At a large awards ceremony at the Ramat Tamir Hotel in
Jerusalem, the R' Avrohom HaKohen Foundation gave out the
Kesser Torah, Nezer Horo'oh and Ateres Hamishpot awards.
The Ateres Hamishpot award went to HaRav Yitzchok Meir
Blasbalg, an alumnus of Yeshiva Mesivta Beis Yisroel Gur in
Brooklyn and currently studying at Kollel Beis Elchonon Dov
in Jerusalem. The Kesser Torah award was given to HaRav
Eliezer Geldtzahler of Yeshivas Kol Torah, Yeshivas HaRav A.
Attik and Yeshivas Ponovezh, who currently studies at Kollel
Tzanz in Antwerp. The winner of the Nezer Horo'oh award was
HaRav Chaim Chazan of Yeshivas Liflagos Reuven and Shaarei
Tzion Torda, who now studies at Kollel Masmidim-Ohel
Yocheved.
The directors noted that the selection of this year's Ateres
Mishpot winner, as well as the winners for the other prizes,
was more difficult than in past years due to the large number
of outstanding avreichim who completed almost all of
Choshen Mishpot and Even Haezer.
The award ceremony was held Thursday night 25 Tishrei, to
coincide with the yahrtzeit of the Chasam Sofer,
zechuso yogen oleinu. The event also included a
celebration of the completion of the R' Avrohom HaKohen
Foundation cycle and awards to those who completed the five-
year study program and passed tests on the
material—HaRav Yitzchok Meir Weiss who completed Kesser
Torah, and HaRav Tzvi Charlene who completed Nezer
Horo'oh.
Also part of the festivities was the completion of the annual
Shas cycle, in which dozens of avreichim were
tested orally on the entire Shas.
The foundation is headed by HaRav Shmuel Halevi Wosner, HaRav
Nissim Karelitz, HaRav Shmuel Birnbaum, rosh yeshiva of
Yeshivas Mir in the US, and HaRav Yitzchok Tuvyoh Weiss,
Gavad of the Eida Chareidis of Jerusalem. Former board
members included HaRav Shach, HaRav Moshe Feinstein and HaRav
Yaakov Yitzchok Weiss zt"l.
R' Avrohom HaKohen is a prominent leader of the chareidi
community in the US who has assisted numerous Torah and
chessed projects in Eretz Yisroel and abroad.
He had the merit of bringing many immigrants from Eastern-
bloc countries into the covenant of Avrohom Ovinu o"h,
and authored Bris Avrohom HaKohen, a major halachic
work on bris miloh. The foundation bearing his name
was started 19 years ago and the annual Kesser Torah, Nezer
Horo'oh and Ateres Hamishpot award winners receive generous
support for their Torah studies for a period of five
years.
