The Shaar’s 2025 $1 Million Neshama Campaign Launches
There are campaigns that raise money. And then there are campaigns that raise souls.
The Shaar’s Neshama Campaign is not just another fundraiser. It’s a statement—a bold, heartfelt declaration that Torah, mitzvos, and Jewish identity are not just valuable, they’re priceless.
With a goal of raising $1 million, the campaign invites the broader Jewish community to take part in something transformative: supporting a program that helps young men reconnect with their Jewish heritage in a real, lasting, and deeply personal way.
The Shaar isn’t your typical yeshiva. It’s a full-time, full-hearted program designed for ba’alei teshuvahand young men who are just beginning to explore Torah and mitzvos. Some learn full days, while others work and return nightly for 3-4 hours of immersive, structured learning. But whether they’re in the beis midrash or at a community Shabbos table, they’re not just learning about Judaism—they’re living it.
What begins with curiosity quickly becomes something deeper. Shaar participants go on life-changing trips, engage in rich conversations, and build strong friendships. They find 5T’s community mentors who become like family. The warmth, the sincerity, the growth—it’s not theoretical. It’s real. And it’s working.
Over the past few years, The Shaar has celebrated upwards of 40 weddings—young men who arrived with questions and are now building families grounded in Torah, mitzvos, and meaning. Many of them have chosen to stay and settle in the Far Rockaway and Five Towns community, adding even more light and energy to our neighborhoods.
This summer, The Shaar is hosting over 90 participants: a vibrant mix of full-time learners, working young professionals, summer interns, married alumni couples, and local community members. Morning sedarimare filled with chavrusas deep in Gemara, halacha, and hashkafa. Evenings buzz with shiurim, farbrengens, and spirited kumzitzes. On Shabbos, Shaar guys are welcomed like family into homes throughout the Five Towns and Far Rockaway, slowly becoming part of the fabric of the community.
But this kind of impact doesn’t happen on its own.
Behind it all are three remarkable leaders whose shared vision, passion, and achrayus have built The Shaar into what it is today:
Rabbi Mayer Hurwitz, founder and rosh chaburah, oversees every detail of the Shaar’s spiritual and physical infrastructure. He founded the program in 2019, after years leading the Dallas Kollel, and now teaches advanced Gemara and delivers powerful middos shiurim that shape the minds and hearts of the talmidim.
Rabbi Ephraim Kamin, mashgiach ruchani, brings years of campus kiruv experience from UC Berkeley and Stanford. With deep warmth, clarity, and contagious energy, he guides students on their journey from secular life to spiritually vibrant Torah observance. He also brings new waves of students through immersive Shaar Shabbos experiences and Olami trips.
Reb Shlomo Reich, co-founder, co-director and senior mashpia, infuses every part of The Shaar with vision, ruach, and relentless drive. What began as him hosting a few guests has grown into co-directing the program, building new initiatives like Olami House @ The Shaar, and bringing music, joy, and bold creativity into everything the Shaar touches.
Together, they form a powerhouse team—building not just a yeshiva, but a future for hundreds of young Jews.
This year’s campaign theme is drawn from the word neshama, which equals 395 in gematria. That number has become the campaign’s suggested donation—a meaningful, symbolic contribution to support the literal revival of Jewish souls. Of course, the more neshamos you can take on, the better!
Every dollar raised goes directly toward housing, meals, staff, programming, and the infrastructure needed to keep The Shaar thriving. The campaign message says it best:
“Because priceless things still need to be paid for.”
The Shaar is extending a heartfelt invitation to the Five Towns community and beyond: Be a part of something priceless. Help us reach our goal. Help us give the gift of Yiddishkeit to someone who may never have had the chance.
Your support isn’t just appreciated. It’s eternal.
To donate, visit: Rayze.it/Shaar2025.
Let’s make it happen—together.
