Rabbi Nota Schiller zt"l was born in 1937 in Brooklyn, New York, and received his formative education at Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and later Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore. A visionary educator, he co-founded Shma Yisrael Yeshiva—later known as Ohr Somayach—in 1972, alongside Rabbis Noah Weinberg, Mendel Weinbach, and Yaakov Rosenberg. Their mission: to open the doors of Torah learning to young men with little or no background in Jewish studies.
Under Rabbi Schiller’s leadership, Ohr Somayach expanded into a global movement, establishing branches in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., South Africa, and Australia. He also spearheaded the first international program in 1977, launching in Yonkers, New York, before relocating to Monsey.
Yet beyond institutions and programs, his greatest legacy is the thousands of students whose lives he transformed. Rabbi Schiller is survived by his children, including Rabbi Nachshon Schiller, Rosh Yeshiva of Ohr Shmuel in Yerushalayim, and numerous sons-in-law who are leading Torah scholars. His impact continues to echo through generations—through every talmid who deepened their connection to Yiddishkeit because of his care for their exponential potential.
