish women to sustain and uplift their communities through Torah. At Ohr Yehudis, it is our mission to provide women with the opportunity to empower themselves and others in the same way. In building our community, we aim to instill a strong sense of belonging and responsibility for one another, a deep appreciation for our past, and a shared commitment to Klal Yisroel's future.
