Dan Family of Canada
I enjoy watching photos of the Western Wall from your camera mounted atop Aish HaTorah's Dan Family Building. I'm just curious about what happens in the Dan building. I assume Dan is one of the 12 tribes (Jacob's sons).
The Aish Rabbi Replies:
The Aish Center at the Western Wall is known as the Dan Family of Canada Building. This houses Aish HaTorah’s outreach programs, including the renowned Discovery Seminar, the hasbara Fellowships for Israel activism training, the Jerusalem Fellowships student vacation program, the Executive Learning Center, the Essentials introductory program, and the Kirk Douglas Theater.
The building is named after its benefactor, Leslie Dan of Canada. The family is not descended from the tribe of Dan.
Also slated for the new building is the Explorium of Jewish History, a major attraction spanning three floors that takes visitors through a virtual tour of all of Jewish history in a highly interactive, hi-tech environment. Designed to accommodate 300,000 people annually, the Explorium is expected to be completed in 2012. As well, private individuals and organizations can arrange for events like bar mitzvahs, weddings and Shabbat dinners in the beautiful dining room or on the spectacular rooftop terrace.
A second, adjacent building along the Western Wall plaza houses the Aish HaTorah College of Jewish Studies. Aish HaTorah was founded in 1974 with the goal of developing fresh leadership to impact the Jewish world. Classes are given from the introductory level, up through rabbinic ordination.
To find out more, go to http://www.aish.com/ai/jb/