"The Yeshiva is Our Spiritual Iron Dome": The Hummus Shop Supporting Torah Scholars

"I simply walked into a hummusia in Ra'anana to eat something," wrote Rabbi Aaron Egel Tal on his Twitter account last week. "Come in!" the owner commands, opening a door to a large back room where scholars are sitting and studying Torah. "We are partners," she says. I was astonished – a hummus shop supporting Torah scholars? A yeshiva renting space in Ra'anana! Go figure... go! The hummus is excellent!"

Pula House – In Spirit and Material

Orit Levy-Hollander is the owner of a small kosher hummus shop called 'Pulahouse' in Ra'anana. "Our hummus shop is indeed small," Orit says in a conversation with 'Olam Katan', "only forty square meters, but it has an inner room where a yeshiva of scholars resides, who diligently study throughout the day. We have the great privilege to support the yeshiva and its students: we share the rent costs and assist them with whatever they need. We do not refuse any request from the scholars and rabbis."

You are not a religious woman. What brings you to support a Haredi yeshiva?

"We believe in it," she says. "I come from a traditional home. My parents, may they rest in peace, were Holocaust survivors. My father was a Kohen, and we have great faith. The coexistence between religious and secular people in Ra'anana is precious and very important to us." Orit stars in a campaign currently run by the Ra'anana rabbinate, encouraging local businesses to choose the local rabbinate's kosher certification.

Why is it important to you? As the owner of a kosher restaurant, do you oppose the policy led by Minister Matan Kahana?

"I am not against it. I am always in favor," she clarifies. "I am in favor of the Ra'anana rabbinate. In my opinion, anyone living in Ra'anana should connect to the local rabbinate, even if it's a bit more expensive. We have been working with their supervision for years, and they do excellent work. For quality, it is worth paying a little more." She explains that she learned the great importance of kosher certification from her late father. "My late father had Alzheimer's in his later years. Several times a week, I would take him with his caregiver for a walk and to eat in a restaurant. He never agreed to even sit in a restaurant before seeing the kashrut certificate. He behaved this way until his last day."

Yes, Orit's father was not fully lucid in his final days due to his illness, but checking the kosher certificate he never forgot. He always insisted strongly on it, even though he was not a religious man. "This will accompany me all my life," she says, "therefore, kashrut is dear to my heart, and I am willing to invest in the certificate when I know the kashrut is reliable and I can be at ease about it."

The Levy-Hollander family owned one of the largest candy stores in the country, called 'The House of Pistachios': "It was a brand in Ra'anana," Orit says, "but after twenty years, we got tired and decided to open a smaller business." About 13 years ago, they opened the hummus shop, and for ten years now, they have been partners with the community yeshiva established by Rabbi David Horowitz, where twenty-two scholars study daily. "Whatever they need - we are here for them, and whatever we need - they are here for us," Orit testifies.

What do they do for you?

"For us, the yeshiva is our spiritual Iron Dome," she explains. "They pray for us for everything we need, dedicating Torah study to our success. For me, it's worth much more than money. When prayers and Torah study are dedicated to us, there is added blessing in everything we do."

Community Yeshiva

Rabbi David Horowitz is the owner of the yeshiva. "Many years ago, we bought part of the building to establish a community yeshiva here," he says.

What is a community yeshiva?

"A community yeshiva is a common model in communities in the United States," he explains. Horowitz immigrated to Israel from Los Angeles 35 years ago and brought the model to Israel. "The community yeshiva aims to strengthen the local community. It offers classes for men, women, and children, besides the scholars who study there daily. Additionally, the scholars teach Torah classes throughout the city, learn with bar mitzvah boys, and some have even become neighborhood rabbis here in Ra'anana. It is very common in the US, but here we were the first. Our goal is to create a bustling Jewish center and a spiritual meeting place to strengthen the community." Nowadays, there are already several yeshivas with this model across the country.

The founders of the yeshiva planned to rent out several stores in the complex they purchased to have a respectable financial resource to support the yeshiva and its students. "The hummus shop is the largest store in the complex," he says, "but Orit supports us far beyond renting her private space."

Do you also see yourselves as partners?

"Absolutely. Orit helps us in any way possible," he says. "She supports our rent, dedicates the business's tithes for us, and also treats us with food. We all can eat at her place because it is strictly kosher and adheres to the highest standards of Shmita. Orit is a native of Ra'anana, and when necessary, she also speaks in favor of the yeshiva and its students at the local municipality. "She has a golden heart. She is very proud of the help she provides to the holy place. That's how it should be: a fusion of material and spirit, bringing peace between them," he concludes with a smile.

The article was published in the "Olam Katan" weekly.