ByMarcus Dysch, Marcus Dysch
A former Stamford Hill pub is reopening as a yeshivah after a lengthy rebuilding project.
The British Oak was bought by the Belz community in 2002 and has been transformed at a cost of around £1 million. Supporters took part in a range of celebratory and fundraising events to mark the centre’s opening ceremony.
Rabbi Aaron Rokeach travelled from Israel to represent his father, Belz Rebbe Rabbi Issachar Dov Rokeach.
He spent Shabbat at the Holiday Inn at Luton Airport, where he was joined by over 140 community members who had each donated £3,600 to the project.
The following day, more than 500 people attended a dinner and transferred Sifrei Torah from the old yeshivah at Clapton Common to its replacement on the corner of Oldhill Street and Lampard Grove.
Eighty teenage boys will study at the three-storey yeshivah, which incorporates classrooms, prayer rooms, a study hall, dining room and administrative facilities.
It will be known as Beth Naftli Tzvi Rokeach, in honour of patron Norman Rokeach.
A mikveh is under construction at the site and the centre is expected to be fully operational within three months.