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Denver Community Kollel
1516 Xavier St., Suite 500
Denver, CO 80204
Office: 303-820-2855
The Kollel would like to thank the Harry H. Beren Trust,
Rose Community Foundation, and Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado
for their generous support. |
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| In 2005, the Denver Community Kollel joined Rose Community Foundation’s Live On program, which aims to help local Jewish organizations secure their futures through estate gifts. To learn more about Live On click here You can help ensure the future of the Denver Community Kollel – and of Denver Jewry. Make a bequest to the Kollel and live on through Torah and through the thousands of Jews who will draw closer to their heritage because of your support. For more information, or to make a bequest, please contact Kollel Dean Rabbi Aron Yehuda Schwab at 303-820-2855 or at rays@denverkollel.org |
 Spotlight on Bequest Givers | | Dr. Marc and Dale Sievers Rabbi and Mrs. Zev Beren Marc and Amity Cooper Anonymous Anonymous Rabbi Myer J. and Mrs. Bruria Schwab Bill Goldsmith Dr. Ken and Karin Sherman Katz Dr. Marc and Dale Sievers  | Dr. Marc and Dale Sievers of Louisville, CO, were first introduced to the Kollel at its 5th Annual Celebration three years ago, and the event made a lasting impression. Today, Marc studies twice a week at the Kollel, and Dale participates in the Partners in Torah one-on-one study program. “Torah study is, undoubtedly, something that affects me profoundly,” says Dr. Sievers, a veterinarian. “The Kollel families are so nice and welcoming,” adds Mrs. Sievers, an audiologist and mother of two. Now, the Sievers want to share their newfound appreciation for Torah study with others, and that is why they’ve made a bequest to the Kollel. "The future of the Jewish community is dependent on a strong Torah foundation. I want to ensure that future," Dr. Sievers says. | | |
Rabbi and Mrs. Zev Beren  | Rabbi and Mrs. Zev Beren have been strong supporters of the Kollel since its inception. As founding trustees, they played a vital role in its development, and Rabbi Beren currently serves as Kollel president. He also studies twice a week at the Kollel and attends numerous Kollel classes and programs. Rabbi Beren is president of ZAB Incorporated, and Mrs. Beren is a homemaker. Both are active volunteers in the Denver Jewish community. The Berens have seven children “Supporting Torah institutions is a big mitzva,” says Rabbi Beren, explaining why he made a bequest. “The Denver Community Kollel is an outstanding Torah institution. It is a zechus for me to give tzedaka to such a great organization.” | | |
Marc and Amity Cooper  | If you’d ask Marc and Amity Cooper what they find most unique about the Denver Community Kollel, they’d both tell you that the Kollel offers Jewish study opportunities to everyone, no matter how much – or how little – a person might now. “The Kollel is outreach at all levels,” says Marc. “Anyone can learn, and can start at any level, and get a taste of Torah and Talmud.” “The Kollel has enabled me to ask questions – any questions – without restraint, or fear of sounding ridiculous,” adds Amity. “[They’ve] helped me explore my Jewishness at my own pace.” Marc, 41, is President of Cooper Investments, and Amity, 36, is Owner and Designer for Star 50 Handbags. They have a 2-year-old son, Dashiell. The Coopers have been strong supporters of the Kollel for the last five years. Amity has attended Beyond 9 to 5 and Torah for Tycoons, and meets regularly with Kollel Women’s Division Director Esti Schwab. Marc is a member of the Kollel’s Advisory Board, chairman of Torah for Tycoons, and a member of its Live On committee. He also studies with Kollel Dean Rabbi Aron Yehuda Schwab, and he studied for three years with Kollel alumnus Rabbi Zev Chaim Pruzansky. “Torah for Tycoons has expanded my understanding of business ethics, which is good for my professional life,” says Marc. “By learning Talmud, I also know more about my responsibilities to my son, [such as] to teach him Torah, teach him to swim, and give him a bris.” In the fall of 2006, Marc and Amity made a bequest to the Kollel. The bequest will become a part of the new Kollel Continuity Endowment Fund. “The endowment fund is important because it allows the Kollel to establish a long-term funding source and then focus more on its core mission: bringing Torah to every Jew,” says Marc. The bequest is also the Coopers’ way of giving something back – and of giving others the opportunity to connect to Judaism as they are. “The Kollel brings knowledge, education and community to your personal doorstep by providing opportunities to learn and grow,” says Amity. Marc agrees. “The Kollel is about people who are so passionate about their Jewish spirituality,” he says. “They give many Jews an unparalleled chance to deepen their Judaism.” | | |
Anonymous | | You don’t have to own a large estate to “Live On” and help secure the future of the Kollel – and the Denver Jewish community. One 30-something business professional, intrigued by the Live On concept, recently made a charitable gift to the Kollel in the form of a life insurance policy with the Kollel designated as the beneficiary. “I’d like to leave the Kollel a large sum in the event of my death, but my family would need that money if I died,” explains the donor. “What I did is take out another insurance policy to replace the money I’d otherwise leave to the Kollel.” The anonymous donor will pay about $270 a year in premiums on the life insurance policy. In the event of his death, the Kollel would receive $50,000. “Life insurance can be a very valuable tool in planned giving and estate planning,” says Steven M. Weiser, a tax and estate planning attorney and a member of the Kollel’s advisory board. “Because the premiums associated with some forms of life insurance are often very reasonable, many people who might not otherwise consider including a large charitable gift in their estate plan are able to do so at a fraction of the cost.” | | |
Anonymous | | A 30-something professional, who asked to remain anonymous, made a bequest to the Kollel in June of 2007 because the Kollel – and Live On – are causes he believes in. “The Kollel’s commitment to bringing more Torah learning is a very important mission and one I want to support even when I am no longer physically here to do it,” he says. Leaving a bequest to the Kollel is a way I can do just that.” | | |
Rabbi Myer J. and Mrs. Bruria Schwab 
 | When Rabbi Myer J. and Mrs. Bruria Schwab founded the Denver Community Kollel 10 years ago, they had a dream. Their dream was to create a center for Torah growth, where scholars would study Torah at an advanced level, and then share their knowledge and commitment to Judaism with all of Denver Jewry. Now, a decade later, the dream is reality. “The Kollel represents advanced Torah research on the highest level,” says Rabbi Schwab. “In addition to their own Torah growth, the Kollel Rabbis have found a common language with so many Jewish brothers and sisters, and are making a profound impact in all circles of our community.” The Schwabs made a bequest to the Kollel in 2007 because they believe the Denver Community Kollel will continue to make a “profound impact” on the Denver Jewish community for many years to come. And they want to be part of that impact even after their passing. “The Denver Community Kollel is not a ‘hit and run’ outreach organization, but rather a place that one can begin to virtually recreate him/herself through the well springs of real Torah learning,” says Rabbi Schwab. “We recommend it for anyone who is serious about their Judaism.” | | |
Bill Goldsmith  | Mr. Bill Goldsmith, a member of the Kollel’s advisory board, made a bequest to the Kollel in September 2007. | | |
Dr. Ken and Karin Sherman Katz  | Dr. Ken and Karin Sherman Katz made a bequest to the Kollel in December 2007 to support what the Kollel does best – Torah study. “Torah learning keeps the world standing and we want to support it,” says Dr. Katz. He and his wife, Karin, live in Englewood, and are the proud parents of Joel, 24, and Morissa, 22, and grandparents of Gabriel, 5 months. Why a bequest to the Kollel in particular? “The Kollel represents pure Torah learning to benefit all Jews, regardless of affiliation,” explains Dr. Katz. He adds that he sees the bequest as a way of giving back to the Kollel for all the years of “beloved Torah learning” with the Kollel rabbis, particularly [alumnus] Rabbi Chaim Mandelbaum. And he says his family’s connection to Torah study and to the Kollel is so strong that he wants that connection to continue even after his passing. “It is our dream,” he says, “to create an endowment fund to perpetually fund the work of future Torah scholars.” | | |
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Giving to the Kollel |
| | The Denver Community Kollel Live On Initiative: Ensuring the Future | |
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