When Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion stepped into Shapell’s yeshivah in the Beit Hakerem neighborhood on Nov. 4, he found something unexpected: a room full of new and veteran immigrants who never imagined they would live in Israel, now studying in Israel’s capital, raising families, building careers and shaping Jerusalem’s future.
Since Lion was elected mayor on Nov. 14, 2018, Jerusalem has attracted thousands of new olim (immigrants) each year, expanded affordable housing projects and invested in community-building initiatives for immigrant absorption.
In Lion’s opinion, Jewish learning in the capital—at religious schools and seminaries—has helped fuel aliyah. “We have to help people succeed here,” he said. “Not just make aliyah, but build lives.”
Shapell’s Darche Noam
The David Shapell College of Jewish Studies/Yeshiva Darche Noam calls itself “the premier institution in Jerusalem dedicated to helping college graduates and young professionals grow in their Jewish life and learning.” David Shapell, a Polish-born Holocaust survivor, became a Los Angeles real estate developer and philanthropist who co-founded one of Southern California’s largest development firms.
The mayor had come to the men’s campus of Shapell’s Darche Noam for a roundtable with students and alumni of the yeshivah and its sister school, Midreshet Rachel v’Chaya (MRC).
Both institutions sit under the Darche Noam umbrella and share a single premise: give adults a serious, text-based foundation so they can keep learning for life. The model is not outreach or ideology; it is classic sources studied in context with teachers who welcome questions and respect a range of what is termed “hashkafot” (religious outlooks).
At Shapell’s, men focus on Talmud, Halacha and Jewish thought with the skills to read and analyze primary texts. At MRC, women build depth in Tanach, halachic sources and Jewish philosophy with the same rigor and attention to sources.
The aim is durable growth rather than inspiration alone, equipping students to carry Torah into work, family life and community long after they leave the classroom. Because the learning happens in Jerusalem, the land and language give the texts weight and context, often turning a year of study into the desire to stay.
Roundtable discussion
Seated around the table were men and women from many backgrounds —from a graduate of multiple Ivy League schools to one from a private Christian high school; almost all came from secular, unaffiliated homes with little connection to Israel.
“We’re not here to push anyone to make aliyah,” said Rabbi Shaya Karlinsky, the rosh yeshiva who heads Shapell’s. “But we do believe that when someone learns here, in Hebrew, on the land these words come from—it changes something.”
Encouraging aliyah is not a stated mission, yet the rate of aliyah among Darche Noam’s students is striking. Alumni from around the world, many with little exposure to Jewish texts or life in Israel, come to learn for a semester, a year or more. Many stay.
One of the first to speak at the roundtable was Shlomo Shapiro, who recalled the moment he decided to join the IDF.
“I remember being on the roof of the yeshivah,” he said. “It was quiet, I was just thinking — and it clicked. This was what I needed to do.” That clarity, he explained, came from time immersed in Torah learning at Shapell’s, where his sense of commitment and service deepened. Shapiro went on to serve in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit and now manages housing and support for 16 active lone soldiers in Jerusalem through the Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin.
Gabrielle Weiss, a recent Midreshet Rachel alumna, shared how, after years of exploring her Jewish identity in Philadelphia and New York, her year of study in Jerusalem left her rooted in the city. Now living near the shuk, she works in U.S. partnerships and grant writing at Temech, a nonprofit that provides vocational training and support for Haredi women entering the workforce.
“I have 21 friends from my year who have now made aliyah,” she told the mayor.
Lion reacted with clear surprise and admiration. “One or two making aliyah is nice. But entire groups? That’s not a coincidence.”
‘There’s no other city like it in the world’
Lion, 64, who was born in Tel Aviv, spoke about the privilege of living in Jerusalem and the differences compared to the cities of central Israel. “I lived in Tel Aviv and in Givatayim,” he said. “About 15 years ago, I moved to Jerusalem, and I always say: those who live here love it deeply, and those who come from another city fall in love with it immediately. There’s no other city like it in the world. It’s a true privilege to live in Jerusalem.”
He said that even when residents complain about traffic or municipal issues, they still enjoy living in the city and recognize the transformation it is undergoing alongside the preservation of its rich history. In addition, those who arrived later in life “can feel the air, the holiness … everything here feels like home, and they enjoy every moment.”
Dr. Daniel Polisar, co-founder and executive vice president of Shalem College, offered perspective as one of the longest-serving alumni in the room. “I studied at Princeton and Harvard,” he said, “but the place that taught me how to think—how to analyze texts, how to really use my mind—was Darche Noam.”
He credited that training as the foundation for building what he and others have developed at Shalem College, where he has helped shape a liberal arts education rooted in Jewish and Zionist values.
Polisar shared that he has six children and multiple grandchildren, some of whom live in Jerusalem full-time and others who have spent recent months serving in and around Rafah and Khan Yunis. “They’re Jerusalemites,” he said proudly.
Lion responded warmly, noting how significant it is to see generations rooted in the city and how institutions like Darche Noam help make that possible.
Liz Bernstein, a longtime Jerusalem resident, shared that the roundtable fell one day before her final day at Nefesh B’Nefesh, where she held a senior role as a social worker and government liaison for two decades. She and her husband made aliyah after learning at Darche Noam at the same time, an experience that convinced them Jerusalem could be more than a place to visit. Today, they are raising three children in the city they chose as adults.
“We didn’t grow up thinking this would be home,” she said. “But something about learning here made it clear it could be.”
Selig Davis, a director of data science at Meta, also shared his journey. After his initial time learning at Shapell’s, he lived in New York with his family, but ultimately, they decided to build their life in Israel. He now commutes to his office in Tel Aviv and lives in Jerusalem to keep family life rooted near Shapell’s campus.
“This isn’t just a school you graduate from,” he said. “It becomes your community. It stays with you.”
As the discussion wound down, the mayor offered a reflection. “When people think of aliyah, they imagine idealism,” Lion said. “But what you’re showing is that idealism can become infrastructure: families, jobs, neighborhoods. That’s how Jerusalem thrives.”
