A Living Legacy: Honoring Rabbi Yerachmiel Fried’s Transformative Impact on Dallas

By Rabbi Yaakov Rich

As Rabbi Yerachmiel and Rebbetzin Marcy Fried prepare to embark on a another chapter in Eretz Yisroel, where they will be founding a new kollel in Ramat Beit Shemesh called Ohr HaShemesh, the Dallas Jewish community pauses to reflect on—and celebrate—the profound and lasting impact Rabbi Fried has had on our city for over three decades.

Rabbi Fried’s journey in Dallas began with vision, passion, and a fierce commitment to Torah and Klal Yisroel. As the founding Rosh Kollel of Dallas Area Torah Association (DATA), Rabbi Fried transformed the landscape of Torah learning and Jewish outreach in the Metroplex. Under his leadership, DATA became a city-wide institution of growth and connection, spawning branches, impacting countless lives, and building a bridge between observant and unaffiliated Jews through education, compassion, and authenticity.

But, Rabbi Fried’s influence cannot be contained by any one institution. He is a teacher in the truest sense of the word, having personally taught thousands of men and women from all backgrounds—whether through formal shiurim, casual conversations, campus classes, or late-night learning sessions. His clarity, warmth, and unwavering devotion to truth made Torah accessible and alive for generations of Dallas Jews.

In addition to his work as an educator, poseik, author of acclaimed seforim, and communal leader, Rabbi Fried served with integrity and sensitivity as the Av Beis Din for Geirus in Dallas. Through this role, he shepherded countless individuals through the sacred process of converting to Judaism according to halacha. Every geirus case was approached not just with halachic precision, but with deep humanity and care, creating Jewish lives rooted in truth and nurtured with love.

As the Frieds prepare to establish Kollel Ohr HaShemesh in Ramat Beit Shemesh—a city burgeoning with young families and spiritual opportunity—they carry with them the light they ignited here in Dallas. Their departure is not a farewell, but a sending forth. The seeds planted here will continue to flourish, and the new seeds they plant in Eretz Yisroel will be nurtured by the same dedication that defined their years in our midst.

To Rabbi and Rebbetzin Fried: Your legacy is not in buildings or titles, but in the thousands of lives you’ve touched, the minds you’ve shaped, and the souls you’ve inspired. May Ohr HaShemesh shine brightly, and may you continue to illuminate the world with the light of Torah.

With deep gratitude and love,

Yaakov & Susan Rich