Bedarchei Hatorah Winter2015

WINTER 5775/2015 // NO. 36

Mr. and Mrs. Yumi KleinbartHAKORAS HATOV AWARD

Rabbi & Mrs. Moshe LubartHARBOTZAS TORAH AWARD

Mr. and Mrs. Yossi PreiserowiczALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

The Mesivta Chaim Shlomo Class of 2000CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

Mr. and Mrs. Yoav TaubGUESTS OF HONOR

Mr. and Mrs. Eytan FeldmanPARENTS OF THE YEAR

DINNER PREVIEW Celebrating 42 Years of Chinuch with Heart

VKHKU ONUHTHE 24/7 MESIVTAA Visit to Mesivta Chaim Shlomo, where a Bachurs Opportunities for Growth are Limitless

DIVISIONSPreschoolElementary SchoolJunior High School and MechinaRabenstein Learning CenterMesivta Chaim Shlomo The Maurice & Edith Lowinger Mesivta High SchoolWeiss Vocational CenterBeis Medrash Heichal DovidKollel Tirtza Devorah

SUMMER PROGRAMSSimcha Day CampMesivta/Beis Medrash Learning Camp Upstate N.Y.Machaneh Hakayitz

GEMILAS CHESEDY.D.T. Rabbis Special FundTomchei Torah Interest-Free Loan Fund

OTHER PROGRAMSAlumni AssociationWeiss Institute for Continuing EducationPublicationsCommunity Housing Initiative

AFFILIATESAlumni Night Kollel JerusalemAlumni Night Kollel Lakewood, N.J.Yeshiva Ohr Yehuda Lakewood, N.J.

Yeshiva Darchei TorahBuilding Worlds

BEDARCHEIHATORAH News from Yeshiva Darchei Torah

3 FromtheRoshHaYeshiva4 DinnerPreview8 Highlights18 Preschool22 ElementarySchool

28 JuniorHighSchool33 MesivtaChaimShlomo44 AlumniReport48 BeisMedrashHeichalDovid51 Tribute:RavZalmonMalinowitzztl

44

30 21

Inthisissue...

This publication contains words of Torah. Please treat it accordingly.

2 Bedarchei Hatorah d Winter 5775/2015

YESHIVA DARCHEI TORAHYaakov and Ilana Melohn CampusIn Memory of Reb Yosef Melohn

257 Beach 17th Street Far Rockaway, NY 11691

(718) 868-2300

Rabbi Yaakov Bender ROSH HAYESHIVA

Rabbi Moshe Bender ASSOCIATE DEAN

Rabbi Yehuda Harbater EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Rabbi Zev Bald DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Rabbi Baruch Rothman DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

Rabbi Avraham SchachnerCONTROLLER

Rabbi Pinkus MayerDIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS

Rabbi Moshe Benoliel DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AFFAIRS

PRESCHOOLDr. Wendy Devorah Gerson DIRECTOR

Mrs. Yocheved BenderMrs. Rachel BrierMrs. Esti FeuerASSISTANT DIRECTORS

ELEMENTARY/JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLRabbi Dovid FrischmanRabbi Dovid LanRabbi Dovid MorgensternRabbi Rephael Skaist Rabbi Shmuel StrickmanMENAHELIM

Rabbi Avrohom BenderSGAN MENAHEL

Rabbi Yitzchok BrailofskyDr. Yitzchak GoldbergMrs. Ariella KelmanMrs. Sara Malka KrasnowRabbi Dovid PresserPRINCIPALS

MESIVTA CHAIM SHLOMOMaurice & Edith Lowinger Mesivta High School

Rabbi Zevi Trenk Rabbi Avrohom Nusbaum MENAHELIM

Rabbi Dov Keilson MASHGIACH RUCHANI

Rabbi Yisroel Feder MASHPIA

Rabbi Menachem Gold Rabbi Shimon Dachs PRINCIPALS

BEIS MEDRASH HEICHAL DOVIDRabbi Shlomo Avigdor Altusky ROSH YESHIVA

KOLLEL TIRTZA DEVORAHRabbi Dovid Bender ROSH KOLLEL

RABENSTEIN LEARNING CENTERMrs. Jill Kay DIRECTOR

WEISS VOCATIONAL CENTER Rabbi Shimon Dachs DIRECTOR

SIMCHA DAY CAMPRabbi Shimon Dachs DIRECTOR

MACHANEH HAKAYITZRabbi Eliezer AmentRabbi Eliezer Selengut DIRECTORS

Ronald LowingerPRESIDENT

BOARD OF TRUSTEESLloyd KeilsonMotty KleinCO-CHAIRMEN

Alex EdelmanShimon PluchenikMorris Smith

BOARD OF DIRECTORSElisha BrecherAron Solomon CO-CHAIRMEN

Dovid BloomEli BobkerDovid BrecherMottie DrillmanShamshy EisenbergerMichael FraginShlomo JacobowitzMenachem LieberBen LowingerMenachem MarxAdam MirzoeffMenash OratzAroni ParnesDovid ScharfYoav TaubEly TendlerAvi WeinstockDov Weinstock

EXECUTIVE BOARDMoshe BloomBerel DaskalUri DreifusYoily EdelsteinEytan FeldmanGadi FuchsAlon GoldbergerCarmi GruenbaumTzvi KeilsonYair KeilsonDuvi KleinUshi KleinYosef LowingerMatis ManelaMoshe MendlowitzHillel MoermanEphram OstreicherChaim SchulhofShlomo Weiss

BEDARCHEI HATORAH

Rabbi Moshe BenolielEDITOR IN CHIEF

Rabbi Yehudah Leib GordonCOPY EDITOR

Debbie MaimonCONTRIBUTING EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPHY Dov Berg, Yonah Carrey, Tsemach Glenn, Naftoli Goldgrab, Meir Haltovsky, Yoel Hecht

DESIGNDavid Benoliel

PUBLISHED BYThe Yeshiva Darchei Torah Office of Communications & Alumni Affairs257 Beach 17 Street, Far Rockaway, NY 11691718-868-2300 ext. [email protected]

Bedarchei Hatorah d Winter 5775/2015 3

On Shemini Atzeres we recite Tefillas Geshem, asking Hashem

for a year of bountiful rain. We invoke the zchus of our forefathers,

including Yaakov Avinu, whom we describe, among other things, as the one

ohn rtc hpn ict kdu ck sjh

whodedicatedhisheartandrolledastonefromthemouthofawellofwater.

The author of this piyut is referring to the events found in Parshas Vayeitzei, when Yaakov, heeding his parents instructions to look for a wife in Padan-Aram, arrived at the well and saw shepherds gathered there with their flocks. When Yaakov asked the shepherds why they were not giving their flocks to drink, they responded that they were waiting for the rest of the herdsmen to arrive so that they could jointly remove a heavy boulder that was blocking the mouth of the well.

Just then, Yaakov saw his future wife, Rochel, arriving with the sheep of her father, Lavan. Yaakov approached the well, rolled the stone off by himself, and watered Lavans sheep.

Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz ztl asks: why in TefillasGeshem do we refer to Yaakovs dedica-tionofhisheartin rolling off the stone? It took physical strength to accomplish what he did what does it have to do with his heart?

His answer is a yesod, a fundamental principle in Torah hashkafa, and indeed, human psychology: when a person focuses his mental energies what the Torah calls the heart on a task, he can develop a surge of energy way beyond his normal abilities, and nothing can stand in his way. No obstacle or burden can prevent a person who has his mind set on accomplishing a goal.

At Yeshiva Darchei Torah, this is a guiding principle for our rabbeim, moros and teach-ers and most of all, for our talmidim. The educators imbue their young charges with this approach to life and learning to concentrate ones will and mind to the task at hand, whether in Chumash, Gemara or in General Studies. These mechanchim lead by example, as they invest their own hearts and souls into their teaching, and go above and beyond the call of duty in ensuring that they reach each and every talmid.

This is true Chinuch with Heart,the theme of this years dinner campaign, and we are so fortunate to be blessed with educators who personify it in every way.

Rabbi Yaakov Bender

From the Rosh HaYeshiva


Yeshiva Darchei Torahs42nd Annual DinnerSunday, January 11, 2015 At the Yeshiva

C cEach year we confer awards on outstanding members from the Yeshiva community and beyond.

To place an advertisement in our annual journal, or for more information, please call the Dinner Desk at 718.868.2300 ext. 237 or email [email protected].

Mr. and Mrs. Yoav TaubGUESTS OF HONOR

Y oav and Shari Taub, devoted par-ents and supporters of Yeshiva Darchei Torah, have a long and rich history of askanus in the Far Rockaway/Lawrence community.

In 2000, Yoav was a founding member of what is now the Yeshivas Board of Directors. The formation of the board came at a critical time in the Yeshivas history. Student enrollment was growing at an unprecedented pace and the need for a new, larger build-ing was first coming into focus. Yoav and his colleagues, a cohesive group of young fathers, rose to the chal-lenge and helped set the Yeshiva on the course that it is on today.

Shari was born into a family of pio-neers in communal leadership. Her par-ents, Dovid and Krunchie Friedman, were among the earliest supporters and lay leaders of Yeshiva Darchei Torah

in the early 1970s, back when it was a fledgling institution, and remain involved today. Her brothers were talmidim of the Yeshiva, and involve-ment in Yeshiva Darchei Torah was very much a family affair. In addition, her maternal grandfather, Louis Newman, ah, was one of the first frum Jews to move with his family to Far Rockaway, where he left his imprint on numer-ous community institutions, from the White Shul to Torah Academy for Girls (TAG) both of which he served with distinction as president.

Yoav, son of Shlomo ah and yblc Chani Taub, was raised in Kew Gardens Hills, and is an alumnus of Yeshiva Tiferes Moshe, Ner Israel and Mir Yerushalayim. He holds an MBA from New York University and has been in the diamond business for the last 18 years.

Shortly after their marriage, the Taubs settled in Lawrence, and they were eventually followed by his broth-ers J.J. and Moshe, as well as his sister, Avigayil Stoll. Together the extended Taub family soon made its mark on the Five Towns, with its energetic support of Torah causes and communal mosdos.

Yoav and Shari daven and are highly active at Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid in Lawrence, which they

describe as a very central part of our lives, with Yoav serving as gabbai and maintaining his daily morning and eve-ning learning sedarim there. Whatever good we have accomplished has been through the shul, he says.

The Taubs are very proud of their sons Volvi, an alumnus; and Avigdor, a current talmid; both were talmidim of Yeshiva Darchei Torah since early elementary school. The way my sons have progressed in their learning has amazed me, Yoav relates. Theyve far surpassed me already. After hear-ing one of his sons give a chaburah last year at the Yeshiva, I was literally floored. He is gratified that each one of his siblings also has children learn-ing at Yeshiva Darchei Torah and gain-ing from its unique brand of chinuch.

Yoav lauds the extraordinary bein adam lachaveiro exhibited by the Yeshivas talmidim. To see how the boys relate to each other, without bickering, with a certain maturity its very impressive. He attributes the Yeshivas success to its Hanhala and to the warm and personal environ-ment that they have created. To have such a large yeshiva that has 2,000 students yet is so warm is a dichotomy yet it exists so perfectly. That fosters great talmidim.

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Y ossi Kleinbart is now in his fourth fruitful year as a talmid of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo, and his parents, Yumi and Chavi Kleinbart, are full of gratitude to the Yeshiva not only for the chinuch their son is receiv-ing, but also for the manner in which he is receiving it. The rabbeim and staff have love and affection for every single talmid and for their parents,

Yumi says. These feelings of gratitude are mutual, as Yeshiva Darchei Torah is privileged to count the Kleinbarts among its devoted supporters for sev-eral years now.

The Kleinbarts are residents of Borough Park, where they are renowned for their deep involvement in the world of chesed. It is not uncom-mon for Yumis cellphone to ring in the

E ytan and Aliza Feldman of Woodmere are the proud par-ents of Akiva, a third grader at Yeshiva Darchei Torah, and four daughters. Eytan is a managing direc-tor and partner at Old City Investment Partners. Aliza, nee Schumsky, is an occupational therapist and focuses on early intervention for children under the age of three as well as a supervisor of other therapists.

In October 2013, Eytan agreed to serve on the Executive Board of the Yeshiva and has quickly assumed an active role in addressing its fiscal health and assessing its current and future capital and operational needs. He is also a committed member of the board of the Yeshiva Gedolah of the Five Towns, where he davens and learns daily.

Eytan has always felt a sense of achrayus to the Klal, which he attri-butes to two primary role models. The first is his father, Norman Feldman, who together with his mother, Nedra, instilled this sense of responsibility in their son. His father was in charge of the eruv of the Oceanside community, where they lived. Many a Friday after-noon saw the elder Mr. Feldman fixing downed portions of the eruv usually with Eytan in tow. Around thirty years ago, his father ran the annual bazaar of the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (HALB), and it became a Feldman fam-ily affair, from preparing the cotton candy to other aspects of the fundrais-ing event. These examples instilled in Eytan that it is not only important to be involved in Klal functions, but to take an active leadership role as well.

In addition, during the three years that Eytan spent learning at Ner Israel in Baltimore, he developed a close rela-tionship with its legendary president, Rabbi Herman (Naftoli) Neuberger, ztl. Thats what he was all about: achrayus for the Jewish people, Eytan recalls. He was a real leader. Watching him, I developed a greater sense of the importance of being involved and showing your support for Torah insti-

tutions. While at Ner Israel, Eytan learned under Rav Zvi Berkowitz, shlita, with whom he remains close until today. He also studied in kollel at Yeshiva Shaar Hatorah-Grodno in Kew Gardens, and earned a MBA in Finance from Fordham University.

Eytan Feldman is effusive in describing his and his wifes experi-ence at Yeshiva Darchei Torah. Akiva loves Darchei. He loves everything about it. He loves his rabbeim, he loves his teachers, he loves his friends, he loves being there. Theres noth-ing about school that he doesnt like. And I can attest that his friends from the neighborhood feel the same way. I cant imagine a more ideal situation.

Serving on the Executive Board, Eytan reflects on what he has gleaned from his inside vantage point. Rabbi Bender is well-known for his leader-ship. But one thing that you see when watching him is the love that he exudes. For a person whos been in this posi-tion for over 30 years you would think that at some point it would become routine. On the contrary, you can see that the concern and care that he puts in has truly not abated. I am amazed at the scope of the Yeshiva and how he is able to accomplish so much.

Mr. and Mrs. Eytan FeldmanPARENTS OF THE YEAR

Mr. and Mrs. Yumi Kleinbart HAKORAS HATOV AWARD

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R av Moshe Lubart has been teaching at the Yeshiva for over 20 years, first as a Limudei Kodesh rebbi and now as a rebbi in the Rabenstein Learning Center and, concurrently, as an instructor at the Weiss Vocational Center.

At the Rabenstein Learning Center, Rav Lubart provides remedial help to sixth grade talmidim, helping them hone their Gemara skills and enabling them to keep pace with the other boys in their class. He devel-oped several original creative tech-niques that he utilizes in this task and has helped numerous talmidim over the years to read and comprehend Gemara accurately and fluently.

At the Weiss Vocational Center, a trailblazing program for a select group of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo bachurim, Rav Lubart teaches plumbing, tiling and electrical wiring, allowing these

talmidim to spend a portion of their afternoons learning trades that they can potentially use for parnassah one day. I get a tremendous sipuk when I give over something that talmidim are really interested in, Rav Lubart explains, and they come away with very valuable skills. Its an enjoyable thing to do. The boys are enthusias-tic, as am I. Countless alumni of the program can credit Rav Lubart and his colleagues with equipping them with the tools and know-how to earn a respectable livelihood and he derives satisfaction when meeting them long after theyve left the Yeshiva.

Rav Moshe Lubart, a Gerrer chossid, lives with his wife and family in the Kensington section of Brooklyn. He was raised in Williamsburg and learned at Mesivta Torah Vodaas and at the Gerrer Yeshiva Sfas Emes in Yerushalayim. His father, Rav Mordechai Yehuda Lubart, ztl, was an alumnus of the famed Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin in Poland and a tre-mendous talmid chacham and marb-itz Torah, and his mother, Rebbetzin Chana Lubart, a noted mechaneches, was a veteran principal at Beis Yaakov in Borough Park. Rav Moshes wife, Raizy, teaches at Bnos Leah-Prospect

Park Yeshiva, and is a daughter of Rav Shaya and yblc Hindy Moseson, aleha hashalom. Rav Moseson is also a marbitz Torah, having been a rebbi for many years at Yeshiva Chasan Sofer in Borough Park.

Serving at Yeshiva Darchei Torah for two decades, Rav Lubart com-ments about the changes that have taken place over this period. The only thing that changed is size and numbers, he insists. But the dedica-tion and the varemkeit and the caring for every talmid are exactly the same as when we were in the old build-ing with many fewer talmidim. It is the personal touch of Rabbi Bender and the mechanchim of all the vari-ous departments they have a very warm, personal care and concern for every talmid, and it is very visible. We grew by leaps and bounds, and there are a lot of physical changes, Baruch Hashem, but its the same yeshiva, with a wonderful atmosphere of simcha and optimism. Rabbi Bender radiates that hope and positivity and it spreads from the top down. Hes also willing to try out new programs to help the boys learn and achieve, and the Vocational Center is a prime example of that.

middle of the night summoning him to perform chesed in challenging circum-stances. When a patient with a life-threatening condition needs an urgent appointment with a top specialist, they will often call Yumi, who will quickly and quietly take action.

Yumi is the proprietor of B & B Party Rental, a company that has enhanced countless events through-out the tri-state area since its incep-tion in 1997. He serves as the gabbai

at Khal Mateh Efraim, Rav Chaim Steinwurtzels shul, and maintains a strong relationship with his rosh yeshiva, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlita, of the Slabodka Yeshiva of Bnei Brak.

Chavi, nee Schnurmann, who hails from Montevideo, Uruguay, is a full partner in all of her husbands work for the Klal and runs a home that is a hub of hachnosas orchim. The Kleinbarts are keen on transmitting their pas-

sion for chesed to their children. One example of many occurs every Shabbos morning, when Yumi and Yossi, the Mesivta Chaim Shlomo talmid, can be found walking the halls of Brooklyns Maimonides Medical Center together, distributing cake and coffee to patients and their visiting families. With actions that speak louder than words, the Kleinbarts are raising doros yesharim that will surely continue to bring nachas to them and to Klal Yisroel.

42nd Annual Dinner

Rabbi & Mrs. Moshe LubartHARBOTZAS TORAH AWARDIN RECOGNITION OF HIS TIRELESS DEVOTION TO THE TALMIDIM OF THE RABENSTEIN LEARNING CENTER & WEISS VOCATIONAL CENTER

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Y eshiva Darchei Torah is proud to pay tribute to the second gradu-ating class of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo, the Maurice and Edith Lowinger Mesivta High School, which was founded in 1995. Until that year the Yeshiva ended at the Eighth Grade. The establishment of the Mesivta and subsequently, Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid signifi-cantly expanded the Yeshivas scope and impact in Harbotzas Torah.

The parents and talmidim of the

class of 2000 took a leap of faith in a barely-tested mesivta. Under the car-ing leadership of devoted rabbeim, teachers and Hanhala, those talmi-dim succeeded over the ensuing four years in developing not only their own learning skills, middos and hashkafa, but also the foundation of what has truly become one of the great yeshivos of North America.

Fifteen years after graduation and nearly two decades after they first entered the ninth grade, the mem-

bers of the class live in diverse geo-graphic locations, from Yerushalayim to Buffalo, and spend their days in fields that run the gamut from kollel to finance to law. Many have settled in the Far Rockaway and Five Towns area and have children of their own in the Yeshiva. The common denomina-tor shared by each member of the class is that he exhibits the Torah and values gained during his years at the Yeshiva and continues to be Mekadesh Shem Shamayim in all of his endeavors. f

42nd Annual Dinner

Mr. and Mrs. Yossi PreiserowiczALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

The Mesivta Chaim Shlomo Class of 2000CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

Y ossi Preiserowicz is a member of the Mesivta Chaim Shlomo class of 2000, where one of his closest friends was Chaim Shlomo Lowinger, in whose honor the Mesivta is named. Yossi maintained a strong connection with the

Yeshiva and his rabbeim long after grad-uation, returning for daily sedarim with the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, for several years.

In 2008, Yossi agreed to serve as one of the founding members of the Yeshiva Darchei Torah Alumni Committee. In the ensuing years, Yossi and his fellow committee mem-bers have developed numerous proj-ects that have provided extraordinary mutual benefit to the Yeshiva and to the alumni including regular shi-urim, well-attended reunions, the establishment of an Alumni Shadchan Network, several successful fundrais-

ing campaigns for the Yeshiva itself and a fund for needy alumni, among other initiatives.

Raised in Flatbush, Yossi is mar-ried to Gitty, nee Halpert, and they live in the Monsey area, where she grew up. They daven at Shaarei Tefilla of New Hempstead, which is under the leadership of Rabbi Avrohom S. Neuberger, and their son attends the Yeshiva of Spring Valley. Yossi is a senior vice president at Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, a real estate investment firm based in New York City with properties throughout the United States, Canada and England.

Raphael AranovYehudah BajnonBoruch Ber BenderYehoshua BleibergShimon Leib CohenMati DiamondYacov Asher EngelMoshe FeigenbaumDaniel FleisherShmuel FreundFeivel Reuven GanelesYosef GoldbergYehudah GreenbergMoshe Chaim HorowitzOrrin Jaroslawicz

Boruch Binyomin KitayAvi KornYeshaya KrausEli LangerBenzion LichtmanMordechai LieberShaya LieberShmuel LiebsterChaim Shlomo LowingerShaya MarkovitsChesky NewmanMordechai PluchenikChaim PlumerYossi PreiserowiczAlter Reich

Mordechai RosenZeev RosenfeldEzra RosnerYitzchok RothmanYehuda RuzohorskyAvrohom SchustalAron SchwedYitzchok ShanikMeir ShermanMoshe TeichYonah TuskEliezer B. WeinrebZevi WolffIlan Wunsch

A partial view of the class of 2000 at their graduation

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HIGHLIGHTS

RAV CHAIM ALTUSKY serves as the second-seder rosh chaburah for Kollel Tirtza Devorah. He studied under his father, the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, when the lat-ter led Yeshiva Gedolah Merkaz Hatorah of Montreal, and later learned at the Yeshiva Gedolah of Paterson and Yeshivas Brisk. For the last twelve years he was at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey.

The newest first grade rebbi is RAV SHLOMO REISMAN. After learning at Brooklyns Yeshiva Torah Temimah, Rav Reisman learned for two years at Mir Yerushalayim and six years at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, where he devel-oped a close kesher with roshei yeshiva Rav Yeruchim Olshin and Rav Dovid Schustal. He was a founding member of the Kollel in Sydney, Australia, and holds a Masters degree in Special Education. Before coming to Darchei Torah, he taught for five years at Ichud Mosdos Hachinuch in Brooklyn.

RAV NACHUM NACHUMSON, our new second grade rebbi, is an alumnus of Yeshiva Derech Chaim in Brooklyn and served in a variety of teaching positions before coming to Yeshiva Darchei Torah.

RAV SHALOM ROSEN is a new fourth grade rebbi. An alumnus of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo and Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid, Rav Rosen then studied at Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim and Kollel Tirtza Devorah. He is also a graduate of Rav Yoel Kramers Merkaz for Teacher Training.

RAV AVROHOM WACHSMAN gives two afternoon shiurim at Mesivta Chaim Shlomo, one to eleventh graders and one to twelfth graders. His predecessor was Rav Zalmon Malinowitz, ztl, who was niftar this sum-mer. Rav Wachsman, who was a talmid at Yeshiva Darchei Torah from Kindergarten through Beis Medrash, was privileged to be a talmid in Rav Malinowitzs very first shiur. After Yeshiva Darchei Torah he learned at the Yeshiva Gedolah of Paterson and at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood; in Yerushalayim he studied at Yeshivas Ner Moshe, under Rav Asher Arieli at Yeshivas Mir, at the Chevron Yeshiva and at Pachad Yitzchok.

RAV JONIE SARF is an alumnus of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo, Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid and Kollel Tirtza Devorah. He also studied at Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim and is a graduate of Rav Yoel Kramers Merkaz for Teacher Training. He teaches the second grade.

6 Distinguished Rabbeim Join FacultyTo meet the growing needs of a growing student body,

Yeshiva Darchei Torah welcomed six new rabbeim this year, including three alumni of the Yeshiva.


Returning Tests Each Week, Rosh HaYeshiva Encourages Talmidims Growth

Every Tuesday, Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva, visits each class from grades six through twelve. Sitting next to the rebbi, the Rosh HaYeshiva returns each test paper, already marked by the rebbi, to each individual talmid, using the opportunity to offer encouragement to each one and stay abreast of their progress. For a test with an exceptionally high score or that reflects significant progress since the last exam, the Rosh HaYeshiva will often insist that the talmid proceed immediately to the Yeshiva office to fax or email the document to his parents often interrupting a parents otherwise challeng-ing workday with an unexpected message of nachas from their beloved son.

New Security Enhancements Respond to a Changing World

W ith terrorist attacks around the world, including North America, dominating the news in recent years, the Yeshiva has taken steps to significantly upgrade its already robust security system and procedures. These actions have been overseen by Harvey Gordon, the Yeshivas direc-tor of safety and security. In addition, a series of intensive drills were recently conducted simultaneously across the entire Yeshiva campus.

While we daven daily for Siyata DiShmaya and Heavenly protection, explains Rabbi Baruch Rothman, direc-tor of institutional advancement, we are also required to remain vigilant and to protect our precious talmidim to the best of our ability.

For Rosh Chodesh, Enhanced TefillahEvery Rosh Chodesh at the Junior High School morning minyan, the talmidim are privileged to be led by a talented chazzan or baal tefillah. The davening on this spe-cial day is thus immeasurably enhanced. Pictured: Mr. Moshe Plaut, a Yeshiva grandfather.

A Momentous Siyum

Rav Binyomin Wielgus, an eighth grade rebbi in the Yeshiva, celebrated his culmination of a ten-year journey through Shas with a festive siyum that was emotional, inspiring and joyous and attended by community rabbonim, fellow rabbeim, talmidim, relatives and friends.


All WinnersAs part of the Yeshivas highly successful Parsha Program (fea-tured in our last issue), third, fourth and fifth grade talmidim were tested on their proficiency in Chumash Shemos. Based on their scores, they were given tickets to a series of raffles

which were held with great fanfare at a special assembly in the Diamond Bais Medrash. Some won prizes; some did not. All,

however, gained something more precious than any of the prizes: a comprehensive knowledge of so many parshios haTorah.

Rav Dovid Morgenstern, Upper Elementary School menahel (right) and Rav Ephraim Seidenfeld, fourth grade rebbi, with Tzvi Soffer, one of the winners of the Parsha Program raffles

Inspiration from the Rosh YeshivaThe Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, speaks at an assembly of the first and second grades in the Diamond Bais Medrash.

Hadran AlachA siyum was held on Seder Nashim of Shas Bavli at Mesivta Chaim Shlomo in conjunction with the yahrtzeit of Maurice Lowinger ah, father of the Yeshivas president, Mr. Ronald Lowinger.

Dr. Yakov Lowinger, a grandson of Maurice Lowinger, ah

HIGHLIGHTS


Middos Mission Off to a Great Start

T he Yeshivas remarkable Middos Mission project, profiled in our last issue, has been reintroduced this year both to the first grade talmidim, who are experiencing it for the very first time, and to the second grade talmidim, who are participating in an enhanced version that builds on what they accom-plished last year. The program uses exciting and innovative programs, incen-tives and events throughout the year to inculcate several select middos in the hearts and minds of the talmidim.

Lag Baomer on CampusThe yahrtzeit of Rabi Shimon bar Yochai was commemorated with the traditional medurah, bonfire, representing the fire of Torah. Rabbeim led their talmidim in song and dance in honor of this special day.

At a special event for the talmidim as they marked a milestone in the Middos

Mission program Heroism and HistoryDr. Asher Mansdorf, a dedicated activist in the Five Towns community, shared his late fathers incredible expe-riences during the Holocaust with the talmidim of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo at a special assembly that was held several weeks after his fathers petirah.


HIGHLIGHTS

39 Melachos Event Caps a Year of Learning and Excitement

T he Yeshivas trailblazing 39 Melachos program in the Second Grade, featured extensively in our last issue, culminated at the end of the recent school year with a special event in the Diamond Bais Medrash. Parents and grandparents witnessed a remarkable presentation by the talmidim and rabbeim about the 39 Melachos of Shabbos, which form the foundation of all Hilchos Shabbos. With

music, stirring song, an original and stunning video (starring each and every boy) and handmade posters, the boys dem-onstrated not only their proficiency in the halachos but their enthusiasm for learning as well. Each boy was presented by Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva with Feldheims beau-tiful large-format childrens book on the 39 Melachos as a memento of their magnificent achievements.

Graduation TripThe graduates of the Junior High School/Mechina were treated to special trip in June: an enjoyable day of rafting down the scenic Delaware River.

Rav Shmuel Strickman, menahel of the Lower Elementary School, speaks at the event

One of the many original posters created by the talmidim

The Rosh HaYeshiva presented each talmid with a full-color illustrated book on the 39 Melachos

Fifth Grade Visits Philadelphia Talmidim in Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated and adopted.


Bachurim Use Summer Break to Inspire CommunitiesContinuing a tradition begun over a decade ago, talmidim and alumni of Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid spent a large portion of their summer bein hazmanim learning with Jews and enhancing the Torah spirit in five American communi-ties: Bellaire, Texas; Los Angeles; Boca Raton; Miami and Memphis. Most of the programs were conducted under the auspices of Torah Umesorahs Project SEED.

Hero of Shmittah Inspires TalmidimIn Elul, the boys in grades 4-7 were privileged to see and hear a firsthand account from one of the nearly 3,000 Shmittah-observant farmers in Eretz Yisrael, Baruch Adiri. Baruch recounted, in English, how he will be observing Shmittah for the fifth time this coming year, willingly aban-doning a great percentage of his livelihood for the sake of keeping the mitzvah of Shviis. Baruch cultivates olive groves, wheat and barley, and raises goat and sheep.

He also described the many miracles he has personally experienced in a variety of settings in witnessing the abun-dance promised by the Torah in advance of Shviis material-ize, in the recent rain of rockets from Gaza, and in his own battles on the front lines of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

E ach year, the Eighth graders are involved in a project called Adopt A Survivor. The talmidim interview Holocaust survivors with the purpose of committing themselves to telling over each survivors story and the larger narrative of the Holocaust until at least 2045.

In their public presentation to parents and grand-

parents, the talmidim utilized PowerPoint slides to retell the personal histories of five survivors. The talmidim also created their own museum that included artifacts from the Holocaust and original, three-dimensional projects featuring their own interpretations of events and themes from the survivors lives. It was a deeply moving and memorable event.

Mr. Irving Roth, founder of Adopt A Survivor, tells his personal Holocaust story to the talmidim

Yosef Karmelys original project Meir Yehuda Fink describes his original project

Boys Present Survivors Stories and Pledge to Perpetuate Them

Israeli farmer Baruch Adiri in discussion with rabbeim and talmidim after the second of two consecutive speeches at the Yeshiva.

Darchei Torah talmidim with community members in Bellaire, Texas

Yossi Herskovitz helps his

long-lost cousin, Sanford Herskovitz,

don Tefillin in Bellaire, Texas


Community Tisha BAv Program Inspires Hundreds

An immense crowd of men, women and children gathered at Yeshiva Darchei Torah on Tisha BAv for a special Kinos program arranged by the Yeshiva in conjunction with the Achiezer Community Resource Center.

The program included the recitation of the tradi-tional Kinos interspersed with inspirational addresses from talmidei chachamim and speakers of international renown. Sitting on the floor and mourning the destruc-tion of the Beis Hamikash nearly two thousand years ago, the assembled were treated to thought-provoking messages of self-improvement and understanding the

current challenges facing the Jewish people in the larger context of the bitter galus.

The speakers were, in order of their appearance: Rabbi Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid; Rabbi Noach Orlowek, mashgiach ruchani of Yeshiva Torah Ore of Jerusalem; Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn, the acclaimed author and lecturer; Rabbi Zevi Trenk, menahel of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo; and Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser, rav of Khal Beis Yitzchak in Brooklyn, New York. For audio of the speeches, please send an email to [email protected]

Measuring the Teivah

During the week of Parshas Noach, Rabbi Avrohom Taub utilized a simple but brilliant method to enable his third grade talmidim to visualize the size of the Teivah, which was 300 amos long. He took the boys outside, and using string, helped them measure out the length of 600 feet the equivalent of 300 amos according to some shitos and it stretched from the preschool fence at the edge of the new complex all the way to the security booth outside Mesivta Chaim Shlomo! Instead of relying on the talmidims imagination in picturing how long and wide the Teivah was, Rabbi Taub explains, we went outside and got a hands-on feel for it ourselves.

Rabbi Taub also illustrated the height of the Teivah by pointing out that it was approximately six stories tall, while the Heichal Shlomo building, where the third grade learns, is four stories high. The boys undoubtedly came away from the experience with a deeper understanding of the Parsha.

Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky Rav Noach Orlowek

Rav Paysach J. Krohn Rav Zevi Trenk Rav Dovid Goldwasser

HIGHLIGHTS


As the high cost of tuition continues to be a topic of discussion throughout the Jewish community, RABBI YEHUDA HARBATER, the Yeshivas point man on the issue, offers an inside view and shatters some mythsHe has one of the most important jobs in the Yeshiva, and one of the most difficult. As executive direc-tor of Yeshiva Darchei Torah, Rabbi Yehuda Harbater has the formidable responsibility of ensuring that tuition is fairly charged to and collected from the parents of all talmidim, from Preschool through Beis Medrash, enabling the Yeshiva to remain financially sound.

Mention the word tuition to a yeshiva or day school parent in any community and you will often get a negative reaction. Tuition is high, it is an increasingly heavy burden even on families with high incomes, and the process by which it is set is often misunderstood. To dispel some of the misconceptions about tuition, explain what the Yeshiva is doing to help parents and to offer his perspective on how to make things better, Rabbi Harbater agreed to a wide-ranging interview that is both fascinating and instructive.

FACT OR FICTION: THOSE WHOPAY FULL TUITION ARE SUBSIDIZINGTHOSE WHO RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIPASSISTANCE?

The premise of your question is mistaken. Lets talk about the way things should be. Ideally there should be no such thing as tuition parents should not be charged a fee for the education of their children. Schools are institutions of a city, of a commu-nity, and as such should be supported by that city or community, just as it is in the wider society: If you are a landowner in a particular place, you need to support its sidewalks,

WERE IN THISTogether

INTERVIEW


its sanitation department, its police department, and its schools. A school is part of what a municipality or community provides for its citizens. Thats also how it works according to the Shulchan Aruch. The yeshivos are supposed to be paid for by a tax on the members of the community. Once its a tax, then there are various guidelines: income considerations, who is exempt, etc. Today we do not

have a community structure with taxing authority, so were not doing it the right way. But we still have to provide a chinuch for all of our communitys children. So what do we have now? We dont have a com-munity of residents or landowners; we have the smaller community of parents. Were limited to that pool of people when it comes to funding our mosad. And there arent enough

to make it work.Its very important to remember

that parents are not buying items and putting them in their shopping cart. My kid did not use this particu-lar service today so Im not paying for it, or my son does not need Resource Room help so Im not pay-ing for that. Were part of a commu-nity, of a cooperative venture. We all have to make it work. When you pay

tuition youre paying your dues to the cooperative; youre not paying for someone elses child. We charge cer-tain people less because they simply cant pay more. But its not that theres a cost for my child and if I pay more Im paying for someone elses child. Theres a cumulative amount that the cooperative needs to cover, and everybody has their share.

WHO SETS THE TUITION RATE?

The Yeshivas executive board does a careful and detailed analysis of the previous years financial picture and the outlook for the future and takes into consideration a whole host of other issues. After much back and forth the board decides if a raise in tuition is warranted, and to what degree. Yet, in the end, there is invari-ably a large deficit that falls on the Yeshivas fundraisers to cover.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS BY WHICHTHE PARENTS WHO CANNOT AFFORDTHE FULL AMOUNT ARE GIVEN SCHOLARSHIP ASSISTANCE?

We have a tuition committee of several volunteer parents, from all income levels not all of them pay full tuition and all social strata, who meet at night throughout the spring and summer to review each case and deal with our parents challenging situations. People really arent making it. But we cant exempt them completely from tuition. So we seek information: information about income, expenses, assets, and whatever we need to determine what really is going on. They approach this task with the utmost seriousness, and everything is done with an airtight degree of confidentiality.

HOW DO YOU MINIMIZE THE DISCOMFORT FOR PARENTS WHO ARE ASKING FOR A BREAK?

We try mightily to avoid any direct confrontation or even interac-tion. The parents fill out an applica-tion which is reviewed in my office, one by one, by members of the tuition committee, who then come out with a proposed amount, which is sent back to the parents. Most of

The tuition committee approaches this task with the utmost seriousness, and everything is done

with an airtight degree of confidentiality.

INTERVIEW


the time, the parents accept it. Many times, they do not, and that starts another level of discussion.

There are schools that insist on an anonymous application where the committee doesnt know who is applying for help and they just see raw data. But from my perspec-tive, that doesnt work. Very often a committee members knowledge of the individuals in question inures to their benefit, more so than to the Yeshiva. They may be able to enlighten us, This person really needs help.

The tuition committee is not the Yeshivas posse that is out to catch the crooks. It is the advocate of the parents and the Yeshiva and must try to divide up the agony as equitably as possible, to put it one way.

Furthermore, the amount that we agree upon with the parents is not set in stone. If a parent loses employ-ment or is otherwise facing serious financial difficulty, we want them to contact us. We put them at ease and let them know that we will work with them until their circumstances improve. In the short term we may incur a loss, but its the right thing to do. And over the long term it only strengthens our relationship and trust with those parents.

WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE PARENT BODY IS ABLE TO PAY FULL TUITION?

About 40 percent.

WHAT DO YOU ASK OF THE PARENTS?

First of all, we realize that no one has it easy. Parents are sacri-ficing mightily to make ends meet

and pay tuition; often both parents are working full-time. I just want them to be straightforward tell me how it really is so that we can work together for the sake of your high-est priority, your sons chinuch. In addition, to work with each parent and come to a fair resolution takes a lot of time so please be responsive, and respond early. Dont wait for the last minute.

Keep in mind that there has to be a minimum tuition. Even in Lakewood, where a large percent-age of fathers are learning full-time, they have to pay a significant sum. The mosdos have no choice. Of course there are exceptions there are almonos, there are yesomim and a host of other, difficult situations, but otherwise almost everyone pays something.

IS SOMEONES ABILITY TO PAY TUITIONA FACTOR WHEN BEING ACCEPTED INTOTHE YESHIVA?

Absolutely not. Never. The educational department determines if the Yeshiva is a good fit for them. I do try to meet the new applicants when they come for their inter-view to put a face on it, to give them my card, to tell them Im here to help you; if you have any ques-tions, please call me but never to determine acceptance or otherwise. Weve never turned anyone down for financial reasons. If they are coming to us from another yeshiva we do make sure to get clearance from that yeshiva, to ensure that theyve settled their accounts before coming here.

HOW DID YOU END UP HERE?

It was 1985. I was in my

fourth year in kollel at the Denver Yeshiva when I met the ninth grade rebbi there, who told me that his friend Rabbi Bender was looking for an executive director for Yeshiva Darchei Torah. Now my rosh yeshiva, Rav Yisroel Meir Kagan, shlita, had told me that if something comes your way in terms of an employment opportunity, I should think about it. So I flew in, I met the board, and Ive been here ever since.

Interestingly, Rabbi Harbater has deep roots in Far Rockaway; he was born and raised here and his maternal grandfather, who had moved his young family to Far Rockaway in 1922, was one of the founders of the White Shul. Besides his years in Denver, he was also privileged to learn at Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim under Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz and Rav Nochum Partzovitz, zichronam livracha.

When I came to Yeshiva Darchei Torah there were 175 to 200 students; not every grade had two parallel classes. Initially my respon-sibilities were not limited to tuition; I was the chief cook and bottle-washer whether it was technology or fundraising. The growth of the Yeshiva necessitated that I focus com-pletely on tuition.

TO WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THIS AMAZING GROWTH?

Chesed. Chesed, chesed, chesed, chesed, chesed. The hatzlacha of the Yeshiva is limaalah miderech hateva because Rabbi Bender deals with people limaalah miderech hateva. Rabbi Bender is a baal chesed who has an innate understanding of what another person needs. That translates into chinuch as well. f

We realize that no one has it easy. Parents are sacrificing mightily to make ends meet and pay tuition. I just want them to be straightforward so that we can work together for the sake of your highest priority,

your sons chinuch.


PRESCHOOL

I (Truly) Did It All By Myself!

Self-Expression, Not Perfection, is Goal for Childrens Handiwork

W hen are we proudest of our pre-schoolers? When can we see the true measure of their emerg-ing skills and aptitudes? Most parents would agree they derive the most in-sight and nachas from their childs self-inspired, independent creations, be it a drawing, crafts project, baking ex-periment or other masterpiece.

A child, in turn, experiences im-mense validation in the work of his own little hands. He brings home his project with enormous pride, anticipat-ing his parents praise and pleasure in his accomplishments.

But this projection of a childs true ability and the childs own deli-cate self-esteem may at times be sacri-ficed on the altar of impressing parents with an image of perfection, notes Dr. Wendy Devorah Gerson, director of the Preschool.

It is often a challenge for teachers to quell the urge to correct and polish up the childrens projects before send-

ing them home, she says. The childs tree may look nothing like a tree, the person he drew may be missing arms, hands and feet his challah may look like a shapeless blob. A begin-ning teacher might feel that these less-than-perfect creations reflect poorly on her.

But the point is, we are not in-terested in the conventional concept of perfection here. We are concerned with a childs self-worth. That means respecting his self-expression.

It can be devastating to a child to see the project on which he lavished so much effort altered or redone to be more perfect, Dr. Gerson reflects. He can no longer own it. Its been taken away from him.

A fundamental understanding at Darchei Torahs Preschool is that a childs self-worth is a precious, delicate thing, she explains. We can so easily undermine it. Our job, on the contrary, is to nurture. f

Never a Dull MomentLearning is Always in Season at the Preschool

Talmidim received their very first siddur from the Rosh HaYeshiva

The Kindergarten enjoys a beautiful spring day at the Queens Botanical Gardens

Before Rosh Hashana the talmidim were visited by a beekeeper who taught them all about honey. What a great way to prepare for a sweet new year.

The Kindergarten talmidim celebrated their siyum on Alef-Beis with the letter

Tav, which stands for Torah! Pictured below: boys wearing

special Har Sinai hats in honor of

the occasion

Right before Shavuos, the Nursery talmidim were privileged to a unique experience provided by Rav Zevi Trenk, menahel of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo, who let them hold real Sifrei Neviim and to be called up for individual aliyos to a real Sefer Torah. Each boy was wrapped in a tallis as Rav Trenk showed him the letters that form his Hebrew name inside the Torah a wonderful experience com-ing just days before Zman Matan Toraseinu!

This boy looks all ready for the yomtov

of Sukkos, with his ver-sions of lulav and and

esrog in a special box

In honor of Parshas Noach, which describes the rescue of all animal species in the Teivah, the boys of the Yeshiva Darchei Torah preschool were visited by a petting zoo. The talmidim were able to pet, feed and, in some cases, even hold the animals!

A day of fun in conjunction with Lag Baomer

Rav Henoch Potash with his Pre-1A class at the Siddur Play



W alking into Yeshiva Darchei Torahs preschool, you feel it immediately. You are in a separate universe. It is not just the joy of learning bouncing off the walls, the sound of tefillah reverberating from a chorus of sweet, high-pitched voices, or the childrens paradise created by a massive jungle gym and other marvel-ous recreation equipment.

It is the climate of friendship, love and safety in which all of these activities are generated.

Nothing illustrates this more than the Friendship Program, a new initiative launched this year designed to give children the building blocks to initiate and maintain friendship. The program builds on the previous years Empathy Program that instilled in youngsters the ability to identify in themselves and others basic emotions such as happiness, sadness, disap-pointment, worry and embarrassment.

The Friendship Program, geared specifically to the Pre-1A classes, takes the Empathy Program a step further. It aims to cultivate in youngsters greater sensitivity and awareness of children who tend to be rejected or picked on because they look, sound or

act different. The program fosters the value of acceptance of and respect for everyone, regardless of differences.

It also encourages children to stand up in defense of a child who is being hurt or shamed and to thus dis-play true friendship and ahavas Yisrael.

The program is distinct from other middos lessons in that it makes use of the talents of three social work interns working under the supervision of Mrs. Chanie Nadboy, a licensed so-cial worker. Rotating among all eight Pre-1A classes, the interns present a new aspect of the Friendship Program once a month, including discussing what it means to be a good friend; playing together without quarreling; sharing; saying Im sorry; being a good listener; caring and helping oth-ers; and problem solving with achdus.

The moros follow up on this lesson with their own activities and incentives and each week a sticker badge is awarded to two children who have exemplified being a good friend. They call this the Good Friend Zone. Parents are asked to reinforce this program by writing mitzvah notes that praise their child for displaying at home the friendship

skills he is learning at school. Having parents partner in this

way with the moros and rabbeim is the best way to reinforce and incul-cate the values of friendship, says Dr. Wendy Devorah Gerson, director of the Preschool. She reflects on the catalyst that launched the Friendship Program, recalling an incident in which a pre-1A child with special needs found himself isolated and ignored in school.

I went into the class, gathered the children together and read them a mov-ing story about learning to embrace differences in people. It was a bright class and the boys all got the message. But character training is a lifelong process. It obviously takes more than a story to inspire the kind of change we wanted to see regarding how this classand in fact, any classtreats a special needs child. Because we have many such children and each and every one deserves love and acceptance.

And that is how the idea of the Friendship Program evolved, concludes Dr. Gerson. We find that it resonates deeply with everyoneparents, teachers and most of all, the children themselves. f

The Friendship Program

PRESCHOOL


O n Simchas Torah, when the first and second grade talmi-dim of Yeshiva Darchei Torah joined their fathers and older brothers at Hakafos, chances are that they were already familiar with the niggunim and minhagim of this joy-ous celebration.

Ten days earlier, these boys were treated to a special pre-Sukkos Hakafos event at the Yeshiva, an event designed to familiarize them with Hakafos so that they would arrive at the real thing with some preparation and thereby be better able to participate. The boys were taught the introductory pesukim said at the start of each Hakafah by a different rebbi enwrapped in a tallis, and the text was brightly displayed in large letters on a giant screen. With the help of the keyboard playing of Rav Yaakov Zukerman, a second grade rebbi, the boys were also taught many of the traditional niggunim sung during the Hakafos as they enthusiastically danced with their rabbeim. Many boys also brought their own miniature Sifrei Torah from home for the occasion, lending the program an even more real Simchas Torah feel.

It was a fitting way to spend part of the last day of Yeshiva before Sukkos, the yomtov which is Zman Simchaseinu. f

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

With Hakafos Before Sukkos, Talmidim Get a Taste of the Real Thing

Rav Menachem Engel, a first grade rebbi, with talmidim during the Hakafos

Rav Moshe Mandel, a first grade rebbi, with talmidim during the Hakafos

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

PROFILES IN CHINUCH

First Class Chinuch in the Second GradeAn Illuminating Conversation with

RAV ELIYAHU SALDINGER



HE HAS BEEN TEACHING AT YESHIVA DARCHEI TORAH FOR 29 YEARS, IMPACTING THE LIVES OF COUNTLESS TINOKOS SHEL BEIS RABBAN.

Beloved by parents and talmidim alike, he infuses his second grade class-room with his unique blend of joyful enthusiasm and seriousness about the endeavor of learning Torah. Although they are young children, his talmidim emerge from a year under his tute-lage having gained not only learning skills but also exposure to ideals and values that one might expect of older bachurim. What is the secret to Rav Eliyahu Saldingers success?

To Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva, the answer is simple. Reb Eliyahu is a mix of two wonder-ful generations, he explains. He is a throwback to the elegant, graceful, and aristocratic rebbi. At the same time he is able to relate to todays chil-dren with a tremendous amount of ahavah and warmth.

WE ASKED RAV SALDINGER TO SHARE HIS PHILOSOPHY OF CHINUCH.

The alef is that you have to love the children. A rebbis raison detre has to be chesed to the children. I often give the boys a test, composed of three questions: One, Who loves you? Two, How much does he love you? And three, Why does he love you? THE ANSWERS ARE: One, Rebbi loves you; Two, a lot; and three, because you have a heilige neshama. The children have to know that they are loved simply because they are

who they are, not for any pretenses or grades. You are a Yid? Then you are loved by Hashem and by your rebbi. Thats the alef: that a child should know his intrinsic self-value.

I also inculcate the idea that a Yid needs to be dignified, derhoiben, to raise himself up. Not everything has to be fun fun is for playing ball, and is transient but learning should be geshmak, which is a deep, internal and heartfelt feeling.

Rav Saldinger is a master at help-ing his students acquire the critical skills in kriah, dikduk and shorashim recognition that form the foundation of a lifetime of learning. In Chumash, an emphasis is placed on develop-ing their ability to reason to iden-tify who said what to whom and to extrapolate ideas from the pesukim. I ask questions that challenge their

thought process to implant in them the capacity for machshava.

But in everything a rebbi does, he emphasizes, you have to put the humanity first. Teaching the skills are very important but they have to be sublimated to the yechidus of the indi-vidual talmid.

Besides the classs accomplish-ments in Torah by Pesach, for exam-ple, the boys will be able to teach themselves the meaning of pesukim Rav Saldinger gives them an appre-ciation for the beauty and honor of learning the Ribbono shel Olams Torah. They know that what theyre learning is not a subject or an aca-demic pursuit; its a living entity.

I tell the boys, if you look up the word yeshiva in the dictionary, it ought to say a diamond-polishing factory. When you take a diamond

The children have to know that they are loved simply because they are who they are.


out of the ground, it looks like a stone; you might throw it away. You have to polish and shape it until you come out with a beautiful million-dollar gem. I say: Youre the diamonds and Im the diamond polisher. I have to teach you Torah, middos and hanhagos.

RAV SALDINGER does not feel that his talmidim are too young to be introduced to advanced concepts. My father was niftar when I was 17. He was a simple working man but his chush in chinuch was profound. He always told me, plant seeds. I try to plant seeds, such as when I talk about dveykus in tefillah. Not just singing or prizes I daven with them, say-ing Hashems name with them, wear-ing a tallis. They have to see a living davening.

We work on saying brachos out loud. I tell the boys that they have to bring the Ribbono shel Olam into their lives. You can have two peo-ple in a pizza shop eating the same thing; one, sadly, is a ganav while one is mekadesh the food because he made a bracha while the first one did not. You can relate to Hashem in every aspect of life. Its not just in learning its your eating, your drinking, your playing. In everything you do you can elevate yourself and make a kesher to Hashem.

I give shmuessin I call them maamarim -- about middos, all aimed at planting the seeds necessary to become an adam. With regard to bein adam lachaveiro, Rav Saldinger teaches his talmidim about achrayus to each other and to their parents -- as well as a deep sense of hakoras hatov.

I tell them all the time: When your mother lights Shabbos licht, kiss her hand and say thank you.

HAVING TAUGHT TALMIDIM for over a generation, Rav Saldinger is familiar with the many challenges in chinuch habonim that have emerged over the years. Rav Yitzchok Hutner ztl [the late rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Rav Chaim Berlin] said that every dor has its yetzer hara, its nisayon; in our dor it is the falsehood that you can-not do. This is an attempt to deni-grate, usurp and steal from our hearts the idea that we can become. I feel that it is our avodah to do the exact opposite: show the children how great they can become, and nurture them. We do have to demand certain things from them, but with love. It takes time, chesed, love and patience and realizing that they can become great. Thats the book of chinuch.

When we briefly observed one of Rav Saldingers lessons we noticed him refer to his classroom as a beis medrash. I call it Beis Medrash Ahavas Yisroel Bnei Chassidim of Darchei Torah, he later explained. Ahavas Yisroel? I want them to hear the idea of achrayus to Klal Yisroel. Bnei Chassidim? I have very deep chassidishe roots; my grandfather was a chassidishe ruv.

Just as deeply rooted is Rav Saldingers approach to chinuch, as it is based on the mesorah that he received from his own rabbeim, who were, in turn, talmidim of Rav Aaron Kotler and Rav Yitzchok Hutner, zichronam livracha: Rav Chaim Leib Epstein, Rav Yehuda Heshel Levenberg, and

Rav Dovid Spiegel, shlita; and yblc Rav Avner German and Rav Shlomo Prager, zichronam livracha.

Rav Saldinger reflects on one aspect of this legacy. Yeshivas Rav Chaim Berlin always represented the idea of the individual. For Rav Hutners talmidim, Yiddishkeit was not a cookie-cutter religion. He gave every talmid distinct guidance on what path to pursue in life. And it was colorful. I relate to that. Besides for my love for the talmidim and my desire for them to become great, I do my utmost to tailor the lesson accord-ing to each child because Torah is not a cookie-cutter way of life. There are many ways for them to express themselves to the Ribbono shel Olam, and that fact is a seed that has to be planted when theyre young.

HE ADDS, A rebbi can only truly succeed in a yeshiva where the rosh yeshiva appreciates each rebbis indi-viduality, like Rav Bender does, and that has a staff which works together as a brotherly unit.

In one sentence: Torah must be a living experience. We have to give that experience to each child in his indi-vidual way so he can absorb it. Thats what Torah is and what chinuch has to be. It encompasses everything that goes on in a class, from the skills to davening to learning to their relation-ship with one another and with rebbi and morah. They need to know that they can become and must become, and as Rav Yisroel Salanter says, with time greatness will be attained.

When you love the talmidim, that is the prism that reflects everything. f

If you look up the word yeshiva in the dictionary, it ought to say a diamond-polishing factory.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL


Three (and Four) Generations Celebrate a Milestone:Hascholas GemaraWhen the fifth grade talmidim of Yeshiva Darchei Torah opened their Gemaros for the very first time, it was an extraordinary moment in their lives. At this juncture, having already gotten their feet wet in the sweet waters of Chumash, Rashi and Mishnayos, they are ready to embark on what will hopefully be a lifelong journey on the majestic Sea of Talmud. To mark this milestone, the Yeshiva invited the fathers, grandfathers and even great-grandfathers of the talmi-dim to join them and their rabbeim for a festive seudah. It was an event

that celebrated another generation of Yiddishe Kinderlach joining the ranks of lomdei Gemara and becoming the newest links in the chain of Mesorah that reaches back to Sinai.

Addressing the event were five grandfathers of talmidim: Rav Avrohom Halpern, menahel of Shor Yoshuv; Rav Moshe Weinberger, rav of Aish Kodesh; Rav Henoch Potash, a longtime Pre-1A rebbi in the Yeshiva; Mr. Motty Klein and Mr. Berish Fuchs, as well as Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva, and Rav Dovid Morgenstern, menahel of the Upper Elementary School.

Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva, dancing with talmidim, fathers and grandfathers

Four generations joined Yedidya Tepfer as he celebrated starting Gemara: His father, Dr. Binyamin Tepfer; his grandfathers, Rav Moshe Weinberger (who also addressed the event) and Mr. Hertzy Tepfer; and his great-grandfather, Reb Mordechai Weinberger, a Holocaust survivor.

Mr. Motty Klein

Rav Avrohom Halpern

Mr. Berish Fuchs

Rav Henoch Potash

Mr. Barry Weiss leading Bircas Hamazon

Rav Dovid Morgenstern, menahel of the Upper Elementary School


GOING PUBLICAN ELITE WRITING PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

Writing is serious business at Yeshiva Darchei Torah. Competent writing skills are viewed not as the prov-

enance of those graced with the gift of the pen, but a critical life skill that all can attain.

All Elementary School classes engage in four writing units a year, culminating in publishing events marked by school-wide presentations, and celebrated with joyous publish-ing parties that cap the months-long writing process.

Whether involving poetry, per-sonal narrative or an essay about a special person or memorable event, each writing unit encompasses various stages. They include immersion in various literature styles by leading childrens authors, brainstorming for writing ideas, selecting a topic, devel-oping it and going public.

A crucial stage in the writing process, going public gives con-crete form to a youngsters creative impulses, says Mrs. Ariella Kelman, the general studies principal. When a child goes public with his topic, he moves his idea forward from the ger-minating stage, developing and defin-ing his subject matter on a class chart. Accompanied by a comment sheet, the chart is posted for all to peruse, invit-ing fellow students to pose comments and questions that aid the writer in shaping his piece.

In this way, a student develops his writing topic from a nebulous idea into a budding story that will soon be ready for a first draft, in which the young writer is encouraged to model

a favorite author, trying his hand at dialogue and the use of rich language, explains Assistant Principal Mrs. Sara Malka Krasnow. The first draft is cor-rected, revised and rewritten until a polished piece of writ-ing is ready for the exciting climax of actual publishing.

Students on every grade level participate in this rewarding process, learn-ing to hammer out their memories, experiences, observations and opinions into the written word and test them in the arena of peer reaction. In the pro-cess of acquiring sound writing tools, children are constantly engaged in sharpening the skills of memory, verbalization and analytic thinking.

Central to the writing process is the collaborative support of a childs classmates, conveyed through their comments and suggestions. This inter-action not only prompts the writer to develop his piece, it clarifies his target

audience, Mrs. Kelman explains. Knowing your audience automatically helps focus your writing, she notes. It also drives home writings chief pur-posecommunication. f

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL


Educators agree that although competitiveness can be used effectively to spur excellence, an even more potent force in education is collaboration.

That is the operative word in the General Studies Department of the Elementary School, where collabora-tion applies as much to staff interac-tions as it does to student-to-student interfacing in the classroom.

The rich rewards that accrue from collaboration between staff members can be observed in the Teacher-Mentoring program in which seasoned teachers, over the course of the summer, share with beginning teachers the fruits of their classroom expertise. The sessions take place in relaxed home settings at mutually convenient times, with new teachers benefitting from workshops and a wealth of teaching materials presented by experienced teachers.

Keeping pace with the yeshivas growth, weve been opening addi-tional parallel classes each year and bringing new teachers on board, says Mrs. Ariella Kelman, general studies principal. At present we have from

six to eight parallel classes in each grade. The beauty of the mentoring system is that it validates our seasoned teachers while also empowering our new teachers.

Rather than a territorial or competitive atmosphere where new teachers might feel overshadowed by the old guard, while the latter view younger teachers critically, the

Teacher-Mentoring program promotes a completely different landscape, she noted. Through the program, new teachers are warmly welcomed and initiated into Darchei Torahs unique culture of inclusiveness by experi-enced teachers who share with their younger colleagues their secrets of success.

Whether in regard to classroom management or teaching materials and methodology, our experienced

teachers have developed a storehouse of valuable tools over many years, adds Assistant Principal Mrs. Sara Malka Krasnow. The seasoned teacher becomes emotionally invested in the success of the colleague she has mentored, and takes pride in her accomplishments. That creates a win-win situation where new and old staff mem-bers become friends and team players, each rooting for the others success.

Another important ave-nue of sharing expertise and hands-on teaching tools are the Tuesday collaborative meet-ings. Teachers are invited to

a lab site, where they observe a seasoned teacher or consultant do a lesson, and subsequently take part in a critiquing process to see what elements they can put into practice in their own teaching. As opposed to being isolated in their classrooms, teachers are thus part of a vibrant reciprocal system, where peer support

and ongoing training fuel their compe-tence in the classroom.

Collaboration is also on daily display in the routine sharing of worksheets, teaching aids and learn-ing strategies among teachers of parallel classes. With the collective channeling of each teachers creativity and passion into a pool of talent and resources available to all, says Mrs. Kelman, everyoneespecially the studentscomes out a winner. f

Mining the Gifts of CollaborationMENTORING PROGRAM EXPOSES NEW TEACHERS TO A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE

The beauty of the mentoring system is that it validates our seasoned teachers while also empowering our new teachers.


JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

49,082

225 talmidim of the Junior High School spent the weeks from Pesach until shortly after Shavuos learning Mishnayos in memory of the sixth graders classmate, Aaron Shalom Tepfer ah, who was niftar the previous August. A total of 49,082 Mishnayos were completed. The siyum, held in the Kaufman Ezras Nashim, was addressed by Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva; Rav Dovid Frischman, menahel of the Junior High School; Rav Yaakov Feitman, rav of Kehillas Bais Yehuda Tzvi in Cedarhurst; Mr. Tuli Tepfer; and two friends of Aaron Shaloms, Eli Frechter and Yehuda Zev Klein. This was followed by spirited dancing in the Diamond Bais Medrash.

The next day a series of exciting raffles were drawn; every boy who learned Mishnayos was entitled to tickets in the raffles. f

At the siyum: Yehuda Zev Klein (with microphone) and Rav Dovid Frischman

Shaya Lebowitz with his well-earned prize

The raffle winners gather on stage with their prizes.


I n the fall of 2013, after 10-year old Aaron Shalom Tepfer of Cedarhurst was suddenly niftar, his Yeshiva Darchei Torah classmate and friend Yitzy Berko came up with an idea: Why not commission the writing of a new sefer Torah lizeicher nishmaso? When completed, the Torah would be housed in the Aron Kodesh of the Junior High School, where it would be used by the boys in their minyan for many years to come.

The then-sixth grader was undaunted by the task, nor the cost. He made a quick calculation: If 1,000 families would donate an average of 54 dollars each, he could reach his goal. Yitzy broached his idea with Rav Avrohom Bender, a rebbi and sgan menahel, who relayed it to his father, Rav Yaakov Bender, the Rosh HaYeshiva who enthusiastically encour-aged the young boy to launch a campaign.

With the help of his father, Mr. Ariel Berko, Rav Avrohom Bender and hundreds of donors, Yitzy Berkos dream came to fruition last Elul, as hundreds of friends, relatives and

community members joined this very special Hachnasas Sefer Torah.

The event began at the Tepfer home with the inscription of the final letters of the Sefer Torah. For three hours, a stream of people most of whom had never met Aaron Shalom but were impacted by the stories of his remark-

able life arrived to take part in this mitzvah. A book filled with many of those stories and lessons for life was published in honor of the occasion.

The procession with the new Sefer Torah then shifted to Heyson Road in Far Rockaway, outside the building that had housed Yeshiva Darchei Torahs elementary school for the dura-tion of the construction of its new complex and where Aaron Shalom learned Torah from his devoted rabbeim. Most of

the westbound lanes of Seagirt Boulevard were closed by the police to vehicular traffic as hundreds of people danced and sang, slowly and joyously escorting the Sefer Torah to its new home in Yeshiva Darchei Torah.

At the Seudas Mitzvah, the assembled were treated to words of chizuk and remem-

brance from Rav Yaakov Feitman, rav of Kehillas Bais Yehuda Tzvi in Cedarhurst; Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva; Mr. Tuli Tepfer, Aaron

Shaloms father; and Yitzy Berko. The eldest son of the Skverer Rebbe, Rav Aaron Mendel Twersky, also spoke briefly, having traveled from New Square with his brother Rav Yitzchok for the occasion. Rav Avrohom Bender, who invested his heart and soul into the campaign and the days events, served as emcee.

Following the seudah, the bachurim of Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid arrived in the Diamond Bais Medrash for additional lebedige danc-ing and singing with the Sefer Torah, capping a day that was an intense combination of remembrance, emo-tion and glorious kavod HaTorah. f

Hundreds Escort New Sefer Torahin Memory of Aaron Tepfer ah

Mr. Tuli Tepfer, father of Aaron Shalom ah, carries the Sefer Torah during the procession up Seagirt Boulevard

Yitzy Berko speaks at the seudas mitzvah. Seated, L-R: Rav Yaakov Bender, Rav Aaron Mendel Twersky and Rav Yitzchok Twersky, sons of the Skverer Rebbe; Mr. Tuli Tepfer and Rav Berish Friedman

Rav Yaakov Feitman, rav of Kehillas Beis Yehuda Tzvi in Cedarhurst, writing one of the final letters in the Sefer Torah

Mr. Ariel Berko and Rav Avrohom Bender


Yeshiva Darchei Torah WinsPrestigious ScienceCompetition

T he Eighth Grade of Yeshiva Darchei Torah won first place at the SET3 (SET-cubed) science competition, a yearlong advanced contest which was sponsored by the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education. The other participating schools were SAR Academy, HAFTR, Yeshivat Noam, Solomon Schechter of Queens, Yeshiva of Central Queens, Hillel Yeshiva and Yeshiva Toras Chaim of South Shore. This was the second time in three years that Yeshiva Darchei Torah has won this competition.

The SET3 project focuses on the application of engineering principles to a real-life situation. The project included experimentation, writing complex lab reports, PowerPoint presentations and prototype development. This years challenge was to create a retractable cargo transport system connecting two mountains which would not interfere with flights taking off from a

nearby airport and flying through the valley between the mountains. The Yeshiva Darchei Torah students built a model, presented the details of the project in a PowerPoint presentation, explained the experiments they performed, reported their findings in an organized and lucid fashion utilizing graphs and diagrams and gained a tremendous amount of knowledge about engineering and teamwork.

A big Yasher Koach is due to the students coach, Dr. Don Engelberg, a physics instructor in Mesivta Chaim Shlomo; and to the students on the team: Dovid Appelbaum, Daniel Pinchos Fox, Yehoshua Keilson, Eliezer Lowinger, Simcha Mann and Yosef Schulhof. Their commitment and dedication was evident throughout the process and their presentation on the day of the competition was nothing less than magnificent. f

Yeshiva Darchei Torahs winning science team, left to right: Dovid Appelbaum, Yosef Schulhof, Yehoshua Keilson, Joel Javitt of the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE), the sponsor of the competition; Dr. Don Engelberg, project coach; Daniel Pinchos Fox and Eliezer Lowinger. Not pictured: Simcha Mann.L-R: Dr. Don Engelberg, Dovid Appelbaum, Daniel Pinchos Fox,

Simcha Mann, Yehoshua Keilson, Yosef Schulhof and Dr. Yitzchak Goldberg. Not pictured: Eliezer Lowinger. Visible at right: the project under construction.

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL


How does it work?The fascination with the

unknown the quest to understand how and why the physical world functions as it does has always gripped human imagination leading to countless inventions and discover-ies that have transformed our lives.

That curiosity about how it works is the force Mrs. Tsippy Nussbaum and Mrs. Elisheva Pinsky, science teachers at the Yeshiva, seek to harness in engaging their students in the study of the physical world and how it is governed by the laws of motion, matter, energy, heat and sound.

Both teachers say lab day when the class engages in scientific experimentation is one of their students favorite days.

Not only do they get to close their textbooks temporarily in favor of active, hands-on experimentation, the boys experience the excitement of light bulb moments as they apply their newfound understanding of scientific laws of energy, matter and motion to everyday phenomena.

Mrs. Nussbaum says she typi-cally begins a lesson with a question. A recent question she posed: How long will a tower built exclusively of pieces of paper held together by paper clips remain standing? A min-ute? An hour? A whole day?

Using principles theyve previously learned combined with educated guess-work, the students form a hypoth-esis. Now its time to test and retest that hypothesis in the lab using

the Scientific Method. The students construct a series of paper towers the largest is 103 centimeters high and leave them standing overnight.

To their surprise, they discover that a tower built of flimsy paper and paper clips will stand indefinitely, consistent with a key law of motion that says an object will remain at rest unless an outside force even the faintest breeze comes along and generates motion.

Mrs. Pinskys science classes launched into their study of the Scientific Method with their recent lab titled, Come Fly with Me.

In compar-ing the flights of 3 paper airplanes, each of a different type and weight of paper, the boys experi-enced hands-on application of critical scien-tific vocabulary and concepts. These included posing a question about the respective distances the planes would fly; generating a hypothesis or prediction; following test procedures; understanding variables and controls; and graphing the collected data.

The analysis of the data gave the students information they needed to draw a conclusion that answered the original question.

Were giving the boys basic understandings of the concepts behind simple machines, motion, force and energy, Mrs. Pinsky said. We want them to become aware that the simplest objects may be a machine at its core. Take a regular door: the hinge is the fulcrum; the door itself is a lever. Soon theyll gain enough knowledge about gears and levers, energy and motion, and the scientific method to build a simple machine that actually works.

That knowledge will be of great

benefit to the boys during the annual Invention Convention a months-long project beginning in February, in which the students work on their own inventions in and out of school. Toward the end of the school year, at a gala presentation before an amazed and admiring host of teachers, parents and students, each student or group of students is afforded a chance to display their own unique invention. f

What DoPaper AirplanesAnd Paper ClipsHave To Do With Science?


T here is a famous adage: Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. That will not be an issue for the Sixth Grade Social Studies students at Yeshiva Darchei Torah. They love to spend time learning about their rich past. Their personal and global history comes alive!

Beginning in September, teach-ers Rabbi Avi Taub and Mr. Jon Constantino prepare the boys for the culminating event in June: the Jewish Heritage Museum. This program

started about five years ago when Dr. Yitzchak Goldberg, principal of gen-eral studies, and Rabbi Taub were inspired to adapt the concept after vis-iting the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City.

The premise of the program was for the boys to find an artifact, a meaningful piece of history, in their own homes and research it to the point where they felt a deeper connection to it. The educators spent time teaching various types of skills. Research into the artifact helped talmidim learn

communication and investigative skills, as they often interviewed fam-ily members connected to the artifact. Technology skills are an important component of this project as the stu-dents utilized them to photograph and further showcase their item. Of course English Language Arts came into play as they wrote up descriptive labels for their exhibits.

Students were divided into themed groups, such as Shabbos, yamim tovim, or military history. Those groups of talmidim then created tri-boards to dis-play their artifacts. Each student also created a museum label of their artifact which included a photograph and brief explanation of the item.

To further bring the history of each boys family forward, as well as add another dimension of writing, stu-dents in Mrs. Chaia Frishmans English Language Arts classes created a reflec-tive poem. These poems follow the style of George Ella Lyons Where Im From, a poem which provides snippets of images that the writer has from her familys history. The sensory impact of the poem was also a great springboard for the students other lessons in poetry. Because of the depth of research the students completed for their artifact, they felt empowered when supplying personal family history for their pieces, which they decorated and displayed.

A sixth grade parent, Mrs. Ruchama Frisch, reflected, This is a great project. It gives all the students a chance to connect to their own fami-lies and their own heritage. They get a chance to investigate where they come from and tell it to the world. What could be more rewarding for an 11-year old student than a chance to say This is who I am?

The day of the Jewish Heritage Museum exhibit was a culmination of both projects as the poetry display complemented the work done for the Museum.

CDs with PowerPoint presenta-tions of the artifacts and poetry digests are still available. f

Yoel Kreindler with the semicha certificate of his late great-grandfather, Rav Yosef Ber Kaplan. It was signed by Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz, the pre-war Rosh Yeshiva of Kamenitz and one of the manhigei hador.

Sixth Graders Learn and Present Lessons from the Past at Jewish Heritage Museum

BY CHAIA FRISHMAN

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL


Renovated Gym and Beis Medrash Provide Enhanced Quarters for Body and Neshama

We Thank Our Donors

w

Mr. and Mrs. Murray Huberfeld Mr. and Mrs. Rivie Schwebel

Mr. and Mrs. Eli AmsterdamMr. and Mrs. Chaim Bess

Mr. and Mrs. Alan BotwinickMr. and Dr. Dovid Cohen

Mr. and Mrs. Mottie DrillmanMr. and Mrs. Shimon EcksteinDr. and Mrs. Eli Eisenberger

Dr. and Mrs. Shamshy EisenbergerMr. and Mrs. Seth Farbman

Mr. and Mrs. Nachum FutersakMr. and Mrs. Ralph HerzkaMr. and Mrs. Naftoli KaplanMr. and Mrs. Irving LangerMr. and Mrs. Abraham LaviMr. and Mrs. Motti Lazar

Mr. and Mrs. Yitzchok LeshinskyMr. and Mrs. Zion Maidi

Rabbi and Mrs. Yisroel NeubergerMr. and Mrs. Tzvi Odzer

Rabbi and Mrs. Baruch RothmanDr. and Mrs. Michael SchwartzMr. and Mrs. Yitzhak SoleimaniMr. and Mrs. Zev Aron Solomon

Mr. and Mrs. Avery StokRabbi and Mrs. Zevi TrenkMr. and Mrs. Dovi WarmanMr. and Mrs. Avi Weinstock

The Sam Levinson Theater.The Waterview.The Keilson Family Auditorium.

It is a massive room that has gone through many phases. Up until the completion of the Yeshivas new complex in 2010, its main purpose was as a dining hall. This summer, the room was renovated to allow for a new beis medrash for grades 9, 10 and 11 of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo. This enables these talmidim, who until now had davened in the same beis medrash as the twelfth grade, Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid and Kollel Tirtza Devorah, to daven in their own, designated place. They also learn in the new beis medrash during night seder.

Another project that is well underway is the complete refurbishment of the Yeshivas decades-old gymnasium, which had fallen into a state of disrepair and was no longer conducive to the healthy ball playing that is a necessary element of many a talmids physical wellbeing. f

Dedication opportunities for both projects are still available. Please contact

Rabbi Zev Bald at 718.868.2300 ext. 219 or Rabbi Baruch Rothman at 718.868.2300 ext. 706

A partial view of the Mesivtas new beis medrash

A photo inside the gym, taken as extensive renovations were about to commence

MESIVTA CHAIM SHLOMO


Driving down Seagirt Boulevard late at night, you cant miss it. The stately building with arched windows is amply illuminated, the words Mesivta Chaim Shlomo and Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid glowing in the city darkness. But it is the light from within, the warm glow of a bright beis medrash humming with activity, which sets this edifice apart from the surrounding buildings, shuttered storefronts and homes whose residents have long since gone to sleep. Inside the four cubits of halacha that is Yeshiva Darchei Torah, bachurim from ninth grade through yeshiva gedolah are still at work, plugging away at the Gemara.

MESIVTA CHAIM SHLOMO

THE 24/7 MESIVTA

SPECIAL PHOTO ESSAY

LET US TAKE A BRIEF GLIMPSE AT A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A

MESIVTA BACHUR:

Mesivta Chaim Shlomo is not a city that never sleeps; to the contrary, a good nights rest is a prerequisite for a fruitful day of learning. But it is the unwillingness of scores of bachurim to be limited to the mandatory schedule of sedarim and shiurim, and the burning desire that they possess for learning and growing, that has spawned the growth of numerous extra-curricular shiurim, vaadim and sedarim, that begin early Sunday morning and go through Motzaei Shabbos.


Dormitory mashgiach NOCHUM SREBRO does more than enforce curfew and ensure the smooth operation of the Yeshivas multiple dormitories on campus. This Ben-Torah leads an early-morning chaburah in Halacha before davening, enabling bachurim to further expand their bekius in the halachos of yamim tovim, tefillah, and other topics. Moreover, he serves as a true role model of what a yeshiva bachur can aspire to become.

Shacharis is the first avodah of the day, and the bachurim conduct themselves during the tefillah as befits the Bnei Torah that they are, undoubtedly beseeching Hashem for continued hatzlacha in learning and fulfillment of their aspirations.

During the 45 minutes allotted for breakfast, many bachurim choose to complete their meal a bit quicker so that they can gain from RAV PINCHUS WACHSMANS 15-minute shiur in a different perek of Bava Basra, the Yeshiva masechta for this year. This will help them get closer to their goal of finishing the entire masechta. Last year the shiur covered approximately 70 blatt. Rav Wachsman is the first-year maggid shiur in Bais Medrash Heichal Dovid.

Rosh HaYeshiva RAV YAAKOV BENDER and President MR. RONALD LOWINGER alternate in the delivery of a shiur each Tuesday and Thursday morning on perakim of Bava Basra that are otherwise not being covered during official sedarim. Last year the shiur finished Perek Hasholeiach and part of Hanizakin in Maseches Gittin. This year they started Perek Hashutafin.

After Mincha comes Bekius, when the shiurim learn other sugyos at a somewhat quicker pace than th

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