The Kollel

What The Kollel does

The Kollel (legally Ohel Ya'akov Community Kollel) is a Vancouver-based, registered Canadian charity and BC society founded in 2000 by Rabbi Shmulik Yeshayahu. It operates as a Jewish community center serving the unaffiliated young adult population (20s-40s) and Jewish families in Vancouver, offering daily prayer services, weekly Shabbat dinners and services, lifecycle event support, adult education classes (Talmud, Tanya, Parsha, Chassidus), and a suite of family programs including Kids Shul, Bar/Bat Mitzvah Clubs, Solomon Leadership Program, and Tzivos Hashem Sunday School. The organization has expanded to include the Flora personal growth program and the Vancouver Rabbinic Residency Program, the latter in partnership with Lemaan Yilmedu.

The Kollel does not operate a technology platform; its core delivery is in-person at two physical locations in Vancouver (1965 West Broadway for the main Kollel and 1925 West Broadway for Kids Shul). There is no public API, no mobile app, and no proprietary software product. Distribution is fully direct through physical presence and supplemented by organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn) and a Constant Contact newsletter.

The revenue model is donation-driven, anchored by a $432/year Kollel Chaver membership (or $36/month) that grants complimentary access to all programming, alongside a $18/month supporter tier, event-specific one-time donations, and legacy giving through wills or insurance. The Diamond Foundation is acknowledged as a major ongoing financial partner. In May 2023, the organization sold its Arbutus property to PCI Developments; the HOME COMING project will deliver a permanent new home at 2096 West Broadway / 2560 Arbutus Street, with rezoning approved in August 2024 and demolition completed in January 2026.

Name

The Kollel

Legal name

Ohel Ya'akov Community Kollel

Website

https://thekollel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Kollel (Ohel Ya'akov Community Kollel) is a Vancouver-based non-profit Jewish community center founded in 2000, serving unaffiliated young Jewish adults in their 20s-40s and Jewish families through Shabbat services, daily prayers, educational classes, family programs, and lifecycle events; it is funded primarily through donations and memberships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: The Kollel operates primarily on donations from the community. Monthly giving program at $18/month supports one person (student, single parent, immigrant, or someone reconnecting with their heritage). Annual Kollel Chaver membership at $432/year ($36/month) provides complimentary access to all programming.
2. One-time Donations: Donors can make one-time contributions for specific purposes including Friday night dinners, business networking events, high holiday meals and services, adult education classes, and other programs.
3. Legacy Giving: Planned giving through bequests in wills, trusts, life insurance policies, or retirement plans to support long-term organizational sustainability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Kollel operates as a Jewish community center in Vancouver, BC, providing religious services, Torah and adult education classes, family and children's programming, Shabbat and holiday meals, lifecycle event support, and community outreach events for the local Jewish population, with a particular focus on young adults in their 20s through 40s.

Product overview

The Kollel (Ohel Ya'akov Community Kollel) is a vibrant Jewish community center in Vancouver, BC, serving as the Jewish cultural center for people in their 20s-40s. The organization offers a unified portfolio of community services including daily prayer services (Shacharit and Mincha/Ma'ariv), Shabbat programming (Friday night dinners, Shabbat services), family programs (Kids Shul, Bat/Bar Mitzvah Clubs, Tzivos Hashem Sunday School, After-School Torah Learning), educational classes (Talmud, Tanya, Parsha, Chassidus), the Flora personal growth program, the Vancouver Rabbinic Residency Program, lifecycle event services (babies, weddings, mourning), and the Home Coming building campaign. The offerings are not modular software products but rather interconnected community programs, religious services, and educational initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kids Shul: A pioneering Shabbat program for children teaching Tefillah, Shabbat rituals, and Kiddush, described as the first of its kind in Vancouver.
• Flora
• Vancouver Rabbinic Residency Program

Products and services

• Religious Services

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• PCI DevelopmentsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023PCI Developments purchased The Kollel's Arbutus property for redevelopment in May 2023. As part of the development agreement, a portion of the new development at 2096 West Broadway and 2560 Arbutus Street will provide a permanent new home for The Kollel, located across from the Broadway & Arbutus subway station.
• Lemaan YilmeducoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Lemaan Yilmedu, a premier English-language Halacha program, enhances The Kollel's Torah learning offerings with accessible, high-quality materials and group study sessions for the Rabbinic Residency Program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Richmond Jewish Day School: K-7 Jewish day school in nearby Richmond, BC, offering Jewish and secular education to families across the Greater Vancouver area. Comparable children-education programming to The Kollel's Kids Shul and Sunday School, drawing from a partially overlapping regional family market.

Direct peers

• Or Shalom Synagogue: Reconstructionist synagogue in Vancouver offering egalitarian Shabbat services, religious education, and community programming. Competes for younger adult members and lifecycle events within the same local Jewish community.
• Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver: Vancouver's primary Jewish community center offering fitness, cultural, educational, and lifecycle programming to the same Greater Vancouver Jewish demographic. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and member/donor base, and competes for community engagement and fundraising dollars.
• Chabad of British Columbia: Network of Chabad centres across BC operating under the same Chabad-Lubavitch movement and outreach-oriented, inclusive philosophy as The Kollel. Directly comparable model for engaging unaffiliated Jews, students, and young families through Shabbat dinners, classes, and lifecycle events.
• Vancouver Talmud Torah: Jewish day school in Vancouver offering K-7 Jewish and general education, overlapping with The Kollel's Kids Shul, Bar/Bat Mitzvah Clubs, Sunday School, and Solomon Leadership Program. Competes for Jewish families seeking formal Jewish education for their children.
• Beth Israel Synagogue Vancouver: Historic Conservative synagogue in Vancouver offering Shabbat services, daily minyan, Jewish education, and lifecycle events. Comparable religious-services and educational offerings competing for affiliated member households in the same local market.
• Congregation Schara Tzedeck: Long-established Orthodox synagogue in Vancouver providing Shabbat services, religious education, lifecycle events, and youth programming. Competes directly for the same Orthodox Jewish families and lifecycle-event business in the Vancouver market.

Broad incumbents

• Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver: Umbrella fundraising and community-coordination organization for the Greater Vancouver Jewish community. Operates a broader portfolio of programs and allocations, but overlaps with The Kollel in donor pool, allocations, and community-wide programming coordination.
• Chabad of Manhattan: Large urban Chabad centre in New York City offering Shabbat dinners, daily services, classes, and lifecycle events under the same Chabad outreach philosophy. Larger and more established than The Kollel, it serves as a model for the same inclusive, programming-rich approach to engaging unaffiliated young Jewish adults.

Others

• Tamim Academy: Vancouver-based Jewish elementary school led by Rabbi Shmulik Yeshayahu, the same rabbi who founded The Kollel. An adjacent, mission-aligned educational institution that shares leadership and likely donor base with The Kollel rather than competing for members.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kollel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/rabbishmulik
• Instagraminstagram.com/community_kollel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Kollel