Aliyah Congregation was founded in 2005.
Rabbi Oswald Garagorry, D.Phil., along with his wife Sonia, M. Ed., teaches and serves the congregation with love, prayer and dedication to Scripture. Rabbi Oswald and Sonia were both born in Brazil to Jewish mothers into Sephardic families. They emigrated to the United States in 1975 and have since become U.S. citizens. Rabbi Oswald's strong desire to understand God and man brought him to realize that his view of Scripture did not match Judaism or Christianity as they are practiced in modern times. He pursued his desire for truth by studying for 12 years for rabbinical ordination with a conservative Rabbi and was ordained from Jerusalem in 2004.
For six years, Aliyah Congregation met at The Barn, a community building in Monument, Colorado. On May 1, 2011, we celebrated the move to our facility on Monument Hill Drive. Around this time, the charter for Yeshiva Torah Institute was granted by the State of Colorado. Yeshiva Torah Institute shares some of the facilities.
In Memoriam
President of Aliyah Congregation, Clarence Sappenfield, 95, passed away at the Cherry Creek Nursing Center on Nov. 26, 2007. A longtime resident of Denver, Mr. Sappenfield retired from Mohawk Rubber, Phipps Construction and Operating Room Nurses Association, where he spent many years as a bookkeeper. In his mid-eighties, he began volunteering his time helping out in a local restaurant and later became an honorary general manager at AmNis Construction and Supply.
Mr. Sappenfield lived a godly life for others to emulate. Always ready and willing to help those in need, he lived a life of humility, integrity and dedication to the community. After retiring from book keeping, he dedicated most of his time to volunteer work and to serve as a mentor to others.
In his capacity as president of Aliyah Congregation in Monument, Colo., Mr. Sappenfield attended his final Sabbath service on October 27 in a wheelchair, where he offered a b'racha (blessing) over the congregation before his departure. The rabbi commented: "We were fortunate to have had Clarence with us. He was truly an example of a model of life for others." Mr. Sappenfield was survived by his daughter, Linda Hicks of Littleton, 2 grandchildren, Jonathan and Daniel Michels, and 1 great-grandchild, Rachel. Blessed be his memory. May the Shalom of Ha-Shem be with all those who love and miss him."
