Rabbi Kenneth Brander: Building a Modern Orthodox Future — Torah, Service, and Shared Responsibility

In this wide-ranging conversation, Marc Schulman sits down with Rabbi Kenneth Brander, President and Rosh HaYeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone (OTS), to trace a remarkable journey from Kew Gardens Hills and Yeshiva University—including formative years living in the Rav’s NY apartment and serving at Lincoln Square Synagogue—to community-building in Boca Raton and, ultimately, Aliyah to lead OTS in Israel. Rabbi Brander outlines how OTS has grown to 32 institutions and 5,000 students, spanning high schools, yeshivot hesder, advanced women’s Torah study, rabbinic training, global shlichut (300 emissaries), and pioneering programs addressing agunot and interfaith civic responsibility.The discussion goes deep on today’s hardest questions: the shared burden of service in wartime; why Torah study and national service are complementary, not competitive; and what this year revealed about the courage and purpose of Israel’s youth. Rabbi Brander speaks candidly about OTS’s fallen alumni and first-degree family losses, and shares moving classroom moments with students rotating back from the front—studying Gemara between missions and taping shiurim for tanks and tents.We also look outward: rising antisemitism in the U.S., shifting Jewish demographics, and why more families are exploring Aliyah. Along the way, Rabbi Brander previews new OTS initiatives—from North and South American post-high school programs to a Lower Galilee school opening—arguing that a confident, engaged Modern Orthodoxy can meet the Jewish people’s most urgent educational, spiritual, and civic challenges. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcschulman.substack.com/subscribe