Kosher and Orthodox religious school would be established in Oradea, Romania, where this was last seen only in the middle of the last century. The institution dreamed of with Israeli support has now been given the green light by the leadership of the city of Transylvania.
This is just the beginning. What we do know is that our idea has been approved by the mayor’s office in the zoning committee and they provide a chance to get a building permit.
– said Felix T. Koppelman, leader of the Jewish Community of Oradea.
We contacted the president because of a recent article on a Transylvanian news portal that said „A rabbinical school can be established in Oradea”.
They are currently in the preparation phase, they need to prepare a town planning plan to get a building permit, and if they have it, they want to build a new building in a courtyard in a downtown location close to the community, where they could lay the foundations for traditional Orthodox religious life — explained Koppelman.
The creation of an Orthodox Jewish school in Romania under kosher conditions was last seen only in the middle of the last century.
The leader of the Oradea community, which numbers between 800 and 1,000 people, is optimistic, with 60% of the € 1 million budget already gathered for the construction. Koppelman also counts on the support of the Hungarian and Romanian states, but they are happy to accept contributions to the implementation of their plans from anywhere – „from neolog or orthodox communities”.
We do not specifically want a rabbinical school, as has been written about, but an educational institution where rabbis and teachers coming to us from Bnei Brak, Israel, would deal with all those who would pursue such studies in our city.
– said the President, who added that their current rabbi was also from Bnei Brak, and the Jews of Transylvanian origin living there were happy to help fundig the yeshiva. There is bold plan to build the school within a year, ideally
they want to receive a minimum of 10-12 people, mainly from Romania and Hungary. For all this, guest rooms and a kosher kitchen would be furnished in the new building.
When asked why they got involved in founding the yeshiva, the president replied, „Because I am Jewish, I have no choice. I have already participated in the renovation of three synagogues in the city, these are the most beautiful Jewish temples in Romania today. My daughter lives in Israel, I I would have gone too, but they told me not to stop my activities. Well, that’s how the idea of yeshiva came. „
Koppelman added that they have had very good relations with the Jewish community in Debrecen, Hungary for decades, and especially with President Tamás Horovitz, with whom he has been consulted on the Oradea yeshiva several times. The leader of the Transylvanian community is confident that there will be other Hungarian partners besides Debrecen, with whom they can implement the dream project together.