Bedarchei Hatorah Winter2015

WINTER 5775/2015 // NO.
36
DINNER PREVIEW
Celebrating 42 Years of
Chinuch with Heart
Mr. and Mrs. Yoav Taub

GUESTS OF HONOR
Mr. and Mrs. Eytan Feldman

PARENTS OF THE YEAR
Mr. and Mrs. Yumi Kleinbart

HAKORAS HATOV AWARD
Rabbi & Mrs. Moshe Lubart

HARBOTZAS TORAH AWARD
VKHKU ONUH
THE
24/7
MESIVTA
A Visit to Mesivta Chaim Shlomo,
where a Bachurs Opportunities
for Growth are Limitless
Mr. and Mrs. Yossi Preiserowicz

ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR
The Mesivta Chaim Shlomo Class of 2000

CELEBRATING 15 YEARS
OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
Yeshiva Darchei Torah

Building Worlds
DIVISIONS
Preschool
Elementary School
Junior High School and Mechina
Rabenstein Learning Center
Mesivta Chaim Shlomo The Maurice & Edith Lowinger Mesivta High School
Weiss Vocational Center
Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid
Kollel Tirtza Devorah
SUMMER PROGRAMS
Simcha Day Camp
Mesivta/Beis Medrash Learning Camp Upstate N.Y.
Machaneh Hakayitz
GEMILAS CHESED
Y.D.T. Rabbis Special Fund
Tomchei Torah Interest-Free Loan Fund
OTHER PROGRAMS
Alumni Association
Weiss Institute for Continuing Education
Publications
Community Housing Initiative
AFFILIATES
Alumni Night Kollel Jerusalem
Alumni Night Kollel Lakewood, N.J.
Yeshiva Ohr Yehuda Lakewood, N.J.
BEDARCHEI
HATORAH
News from Yeshiva Darchei Torah
In this issue...
44
30
21
3
4
8
18
22
From the Rosh HaYeshiva

Dinner Preview
Highlights
Preschool
Elementary School
28
33
44
48
51
Junior High School

Mesivta Chaim Shlomo
Alumni Report
Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid
Tribute: Rav Zalmon Malinowitz ztl
This publication contains words of Torah. Please treat it accordingly.
YESHIVA DARCHEI TORAH

Yaakov and Ilana Melohn Campus
In 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 Schachner
CONTROLLER
Rabbi Pinkus Mayer
DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS
Rabbi Moshe Benoliel
DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AFFAIRS
PRESCHOOL
Dr. Wendy Devorah Gerson
DIRECTOR
Mrs. Yocheved Bender
Mrs. Rachel Brier
Mrs. Esti Feuer
ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
ELEMENTARY/JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Rabbi Dovid Frischman
Rabbi Dovid Lan
Rabbi Dovid Morgenstern
Rabbi Rephael Skaist
Rabbi Shmuel Strickman
MENAHELIM
Rabbi Avrohom Bender
SGAN MENAHEL
Rabbi Yitzchok Brailofsky
Dr. Yitzchak Goldberg
Mrs. Ariella Kelman
Mrs. Sara Malka Krasnow
Rabbi Dovid Presser
PRINCIPALS
MESIVTA CHAIM SHLOMO
Maurice & 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 DOVID
Rabbi Shlomo Avigdor Altusky
ROSH YESHIVA
KOLLEL TIRTZA DEVORAH
Rabbi Dovid Bender
ROSH KOLLEL
RABENSTEIN LEARNING CENTER
Mrs. Jill Kay
DIRECTOR
WEISS VOCATIONAL CENTER
Rabbi Shimon Dachs
DIRECTOR
SIMCHA DAY CAMP
Rabbi Shimon Dachs
DIRECTOR
MACHANEH HAKAYITZ
Rabbi Eliezer Ament
Rabbi Eliezer Selengut
DIRECTORS
Bedarchei Hatorah d Winter 5775/2015
Ronald Lowinger
PRESIDENT
BOARDOFTRUSTEES
Lloyd Keilson
Motty Klein
CO-CHAIRMEN
Alex Edelman
Shimon Pluchenik
Morris Smith
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Elisha Brecher
Aron Solomon
CO-CHAIRMEN
Dovid Bloom
Eli Bobker
Dovid Brecher
Mottie Drillman
Shamshy Eisenberger
Michael Fragin
Shlomo Jacobowitz
Menachem Lieber
Ben Lowinger
Menachem Marx
Adam Mirzoeff
Menash Oratz
Aroni Parnes
Dovid Scharf
Yoav Taub
Ely Tendler
Avi Weinstock
Dov Weinstock
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Moshe Bloom
Berel Daskal
Uri Dreifus
Yoily Edelstein
Eytan Feldman
Gadi Fuchs
Alon Goldberger
Carmi Gruenbaum
Tzvi Keilson
Yair Keilson
Duvi Klein
Ushi Klein
Yosef Lowinger
Matis Manela
Moshe Mendlowitz
Hillel Moerman
Ephram Ostreicher
Chaim Schulhof
Shlomo Weiss
BEDARCHEI HATORAH
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Rabbi Yehudah Leib Gordon
COPY EDITOR
Debbie Maimon
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
PHOTOGRAPHY
Dov Berg, Yonah Carrey,
Tsemach Glenn, Naftoli Goldgrab,
Meir Haltovsky, Yoel Hecht
DESIGN
David Benoliel
PUBLISHED BY
The Yeshiva Darchei Torah
Office of Communications & Alumni Affairs
257 Beach 17 Street, Far Rockaway, NY 11691
718-868-2300 ext. 317
news@darchei.org
From the Rosh HaYeshiva
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
who dedicated his heart and rolled a stone from the mouth of a well of water.
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 Tefillas Geshem do we refer to Yaakovs dedication of his heart in 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 teachers 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
Yeshiva Darchei Torahs

42nd Annual Dinner
Sunday, January 11, 2015 At the Yeshiva
Each 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 dinner@darchei.org.
Mr. and Mrs. Yoav Taub

GUESTS OF HONOR
oav and Shari Taub, devoted parents 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 building was first coming into focus. Yoav
and his colleagues, a cohesive group
of young fathers, rose to the challenge and helped set the Yeshiva on the
course that it is on today.
Shari was born into a family of pioneers in communal leadership. Her parents, 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 involvement 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 numerous 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 brothers 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 evening 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 hearing 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 learning at Yeshiva Darchei Torah and gaining 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 environment 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.
Mr. and Mrs. Eytan Feldman

PARENTS OF THE YEAR
ytan and Aliza Feldman of

Woodmere are the proud parents of Akiva, a third grader
at Yeshiva Darchei Torah, and four
daughters. Eytan is a managing director 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 attributes 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 afternoon 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 family affair, from preparing the cotton
candy to other aspects of the fundraising 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 relationship 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 experience 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 nothing 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 leadership. But one thing that you see when
watching him is the love that he exudes.
For a person whos been in this position 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. Yumi Kleinbart

HAKORAS HATOV AWARD
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 receiving, 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 several 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 uncommon for Yumis cellphone to ring in the
42nd Annual Dinner

middle of the night summoning him to
perform chesed in challenging circumstances. When a patient with a lifethreatening 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 throughout the tri-state area since its inception 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.
Rabbi & Mrs. Moshe Lubart

HARBOTZAS TORAH AWARD
IN RECOGNITION OF HIS TIRELESS DEVOTION TO THE TALMIDIM OF
THE RABENSTEIN LEARNING CENTER & WEISS VOCATIONAL CENTER
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 developed several original creative techniques 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 enthusiastic, 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 tremendous talmid chacham and marbitz 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 comments about the changes that have
taken place over this period. The
only thing that changed is size and
numbers, he insists. But the dedication and the varemkeit and the caring
for every talmid are exactly the same
as when we were in the old building with many fewer talmidim. It is
the personal touch of Rabbi Bender
and the mechanchim of all the various 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.
42nd Annual Dinner
Mr. and Mrs. Yossi Preiserowicz

ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR
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
PHOTO BY HERSH ROSNER
A partial view of the class of 2000 at their graduation
Yeshiva and his rabbeim long after graduation, 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 members have developed numerous projects that have provided extraordinary
mutual benefit to the Yeshiva and to
the alumni including regular shiurim, well-attended reunions, the
establishment of an Alumni Shadchan
Network, several successful fundrais-
Raphael Aranov
Yehudah Bajnon
Boruch Ber Bender
Yehoshua Bleiberg
Shimon Leib Cohen
Mati Diamond
Yacov Asher Engel
Moshe Feigenbaum
Daniel Fleisher
Shmuel Freund
Feivel Reuven Ganeles
Yosef Goldberg
Yehudah Greenberg
Moshe Chaim Horowitz
Orrin Jaroslawicz
ing campaigns for the Yeshiva itself

and a fund for needy alumni, among
other initiatives.
Raised in Flatbush, Yossi is married 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.
Boruch Binyomin Kitay

Avi Korn
Yeshaya Kraus
Eli Langer
Benzion Lichtman
Mordechai Lieber
Shaya Lieber
Shmuel Liebster
Chaim Shlomo Lowinger
Shaya Markovits
Chesky Newman
Mordechai Pluchenik
Chaim Plumer
Yossi Preiserowicz
Alter Reich
Mordechai Rosen
Zeev Rosenfeld
Ezra Rosner
Yitzchok Rothman
Yehuda Ruzohorsky
Avrohom Schustal
Aron Schwed
Yitzchok Shanik
Meir Sherman
Moshe Teich
Yonah Tusk
Eliezer B. Weinreb
Zevi Wolff
Ilan Wunsch
The Mesivta Chaim Shlomo Class of 2000

CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
eshiva Darchei Torah is proud to

pay tribute to the second graduating 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 significantly 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 caring leadership of devoted rabbeim,
teachers and Hanhala, those talmidim 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 geographic 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 denominator 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
HIGHLIGHTS
6 Distinguished Rabbeim Join Faculty

To meet the growing needs of a growing student body,
Yeshiva Darchei Torah welcomed six new rabbeim this year,
including three alumni of the Yeshiva.
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 latter 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 developed 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 summer. 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.
New Security
Enhancements
Respond to a
Changing World
W
Returning Tests Each Week, Rosh
HaYeshiva Encourages Talmidims Growth
very 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 challenging workday with an unexpected message of nachas from their beloved son.
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 director 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, director of institutional advancement, we
are also required to remain vigilant and
to protect our precious talmidim to the
best of our ability.
A Momentous Siyum
For Rosh Chodesh,

Enhanced Tefillah
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.
Every 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 special day is thus immeasurably enhanced.
Pictured: Mr. Moshe Plaut, a Yeshiva
grandfather.
HIGHLIGHTS
Inspiration from
the Rosh Yeshiva
The Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Shlomo
Avigdor Altusky, speaks at an
assembly of the first and
second grades in the
Diamond Bais Medrash.
Hadran Alach
A 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
All Winners
As part of the Yeshivas highly successful Parsha Program (featured 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
10
Middos Mission Off to a Great Start
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 accomplished last year. The program uses
exciting and innovative programs, incentives and events throughout the year to
inculcate several select middos in the
hearts and minds of the talmidim.
At a special event for the

talmidim as they marked a
milestone in the Middos
Mission program
Heroism
and History
Dr. Asher Mansdorf, a dedicated

activist in the Five Towns community,
shared his late fathers incredible experiences during the Holocaust with the
talmidim of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo
at a special assembly that was held
several weeks after his fathers petirah.
Lag Baomer on Campus
The 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.
11
HIGHLIGHTS
The Rosh HaYeshiva presented
each talmid with a full-color
illustrated book on the 39
Melachos
Rav Shmuel Strickman, menahel of the Lower Elementary School, speaks at the event
39 Melachos Event Caps a Year

of Learning and Excitement
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
One of the many original posters created by the talmidim
music, stirring song, an original and stunning video (starring

each and every boy) and handmade posters, the boys demonstrated 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 beautiful large-format childrens book on the 39 Melachos as a
memento of their magnificent achievements.
Graduation Trip
The graduates of the Junior High School/Mechina were
treated to special trip in June: an enjoyable day of rafting
down the scenic Delaware River.
Fifth Grade Visits Philadelphia

Talmidim in Independence Hall, where both theDeclaration of
Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated and adopted.
12
Darchei Torah talmidim with

community members in Bellaire, Texas
Yossi Herskovitz
helps his
long-lost cousin,
Sanford Herskovitz,
don Tefillin in
Bellaire, Texas
Bachurim Use Summer Break

to Inspire Communities
Continuing 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 communities: Bellaire, Texas; Los Angeles; Boca Raton; Miami and
Memphis. Most of the programs were conducted under the
auspices of Torah Umesorahs Project SEED.
Mr. Irving Roth, founder of Adopt A Survivor, tells

his personal Holocaust story to the talmidim
Israeli farmer Baruch Adiri in

discussion with rabbeim and
talmidim after the second of
two consecutive speeches
at the Yeshiva.
Hero of Shmittah Inspires Talmidim

In 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 abandoning 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 abundance promised by the Torah in advance of Shviis materialize, in the recent rain of rockets from Gaza, and in his own
battles on the front lines of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Yosef Karmelys original project
Meir Yehuda Fink describes his original project
Boys Present Survivors Stories

and Pledge to Perpetuate Them
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.
13
HIGHLIGHTS
Measuring the Teivah
uring 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
Community Tisha BAv

Program Inspires Hundreds
n 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 traditional Kinos interspersed with inspirational addresses
from talmidei chachamim and speakers of international
renown. Sitting on the floor and mourning the destruction of the Beis Hamikash nearly two thousand years
ago, the assembled were treated to thought-provoking
messages of self-improvement and understanding the
14
Rav Paysach J. Krohn
Rav Zevi Trenk
Rav Noach Orlowek
Rav Dovid Goldwasser
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 eweiss@achiezer.org
INTERVIEW
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 myths
He has one of the most important
jobs in the Yeshiva, and one of the
most difficult. As executive director 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.
WERE
IN THIS
Together
FACT OR FICTION: THOSE WHO

PAY FULL TUITION ARE SUBSIDIZING
THOSE WHO RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIP
ASSISTANCE?
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 community, 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,
15
INTERVIEW
The tuition committee approaches this task with

the utmost seriousness, and everything is done
with an airtight degree of confidentiality.
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
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 particular service today so Im not paying
for it, or my son does not need
Resource Room help so Im not paying for that. Were part of a community, of a cooperative venture. We all
have to make it work. When you pay
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 invariably a large deficit that falls on the
Yeshivas fundraisers to cover.
WHAT IS THE PROCESS BY WHICH
THE PARENTS WHO CANNOT AFFORD
THE 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.
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 community 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
16
tuition youre paying your dues to

the cooperative; youre not paying for
someone elses child. We charge certain 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.
HOW DO YOU MINIMIZE THE

DISCOMFORT FOR PARENTS
WHO ARE ASKING FOR A BREAK?
We try mightily to avoid any

direct confrontation or even interaction. The parents fill out an application 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
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.
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 perspective, 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 employment 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 sacrificing 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 highest 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 percentage 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 TUITION
A FACTOR WHEN BEING ACCEPTED INTO
THE 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 interview to put a face on it, to give
them my card, to tell them Im here
to help you; if you have any questions, 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 responsibilities were not limited to tuition;
I was the chief cook and bottlewasher whether it was technology
or fundraising. The growth of the
Yeshiva necessitated that I focus completely 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
17
PRESCHOOL
I (Truly) Did It
All By Myself!
Self-Expression, Not Perfection, is Goal for Childrens Handiwork
hen are we proudest of our preschoolers? When can we see the

true measure of their emerging skills and aptitudes? Most parents
would agree they derive the most insight and nachas from their childs
self-inspired, independent creations, be
it a drawing, crafts project, baking experiment or other masterpiece.
A child, in turn, experiences immense validation in the work of his
own little hands. He brings home his
project with enormous pride, anticipating his parents praise and pleasure in
his accomplishments.
But this projection of a childs
true ability and the childs own delicate self-esteem may at times be sacrificed 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-
18
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 beginning teacher might feel that these lessthan-perfect creations reflect poorly
on her.
But the point is, we are not interested 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
This boy looks all

ready for the yomtov
of Sukkos, with his versions of lulav and and
esrog in a special box
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.
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 coming just days before Zman Matan Toraseinu!
A day of fun in conjunction

with Lag Baomer
Never a Dull Moment

Learning is Always in Season at the Preschool
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!
Talmidim received
their very first siddur
from the Rosh HaYeshiva
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
Rav Henoch Potash with his Pre-1A class at the Siddur Play
19
PRESCHOOL
The Friendship Program
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 marvelous 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, disappointment, 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
20
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 display 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 social 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 inculcate 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 moving 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 everyone
parents, teachers and most of all, the
children themselves. f
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
With Hakafos Before

Sukkos, Talmidim Get
a Taste of the
Real Thing
O
n Simchas Torah, when the first and second grade talmidim 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 joyous 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
Rav Moshe Mandel, a first grade rebbi,

with talmidim during the Hakafos
Rav Menachem Engel, a first

grade rebbi, with talmidim
during the Hakafos
21
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PROFILES IN CHINUCH
First Class
Chinuch in
the Second
Grade
An Illuminating
Conversation with
RAV ELIYAHU SALDINGER
22
The children have to know that they are loved

simply because they are who they are.
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 classroom 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 tutelage 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 wonderful 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 children with a tremendous amount of
ahavah and warmth.
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 helping 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 developing their ability to reason to identify 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 individual talmid.
Besides the classs accomplishments in Torah by Pesach, for example, the boys will be able to teach
themselves the meaning of pesukim
Rav Saldinger gives them an appreciation for the beauty and honor of
learning the Ribbono shel Olams
Torah. They know that what theyre
learning is not a subject or an academic 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
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
23
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
If you look up the word yeshiva in the dictionary,

it ought to say a diamond-polishing factory.
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, saying Hashems name with them, wearing 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 people 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.
24
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 cannot do. This is an attempt to denigrate, 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 according 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 individuality, 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 individual 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 relationship 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
Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva, dancing

with talmidim, fathers and grandfathers
Mr. Motty Klein
Rav Avrohom Halpern
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.
Three (and Four) Generations

Celebrate a Milestone:
Hascholas Gemara
hen 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 talmidim 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.
Mr. Barry Weiss leading

Bircas Hamazon
Rav Dovid Morgenstern,

menahel of the Upper
Elementary School
Rav Henoch Potash
Mr. Berish Fuchs
25
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
GOING PUBLIC
AN ELITE WRITING PROGRAM AT A GLANCE
riting is serious business

at Yeshiva Darchei Torah.
Competent writing skills are
viewed not as the provenance 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 publishing parties that cap the months-long
writing process.
Whether involving poetry, personal 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, developing it and going public.
A crucial stage in the writing
process, going public gives concrete 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 germinating stage, developing and defining his subject matter on a class chart.
Accompanied by a comment sheet, the
chart is posted for all to peruse, inviting 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
26
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 corrected, revised and rewritten
until a polished piece of writing is ready for the exciting
climax of actual publishing.
Students on every grade
level participate in this
rewarding process, learning to hammer out their
memories, experiences,
observations and opinions
into the written word and
test them in the arena of
peer reaction. In the process 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 interaction 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 purposecommunication. f
Mining the Gifts

of Collaboration
MENTORING PROGRAM EXPOSES NEW
TEACHERS TO A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE
ducators 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 collaboration applies as much to staff interactions 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 additional 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
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 members become friends and team
players, each rooting for the
others success.
Another important avenue of sharing expertise and
hands-on teaching tools are the
Tuesday collaborative meetings. 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
The beauty of the mentoring system

is that it validates our seasoned teachers
while also empowering our new teachers.
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 experienced teachers who share with their
younger colleagues their secrets of
success.
Whether in regard to classroom
management or teaching materials
and methodology, our experienced
and ongoing training fuel their competence in the classroom.

Collaboration is also on daily
display in the routine sharing of
worksheets, teaching aids and learning 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
27
49,082
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
At the siyum: Yehuda Zev Klein (with microphone) and Rav Dovid Frischman
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 raffle winners gather on stage with their prizes.
The next day a series
of exciting raffles were
drawn; every boy who
learned Mishnayos was
entitled to tickets in
the raffles. f
28
Shaya Lebowitz
with his
well-earned
prize
Hundreds Escort New Sefer Torah
in Memory of Aaron Tepfer ah

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
Mr. Tuli Tepfer,
met Aaron Shalom but
father of Aaron
Shalom ah,
were impacted by the
carries the Sefer
stories
of
his
remarkTorah during the
n the fall of 2013, after 10-year old
able life arrived to take part
procession up
Aaron Shalom Tepfer of Cedarhurst
Seagirt Boulevard
in this mitzvah. A book filled
was suddenly niftar, his Yeshiva
with
many
of
those
stories
and
Darchei Torah classmate and friend
lessons for life was published in
Yitzy Berko came up with an idea:
honor of the occasion.
Why not commission the writing of a
The procession with the
new sefer Torah lizeicher nishmaso?
new
Sefer Torah then shifted to
When completed, the Torah would
Heyson
Road in Far Rockaway,
be housed in the Aron Kodesh of the
outside
the
building that had
Junior High School, where it would be
housed
Yeshiva
Darchei Torahs
used by the boys in their minyan for
elementary school for the duramany years to come.
tion of the construction of its
The then-sixth grader was
new complex and where Aaron
undaunted by the task, nor the cost.
Shalom learned Torah from
He made a quick calculation: If 1,000
Yitzy Berko speaks at the seudas mitzvah. Seated, L-R: Rav Yaakov
his devoted rabbeim. Most of
Bender, Rav Aaron Mendel Twersky and Rav Yitzchok Twersky, sons
families would donate
the westbound
of the Skverer Rebbe; Mr. Tuli Tepfer and Rav Berish Friedman
an average of 54 dollars
lanes of Seagirt
each, he could reach his
Shaloms father; and Yitzy Berko. The
Boulevard were
goal. Yitzy broached his
closed by the police
eldest son of the Skverer Rebbe, Rav
idea with Rav Avrohom
to vehicular traffic as
Aaron Mendel Twersky, also spoke
Bender, a rebbi and
hundreds of people
briefly, having traveled from New
sgan menahel, who
danced and sang, slowly
Square with his brother Rav Yitzchok
relayed it to his father,
and joyously escorting
for the occasion. Rav Avrohom
Rav Yaakov Bender, the
the Sefer Torah to its
Bender, who invested his heart and
Rosh HaYeshiva who
new home in Yeshiva
soul into the campaign and the days
enthusiastically encourDarchei Torah.
events, served as emcee.
aged the young boy to
At the Seudas
Following the seudah, the
launch a campaign.
Mitzvah, the assembled
bachurim of Beis Medrash Heichal
With the help of
were treated to words
Dovid arrived in the Diamond Bais
Mr. Ariel Berko and Rav Avrohom Bender
his father, Mr. Ariel
of chizuk and rememMedrash for additional lebedige dancBerko, Rav Avrohom Bender and
brance from Rav Yaakov Feitman,
ing and singing with the Sefer Torah,
hundreds of donors, Yitzy Berkos
rav of Kehillas Bais Yehuda Tzvi in
capping a day that was an intense
dream came to fruition last Elul, as
Cedarhurst; Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh
combination of remembrance, emohundreds of friends, relatives and
HaYeshiva; Mr. Tuli Tepfer, Aaron
tion and glorious kavod HaTorah. f
Rav Yaakov Feitman, rav of
Kehillas Beis Yehuda Tzvi in
Cedarhurst, writing one of the
final letters in the Sefer Torah
29
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Yeshiva Darchei Torah Wins

Prestigious Science
Competition
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.
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
30
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.
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
What Do
Paper Airplanes
And Paper Clips
Have To Do With Science?

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 discoveries 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 typically 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 minute? An hour? A whole day?
Using principles theyve previously
learned combined with educated guesswork, the students form a hypothesis. 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 comparing the flights
of 3 paper
airplanes, each
of a different
type and weight
of paper, the
boys experienced hands-on
application of
critical scientific vocabulary and concepts. These
included posing a question about
the respective distances the planes
would fly;generating a hypothesis or
prediction; following test procedures;
understandingvariables 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 monthslong 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
31
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Sixth Graders Learn and Present

Lessons from the Past at
Jewish Heritage Museum
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.
BY CHAIA FRISHMAN
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, teachers Rabbi Avi Taub and Mr. Jon
Constantino prepare the boys for the
culminating event in June: the Jewish
Heritage Museum. This program
32
started about five years ago when Dr.

Yitzchak Goldberg, principal of general studies, and Rabbi Taub were
inspired to adapt the concept after visiting 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 family members connected to the artifact.
Technology skills are an important
component of this project as the students 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 display 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, students in Mrs. Chaia Frishmans English
Language Arts classes created a reflective 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 families 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 presentations of the artifacts and poetry digests
are still available. f
A partial view of the Mesivtas new beis medrash
Renovated Gym and

Beis Medrash Provide
Enhanced Quarters for
Body and Neshama
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
A photo inside the gym, taken as extensive
renovations were about to commence
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
We Thank
Our Donors
w
Mr. and Mrs. Murray Huberfeld
Mr. and Mrs. Rivie Schwebel
Mr. and Mrs. Eli Amsterdam
Mr. and Mrs. Chaim Bess
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Botwinick
Mr. and Dr. Dovid Cohen
Mr. and Mrs. Mottie Drillman
Mr. and Mrs. Shimon Eckstein
Dr. and Mrs. Eli Eisenberger
Dr. and Mrs. Shamshy Eisenberger
Mr. and Mrs. Seth Farbman
Mr. and Mrs. Nachum Futersak
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Herzka
Mr. and Mrs. Naftoli Kaplan
Mr. and Mrs. Irving Langer
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Lavi
Mr. and Mrs. Motti Lazar
Mr. and Mrs. Yitzchok Leshinsky
Mr. and Mrs. Zion Maidi
Rabbi and Mrs. Yisroel Neuberger
Mr. and Mrs. Tzvi Odzer
Rabbi and Mrs. Baruch Rothman
Dr. and Mrs. Michael Schwartz
Mr. and Mrs. Yitzhak Soleimani
Mr. and Mrs. Zev Aron Solomon
Mr. and Mrs. Avery Stok
Rabbi and Mrs. Zevi Trenk
Mr. and Mrs. Dovi Warman
Mr. and Mrs. Avi Weinstock
33
THE 24/7 MESIVTA
SPECIAL PHOTO ESSAY

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.
34
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.
LET US TAKE A BRIEF GLIMPSE

AT A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A
MESIVTA BACHUR:
7:30 AM
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.
7:15 AM
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.
9:00 AM
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 firstyear 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.
9:15 AM
9:15 am to 12:50 pm
First Seder and Second Seder take up the entire morning (with a break
in the middle) and go into the first hour of the afternoon. Each of the
Mesivtas fourteen distinguished maggidei shiur delivers a daily Iyun
shiur in his classroom, often working with his talmidim beforehand in the
main beis medrash as they prepare the Gemara and Mefarshim with their
chavrusos. Lunch is then served in the dining room.
1:50 to 2:35 pm
After Mincha comes Bekius, when the shiurim learn other sugyos at
a somewhat quicker pace than the morning seder either to further
the goal of completing Bava Basra or to learn other masechtos such as
Megillah and Taanis.
At the
end of the
lunch break, but
before Mincha,
RAV MENACHEM
FEIFER (pictured),
an eleventh grade
maggid shiur and
the rav of Agudath
Israel of Bayswater,
learns Mishnayos Bava Basra with talmidim for 10 minutes.
1:20 pm
35
2:35 to 3:00 pm
The talmidim of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo all participate in its rigorous

GENERAL STUDIES syllabus, Monday through Thursday. In addition
to taking mandatory courses and the examinations of the New York
State Board of Regents, talmidim also have the option of joining
Advanced Placement (AP) classes as well
as the relatively new International
Baccalaureate (IB) program.
Mr. Michael Kennedy teaches
an AP English course
During the breaks, such as before General Studies begin,

the bachurim make good use of the expansive ball fields on
the Yeshivas campus or the indoor gym, which is currently
undergoing extensive renovations. (Pictured; see related article.)
3:00 to 6:30 pm
For talmidim who have sufficiently
completed their curriculum requirements,
there are advanced-level shiurim which
take place each afternoon. Eleventh
and twelfth graders learn under RAV
AVROHOM WACHSMAN; Twelfth
graders learn under RAV ASHER
GENISH and tenth graders learn under
RAV SHMUEL SHOLOM BENDER.
6:30 pm
DINNER IS SERVED in
the dining room. All meals
are as delicious as they are
nourishing, and are prepared
with devotion by the Yeshivas
chef, Mrs. Chana Florans, who is described by Menahel Rav Zevi Trenk as
a Yiddishe mamme and bubby at heart, who has forty guests of her own
each week at her Shabbos table, creating a Kiddush Hashem in Flatbush
with her husband R Mordy, who offers constant chizuk and Divrei Torah.
8:00 pm
RAV ZEVI TRENK

(pictured), menahel of
the Mesivta, occasionally
delivers a brief shmuess
at the conclusion of Night
Seder, before Maariv. *
7:15 pm
There is Night Seder every

night at the Mesivta.
Sunday and Wednesday
nights are voluntary; the
other nights are mandatory.
Regardless of the night the beis medrash is full of bachurim
learning and reviewing with hasmada and energy.
Four nights a week,
the Mashgiach
Ruchani of the
Mesivta, RAV DOV
KEILSON, delivers
a vaad on Mussar
and Hashkafa to
a different grade.
Rav Keilson is also
available around the
clock to learn with
individual talmidim. *
36
8:30 pm
Ninth Grade
Rebbi RAV
YITZCHOK
HAUER learns
Gemara Makkos
with a group
of talmidim
every evening
after the official
night seder.
On Sundays
they learn after
Bekius Seder.
SUNDAY
9:15 pm
On Sunday evenings Twelfth Grade Rebbi
RAV AARON GOLDMAN delivers a vaad
on MESILAS YESHARIM enabling the
talmidim to apply the messages of this
Mussar classic to their lives. *
THURSDAY
9:05 pm
On Thursday nights, traditionally

a night of intensive learning in
the Yeshiva world, Associate Dean
RAV MOSHE BENDER leads a
growing chaburah of Mesivta bachurim who learn the fifth perek of Bava
Basra bchavrusa, honing their leinus skills in the process.
10:45 pm
10:00 pm
To enhance the late-night
learning, cholent and kugel are
served in the dining room,
offering well-deserved
refreshment
for the bachurim.
Late Thursday night,

bachurim of the
Mesivta and Beis
Medrash gather in
the Zichron Avinoam
Mussar Hall for the weekly shmuess of RAV MENACHEM
FEIFER, an Eleventh Grade rebbi and the rav of Agudath
Israel of Bayswater. *
SHABBOS
FRIDAY
Shabbos in Yeshiva is truly extraordinary. Bais Medrash Heichal

Dovid spends Shabbos on campus three out of every four weeks,
and some Mesivta talmidim join them for the tefillos, seudos and
learning sedarim. In addition, a rebbi will often come with his entire
shiur for Shabbos, further enhancing the rebbi-talmid relationship
as well as the bachurims overall Mesivta experience.
Melave Malka is served every MOTZAEI SHABBOS. During the
winter months, a guest speaker will occasionally attend, providing
the talmidim with ample inspiration for the week ahead. *
11:20 am
On Friday morning, RAV YAAKOV BENDER, ROSH
HAYESHIVA, gives a shmuess to the talmidim of Mesivta
Chaim Shlomo and Bais Medrash Heichal Dovid. Using
the parsha or inyana diyoma as a springboard, he imparts
fundamental lessons in hashkafa and middos that will help
form the talmidims outlook for life. *
* Recordings are avilable for purchase on CD or MP3. Please call
718.868.2300 ext. 312 or email publications@darchei.org
At night the bachurim can unwind

in the Yeshivas gym or fitness
center as they prepare for bed.
The Yeshivas DORMITORIES
all on campus serve the
Mesivtas significant out-oftown population, as well as a
large number of local bachurim,
mostly in the eleventh and
twelfth grades, who prefer to remain on campus all or most nights,
benefiting from the greater proximity to their beis medrash and
classrooms. Clean, spacious and fully supervised, these residence
halls enable the bachurim to get a comfortable nights rest at the
end of each long and fulfilling day recharging their batteries for
the productive day to come. f
37
Encounters with Greatness

Throughout the year our talmidim are privileged to greet and to hear divrei chizuk
from some of the leading talmidei chachamim of our time. These encounters with
living embodiments of the Torahs ideals serve to reinforce the lessons that our
talmidim absorb at the Yeshiva each day.
Talmidim of the Mesivta went to Kennedy Airport to greet and

provide a Mincha minyan for Rav Yitzchok Scheiner, shlita,
rosh yeshiva of Kamenitz in Yerushalayim and a member of the
Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah, who made a brief stopover on his
way to Cleveland. Rav Scheiner offered effusive divrei chizuk to
the bachurim and was very impressedwith them.
Rav Aryeh Finkel, Rosh Yeshiva

of Yeshivas Mir-Brachfeld in
Modiin Illit
At the annual community Kinus Teshuva of Yeshiva Ohavei Torah held at Mesivta Chaim Shlomo:
Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid and Rav Eliahu Rominek,
Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Ohavei Torah. The gathering was chaired by Mr. Irwin Benjamin.
Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, rosh hayeshiva of

Yeshiva Gedolah Zichron Moshe of South
Fallsburg, in conversation with bachurim
after he delivered a shmuess for Mesivta
Chaim Shlomo and Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid.
38
The Rosh HaYeshiva with Rav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel,

a maggid shiur in Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim and
son of the legendary Rav Elya Baruch Finkel, ztl,
during Rav Finkels visit to the Mesivta.
Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman

Inspires Yeshiva Darchei Torah
On Friday, Erev Shabbos Parshas Bechukosai, whose
opening pesukim speak of Ameilus BaTorah, Yeshiva
Darchei Torah was privileged to welcome one of
Eretz Yisraels senior gedolei Torah, Hagaon Rav Meir
Tzvi Bergman, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Rashbi
and a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah.
Rav Bergman delivered a shmuess in Yiddish
to the talmidim of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo and Beis
Medrash Heichal Dovid on themes involving the
upcoming yomtov of Shavuos. He drew in part on
machshavos and a story of his illustrious father-inlaw, Maran Harav Elazar Menachem Shach, ztl, about
the duty of a Ben Torah to focus on helping others
as he grows and accomplishes in Torah. Rav Yaakov
Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva, translated.
After the shmuess, every Mesivta and Beis
Medrash talmid and maggid shiur greeted Rav
Bergman, who sat at the Aron Kodesh flanked by the
Rosh HaYeshiva and the Rosh Yeshiva. Every talmid
from grades one through eight arrived at this juncture as well, wearing white shirts for the occasion,
and were also privileged to greet the visiting gadol.
Rav Bergman then went to the front of the
Heichal Shlomo building where he offered a bracha
to the talmidim of the preschool, which was followed
by a brief visit to the Weiss Vocational Center.
Rav Bergmans visit and message undoubtedly
made a deep impression on the minds and hearts
of the Yeshivas talmidim, who are engaged in limud
and ameilus baTorah every single day and are on the
road to greatness. f
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Malcolm Hoenlein
Gives Mesivta a Perspective on Global Events
Rav Yaakov Bender welcomes

Mr. Malcolm Hoenlein to the Yeshiva
Mr. Hoenlein addressed the talmidim of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo
What in the world is

going on in the world?
groups sounded the alarm about

Irans nuclear ambitions many years
ago, but were not taken seriously.
Similarly, warnings about the growth
of al-Qaeda were dismissed as not
posing an actual strategic threat to
this country. Today, we are dealing
with the fruits of that indifference,
he said, as Iran comes ever closer to
nuclear capability and international
terrorist movements threaten the
entire free world.
Mr. Hoenlein emphasized that
all world events are orchestrated by
Hashem. But the Jewish community
must act intelligently. An informed
and vigilant community is an empowered one, he said. It can make its
concerns count on a political level,
advocating through its legislators in
Congress for domestic and foreign
policies that support its concerns.
Mr. Hoenlein recalled one of the
earliest issues in his career of advocacythe plight of Soviet Jewry in
the era of the Iron Curtain. At first,
That question was the topic

of an inspiring and riveting talk at
Mesivta Chaim Shlomo given by Mr.
Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive
vice-chairman of the Conference of
Presidents of Major American Jewish
Organizations, a group representing
51 Jewish organizations.
Over 300 bachurim listened spellbound as Mr. Hoenlein gave a brief
overview of some of the worlds most
burning issues, including the Middle
East conflict, the growth of high-profile terrorist movements and a nuclearbound Iran. He opened a fascinating
window on how some of these present-day crises evolved, stressing that
historical movements develop gradually, often under the radar screen, and
tend to thrive on the publics complacency and indifference.
Mr. Hoenlein recalled how the
Conference of Presidents and other
not many people believed we could

accomplish anything politically, he
told the students. But with enormous
grass-roots support, freedom for
Soviet Jews became a popular political
cause. Congressional pressure influenced American foreign policy toward
the Soviet Union, and subsequently
helped lift the Iron Curtain for Jews
to emigrate.
Legislators respond to their
constituents, Mr. Hoenlein said.
Your voice and vote can play a
significant role in the direction this
country takes.
The students were mesmerized by
Mr. Hoenleins presentation, says Rav
Menachem Gold, general studies principal of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo. A
crowd of boys approached him afterwards with questions, skipping their
supper hour to ask him about various
world events. It was an honor to have a
learned Ben-Torah, who is also highly
respected in the portals of power,
enlighten and inspire our students. f
39
The Write Stuff

Excitement Mounts
Over High School
Writing Competition
writing competition requiring

every Mesivta Chaim Shlomo
talmid to submit two papers, in
January and May respectively, promises to develop and showcase a wealth
of student talent.
Spurred on by special incentives
including monetary prizes, many students have already begun tackling the
challenge of writing a captivating essay
or a personal memoir.
English Language Arts Department
Head Mr. Dennis Kantor has designed
a Writing Competition Overview booklet that comprises a treasure house of
reading and writing strategies, including an essay-writing guide and outline,
a list of Transition Words and Phrases
and a checklist for self-correction that
provides a virtual crash course in creative and expository writing.
The challenging requirements, consistent with ongoing writing instruction
programs in grades 9-12, testify to the
Hanhalas high level of expectation for
the talmidims performance.
The Writing Competition is
part of an enhanced stress on writing
skills throughout the high school,
says General Studies co-principal Rav

Shimon Dachs. Its an opportunity for
the boys to dig into their inner selves
and communicate something they feel
strongly about. Our experience is that
even boys who are convinced they
have little or no writing talent will
be amazed at what they can produce
when they try.
40
every successful interaction in life.

To write well, you have to be able
to think well, he notes. That means
developing the ability to organize and
present your ideas coherently. This is a
life skill that will come into play in all
of a students future endeavors.
Students can either select a topic
from the list (a sampling of suggestions
This is a life skill that will come into

play in all of a students future endeavors.
One of the chief yardsticks for us

in evaluating their work will be if they
can evoke a response from a reader
can make the reader care about their
topic, he added.
Acknowledging the increased
emphasis on essay-writing on Regents
exams and AP (Advanced Placements)
entrance exams, General Studies
Co-Principal Rav Menachem Gold says
that at bottom, good writing is about
communication, the key to just about
includes HypnosisFact or Fiction,

Moving to Israel, a Favorite Relative, If
I Could Meet One Historical Figure
Is Technology Too Dominant a Force
in the Lives of Teenagers?) or come up
with a topic of their own choice, subject to approval by Mr. Kantor.
We await with anticipation
the literary offerings of all our
budding writers, says Rav Gold,
with an eye toward publishing the
winning pieces. f
Mr. Yosef Skolnick teaches computer science

and programming at Mesivta Chaim Shlomo
System Upgrade
MESIVTA COMPUTER DEPARTMENT AND CURRICULUM REVAMPED
ow many of us have had the

experience of sitting down in
front of a computer to try to
perform a simple application, only to
suddenly freeze?
Thats computer paralysis, says
Mr. Yosef Skolnick, who teaches computer science and programming at
Mesivta Chaim Shlomo. It tends to
strike when people are intimidated by
what they view as the hopeless complexity of computers.
Our goal with our students is to
eliminate that paralysis, he continues. A computer is merely a tool and
you can learn how to make that tool
work for you, same as you master a
power drill or any other tool. Its all a
matter of breaking down information
into simpler terms.
A computer whiz with a rare
aptitude for being able to translate technical jargon and computer
concepts into laymans terms, Mr.
Skolnick has revamped the Mesivtas

computer curriculum, aligning it with
the College Board Computer Science
Principles course.
Theres been a lot of work in
universities on how to teach programming to children on the elementary
school level and upward, he explains,
citing MITs pioneering work in this
field. He says he researched the latest
approaches to teaching computer science and modeled the Mesivtas new
curriculum on them.
For the ninth grade, we give a
basic introduction to computer science, explaining what a computer
is and how it works on a technical
level. We also give the students a
unit on business application such as
Microsoft Word and Excel to allow
them to see in a practical context
how a business professional might
run a computer company.
In tenth grade, the focus is
increasingly on programming. The

students use modern programming
languages such as JavaScript and
Python. Those who show interest and
high achievement can continue on to
Advanced Placement (AP) certified
courses, in which students are learning to master web design and sophisticated forms of programming.
General Studies Principal Rav
Menachem Gold notes that the
Mesivta had received a grant to
refurbish the computer department
and with it had installed 25 computers. These changes, together
with bringing Mr. Skolnick on
board to teach all the classes, have
vastly upgraded the department,
he asserts. Hes done a great job of
motivating the students to do well in
computer science and programming,
and has taken the AP classes to an
unprecedented level as well. f
41
A Beginning, Not an End
Mesivta Chaim Shlomo Celebrates Commencement
Rav Menachem Gold,

co-principal, delivers
opening remarks
Alex Edelman, a member of the

Yeshivas Board of Trustees and
grandfather of one of the graduates,
said the Kaddish after the siyum
Rav Zevi Trenk, Menahel
Meir Simcha Silverman
Moshe Terebelo
Dovy Vachss
Yosef Weinstock presents a surprise

gift to Rav Menachem Gold
Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva
Avigdor Taub leads the closing tefillah
42
Yeshiva President
Ronald Lowinger
Avraham Adir Farbman (at mic) makes a siyum on Maseches Rosh Hashana.
Seated, L-R: Rav Moshe Bender, Ronald Lowinger, Rav Menachem Gold, Rav
Yaakov Bender, Rav Shimon Dachs and Mr. Alex Edelman. Background: Rav
Dov Keilson, Rav Dovid Bender and Rav Moshe Krasnow
Aharon Morgenstern leads Tehillim

for Acheinu Bnei Yisrael
RABENSTEIN LEARNING CENTER
Helping Children
to Realize
their Dreams
Photos from the successful breakfast reception for
the Rabenstein Learning Center and Weiss Vocational
Center in Lawrence, hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Mendy Elefant
Yisroel Katz with Nechemia

Rabenstein, the founder of the
Rabenstein Learning Center
Mendy Elefant introduces Rav

Yaakov Bender to the crowd
Rabbi Yecheskel Kaminsky,

Morris Smith and Rabbi Avraham
Schachner
Rabbi Shimon Dachs and

Elisha Brecher
Mordechai Schwartz and

Chaim Schulhof
Rabbi Zev Bald, Ely Tendler and

Aron Solomon
Ronald Lowinger, president of the

Yeshiva and founder of the Weiss
Vocational Center; Rabbi Eytan
Feiner; and Mendy Elefant, host of
the breakfast
Alan Gerson, Ronald Lowinger and

Menachem Marx
Menachem Marx, Dr. Gerald David

and Lloyd Keilson
Nechemia Rabenstein with

his great-granddaughter
L-R: Moshe Frankel, Rav Yaakov

Bender, Nechemia Rabenstein and
Menash Oratz
Sam Davies and Sonny Gutkind
43
ALUMNI REPORT
At Spring Event,
Hundreds of Alumni
Reconnect with
Rabbeim, and
Each Other
Rav Shlomo Avigdor

Altusky delivering
Divrei Chizuk
Members of the Mesivta Chaim Shlomo

Rav Yaakov Bender, Rabbi Moshe
Class of 2004: Top row, left to right: Dovid
Benoliel, Yair Netzer, Alumnus of the
Bain, Yakov Kahana, Yekusiel Fuchs and
Year; and Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky
Dovi Safier Bottom, left to right: Nisanel
Salamon, Yair Netzer, Chaim Blumenkrantz,
Nachi Lazar and Eli Korn
Stay Connected!
A partial view of the dais, L-R: Rav Shloime Eisen, Rav Pinchus
Wachsman, Rav Avrohom Nusbaum, Rav Moshe Bender, Rabbi Moshe
Benoliel, Rav Yaakov Bender (at microphone), Moshie Horn, Rav Shlomo
Avigdor Altusky, Yair Netzer, Rav Zevi Trenk, Rav Shia Neuberg,
Rav Dovid Bender, Rav Dovid Geller, Rav Shimon Dov Notis,
Rav Zev Brown and Rav Yisroel Feder
Rav Yaakov Bender; Moshie Horn,

Alumnus of the Year; Rabbi Moshe
Benoliel and Rav Shlomo Avigdor
Altusky
Attention Alumni! Stay informed. Be inspired. Reconnect

with your yeshiva and your friends. Make sure the Alumni
Association has your correct address and contact information.
Email us: alumni@darchei.org

Call us: 718-868-2300 ext. 317
Text YDTALUMNI to 22828
44
At the conclusion of the event:

Rav Yaakov Bender with, from left: Mendy Joseph,
Binyamin Kesherim, Yosef Goldberg, Reuven Kesherim
and Yossi Hartstein
Alumni from All Eras Attend

Inaugural Lakewood Reception
Rav Yaakov Bender delivers Divrei Chizuk.

Seated: Rav Dovid Moshe Geller
Rav Yaakov Bender and

Pesach Cohen
Rav Yaakov Bender with (from left) Eli Blumenkrantz,

Shlomo Schwartz, Efraim Gurwicz, Chaim Asher
Reisman and Yitzy Friedman
Rav Yaakov Bender with

Mendy Joseph
Rav Yaakov Bender with Avromie Zelasko (left)

and Eliezer B. Weinreb
Rav Yaakov Bender with

Mordechai Koster
Rav Yaakov Bender with Ezra Balsam (left)

and Chaim Ginsburg
Avi Bressler with Sruly Grunberger
Benzion Lichtman and Mendy Joseph
Rabbi Moshe Benoliel and

Shmuel Brudny
Rav Yaakov Bender and Yacov Tatosky
45
ALUMNI REPORT
Successful Alumni Benefit

Held in Summer
The Alumni Association held its inaugural barbecue in August for alumni of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo
and Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid. The event, hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Moshe Mandel at their Lawrence
home, drew a sizable crowd and raised significant funds towards the Raising the Bar campaign, which
seeks to increase overall alumni giving from previous years. Dovi Safier, a member of the Alumni
Committee, delivered opening remarks. Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva, delivered divrei chizuk.
Rav Yaakov Bender, Moshe Mandel, host of the

barbecue; Ushi Mandel, Tzvi Mandel and
Rabbi Baruch Rothman

and Yisroel Salamon
Tuli Einhorn, Moishe Weiss, Moshe Mandel,

Yosef Goldberg and Ilan Wunsch
Naftoli Kolodny, Yitzchok Kolodny and Chaim Dienstag Avi Lang, Chaim Blumenkrantz, Eli Korn and Nisanel Salamon
Moshe Feigenbaum and

Yossi Preiserowicz
Doniel Salamon, Yitzy Isaacs and Eli Weiss
Attention Alumni:
Help Raise the Bar on alumni giving
join the Alumni Partnership today.
For more information,
Call: 718.868.2300 ext. 317
Email: alumni@darchei.org
Online: www.darchei.org/alumni
Tzvi Sussman and Dovi Safier
Rabbi Moshe Benoliel and Dovy Neuman
Alumni Simchos can be found on page 55
46
A Visit to the Weiss Vocational Center

The Weiss Vocational
Center offers a select
group of Mesivta Chaim
Shlomo talmidim
the opportunity to spend
part of their afternoons
being trained in
plumbing, electricity,
carpentry, auto
mechanics and home
wiring, all on campus.
A group of talmidim at the end-of-year siyum at the

Weiss Vocational Center, with Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh
HaYeshiva; Rav Shimon Dachs, Director; and Rav Moshe
Lubart, a rebbi in the Yeshiva and instructor at the Center
Rav Moshe Tuvia Lieff, rav of Agudath Israel Beis Binyomin

in Flatbush, visiting the Center (second from right),
accompanied by Rav Moshe Lubart, Rav Shimon Dachs,
and Rav Menachem Feifer, a maggid shiur at Mesivta
Chaim Shlomo and rav of Agudath Israel of Bayswater
Rav Nosson Scherman, general editor of ArtScroll/

Mesorah, visiting the Center, with Rav Shimon Dachs, left,
and Rav Moshe Lubart
The Rosh HaYeshiva and Rav Moshe Lubart viewing the

handiwork of the Weiss Vocational Centers talmidim
47
BEIS MEDRASH HEICHAL DOVID
A Place of their Own

At Secluded Upstate Site, Bachurim Enjoy a
Productive Month of Learning and Recreation
Rav Shlomo
Avigdor Altusky
delivering a
vaad to senior
talmidim
own a quiet country road in picturesque Sullivan

County, New York, the talmidim of Beis Medrash
Heichal Dovid enjoyed the last four weeks of the
Summer zman at the Yeshivas Camp Oraysah, where they
were invigorated by the crisp mountain air and disconnect
from city life. The bachurim continued their learning and
shiurim with unabated intensity, with a modified schedule
to allow for ample use of the ball fields, indoor gym and
swimming pool. They also gained immeasurably from
their close proximity to the rabbeim who joined them, led
by the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, who
delivered shiurim and vaadim. Shabbos at camp was an
elevated experience, bringing the already legendary Yeshiva
Shabbos to new heights. Not wanting to miss out on the
special Camp Oraysah advantage, a large contingent of
48
Mesivta Chaim Shlomo talmidim also spent the month

there, enjoying daily shiurim from several of the Mesivtas
maggidei shiur.
This was the fourteenth year of Beis Medrash Heichal
Dovids summer program, and for the first time it was
located at a site that was for the exclusive use of the Yeshiva.
Credit for the achievements of Camp Oraysah can be
attributed to the leader of the entire program, Associate
Dean Rav Moshe Bender, who left no stone unturned to
ensure a successful four weeks of learning and shteigen.
Camp ended on Rosh Chodesh Av. The bachurim spent
the subsequent bein hazmanim in a variety of roles, serving
as counselors at sleep-away camps, inspiring Jews in locations
throughout the United States of America (see page 13), and
preparing for the awesome month of Elul that followed. f
Clockwise from top left: Grabbing a few extra

minutes of learning on a Motzaei Shabbos;
Learning in the great outdoors; Rav Shlomo
Avigdor Altusky delivering shiur in the beis
medrash at Camp Oraysah; Rav Shmuel Feldman,
one of several maggidei shiur in Mesivta Chaim
Shlomo who taught at Camp Oraysah, with Aryeh
Moskowitz; Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky walking
with Binyamin Elefant; At a joyous Melave Malka,
seated left to right: Rav Dovid Bender, Rosh Kollel;
Rav Moshe Bender, Associate Dean; Rav Shimon
Dov Notis, maggid shiur in Mesivta Chaim Shlomo;
Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, Rosh Yeshiva; and
Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva
49
KOLLEL TIRTZA DEVORAH
Eternal Dividends
KOLLEL TIRTZA DEVORAH ANNOUNCES YISSACHAR/ZEVULUN PARTNERSHIPS
hen Moshe
Rabbeinu
blessed the
Shevatim before his passing, he included Yissachar
and Zevulun in the same
sentence: Rejoice, O
Zevulun, in your excursions, and Yissachar in
your tents. (Devarim 33:18)
Rashi explains that the two
Shevatim formed a partnership: the tribe of Zevulun
settled near the sea, engaging in maritime commerce
and provided a livelihood
for the tribe of Yissachar,
whose occupation was in
the tents of Torah study.
This concept has
endured throughout Jewish
history in various forms. It
is now a reality at Yeshiva
Darchei Torahs Kollel
Tirtza Devorah, where the
50
new Yissachar/Zevulun
initiative is enabling those
who appreciate the supreme
value of Torah Lishmah to
dedicate and have a share in
the learning of an individual
Kollel yungerman.
Our 30 distinguished
yungeleit primarily alumni
of the Yeshiva chose to
return and continue their
growth here, explains Rav
Dovid Bender, Rosh Kollel.
In the process, they have
not only enhanced their
own learning but have
elevated the entire yeshiva.
They are true role models
for the younger talmidim.
Most of the Kollel
members have also settled
in the Yeshiva neighborhood. With many of their
wives also serving in local
mosdos, the Kollels positive
effect on the community is

growing in ever-expanding
circles. A number of the
Kollels alumni are already
serving in communal
positions both locally and
beyond, from leadership in
the Kashrus field to teaching Torah in Arizona, as
well as at Yeshiva Darchei
Torah itself.
This special partnership of Yissachar/Zevulun is
a unique opportunity, says
Rabbi Zev Bald, director of
development. It is a chance
to invest in the growth of
true talmidei chachamim
who are future leaders of
Klal Yisrael and to reap
unending spiritual dividends
as a result. Torah is the
lifeblood of our people, our
raison detre. Join us and
share in the rewards. f
For more
information,
please call
Rabbi Zev Bald
at 718.868.2300
ext. 219
or Rabbi Baruch
Rothman
at 718.868.2300
ext. 706
A more extensive
feature about the
Kollel appeared in
our previous issue;
a complimentary
copy is available
upon request.
A Bridge
to
Har Sinai
forAmerican
Talmidim
An Appreciation of
RAV ZALMON
MALINOWITZ ZTL
BY RABBI YAAKOV BENDER
ROSH HAYESHIVA
he sudden petirah of Rav

Shlomo
Zalmon
Halevi
Malinowitz last summer was
a tremendous blow for
his family, for Klal Yisroel, and for
his talmidim, particularly those at
Mesivta Chaim Shlomo, where he
taught Torah with fire and mesirus
nefesh for 15 years.
When the terrible besurah began
to spread that Sunday afternoon, his
talmidim were in shock. His most
recent talmidim, young teenagers,
were in various camps in upstate New
York, including at our own yeshivas
Camp Oraysah in Sullivan County.
Older talmidim were scattered in various locales. Wherever they were, the
reaction was the same. They began
to shed copious tears, in a stream of
pain that continued unabated as they

traveled back to our yeshiva in Far
Rockaway for the New York portion of the levaya, as they awaited the
arrival of the aron, throughout the
hespedim and long after the procession left for flight to Eretz Yisrael at
Kennedy Airport.
I have unfortunately been to
many a levaya of a talmid chacham,
but I do not recall seeing such an outpouring of genuine, raw grief from
young talmidim. To what can this be
attributed?
The truth is that Rav Zalmon
was an ish haeshkolos, a multifaceted
gadol baTorah who kept much of his
greatness hidden. It is the relationship
to his talmidim, the work he accomplished with his young charges, that is
most apparent to us as we reflect on

the too-short life of this adam gadol.
Rav Zalmon was born and raised
on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
He was American, but his values and
essence were European. His parents
imbued him with old-fashioned values of fierce loyalty to Torah and
Halacha. His father, Rav Avrohom
Aaron Malinowitz ztl, was a talmid
of Rav Aaron Kotler ztl in Kletzk
who bequeathed to his children a deep
sense of kavod haTorah. The talmidim that Rav Zalmon later taught
were seemingly light years away from
Europe. But he bridged the gap from
the Old World to the New, transmitting not only mehalchim in sugyos but
a palpable sense of ahavas haTorah to
51
TRIBUTE
his talmidim.
Many of these talmidim were from
affluent neighborhoods. But thanks in
large part to Rav Zalmons work, they
emerged from yeshiva as bnei Torah,
as lamdonim, as ruchniyus-focused
people rather than gashmiyus-focused.
HOW DID HE DO IT?
Rav Zalmon was a member of a
distinguished chaburah of illustrious
and devoted maggidei shiur at the
Yeshiva, may they live and be well
until 120. But the shiurim he delivered
took place in the afternoon rather
than the morning, and they were for a
select group of Mesivta bachurim who
had sufficiently advanced in their general studies syllabus to allow for a few
periods of advanced Gemara learning.
When Rav Zalmon dissected a
sugya, he was aflame. It was kinisinosson miSinai. He worked tirelessly with
his bachurim to bring them to the
next level of learning, to enable them
to see the Gemara and mefarshim
with a sharper, more mature perspective and to polish their skills as lamdanim. The clarity of his approach
was remarkable. He did not let the
bachurim jump to peruse the explanations of the Acharonim he wanted
them to learn how to understand each
Gemara, Rashi, Tosafos and Rishon
in a straightforward, glatteh way, and
to ultimately arrive at the underlying
pshat in each sugya.
FOUR TIMES A YEAR, he would give
a written test. The chazara for each
lasted weeks. The bachurim could be
seen up until all hours of the night,
horving and reviewing, making sure
that they had truly absorbed their rebbes approach. When he marked their
tests, Rav Zalmon did so on a curve,
taking into account each bachurs
52
At the legendary shiur
unique kochos and circumstances.

He would often telephone a parent to
effusively share the nachas of a stellar
test result.
In his shiur the bachurim got a true
taste of the sublime sweetness of Torah,
as they dug beneath the surface of each
sugya together and absorbed his infectious enthusiasm for finding the emes.
He pushed them to reach beyond their
comfort zones, to toil and think and
analyze and review until they attained
the true pshat. He did not let them rest
on their laurels because he cared too
deeply about them.
Before he left the room where he
prepared his shiurim he would turn to
his colleague Rav Leibish Langer, and
ask him for a bracha to be successful
in giving over the shiur. Such was his
concern for his talmidim that he did
not rely on his razor-sharp mind or on
his hours of intense preparation. He
sought as much Siyata diShmaya as
he could possibly muster in this most
sacred of tasks that was before him.
But there was something transcendent about Rav Zalmon that truly
forged his bond with his talmidim. It
was the dmus, the live picture of aha-
PHOTO BY MENACHEM ADELMAN
vas haTorah that he embodied.

LIKE HIS PARENTS, he was a medakdeik bamitzvos. But his was not a
cold, anxious adherence to Halacha.
He lived every mitzvah with joy. He
davened kvasikin nearly every morning of his life, and was the founder
and leader of Beth Medrash Govohas
vasikin minyan. He slept little at
night and spent nearly every waking
moment learning and teaching. When
it came to Shabbos and yamim tovim,
his entire being was invested in the
preparations beforehand and in the
actual days. Talmidim were zocheh
to see this and grow from this. They
would spend an annual Shabbos with
him in Lakewood, and the atmosphere at his table was so elevated, so
infused with zemiros and divrei Torah
and the joy of being an eved Hashem
that they saw what Shabbos is really
about, that its not just about a bowl
of cholent. Its about ruchniyus, about
a Yiddishkeit that is geshmak!
When they joined his seudah on
Purim, they saw that it was not a day
for frivolity but a day for true joy, for
growth in ruchniyus. The concept of
Working with a talmid to arrive at the emes of the sugya
Yom KiPurim unfolded in living color.

On Sukkos he barely left the Sukkah,
learning and rejoicing in the shelter of
Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Before Pesach
he would line the kitchen cabinets himself, sparing no personal exertion in
his love for mitzvos.
The ultimate test of his ahavah
for his Torah and for his talmidim
was perhaps his endurance of the
dreaded disease several years ago.
Baruch Hashem, he ultimately
recovered, but while he was suffering and undergoing treatments
he insisted on scheduling all of
his appointments around the
shiur. He never missed a shiur
during that entire period!
HOURS
BEFORE
THE
LEVAYA, I attended a chasunah where a number of alumni heard
the news for the first time. One talmid,
Bezalel Leben, who is now a kollel
yungerman, showed me a copy of the
letter he wrote to Rav Zalmon when
he left his shiur. This alumnus has
kept this paper folded up in his wallet ever since. In it he thanks his rebbi
for changing my life. He shared how
he had never been to Lakewood for
Shabbos before spending it at his rebbis house, how during that Shabbos
he experienced the gevaldigeh enjoyment of seeing people who are living ruchniyus. Think about it for a
moment: Bezalel has kept that letter
in his wallet from Mesivta graduation,
through Beis Medrash, to Brisk in
Ye r u s h a l a y i m
His response card to

Shlomo Hirscheys wedding invitation
was illustrative of his love for talmidim
and joy in their simcha
and back to America. Such was the

unbreakable kesher that existed
between Rav Zalmon Malinowitz and
his beloved talmidim.
ONE ALMNUS RELATES that when
he was a high school bachur he was
having a hard time dealing with the

fact that his best friend was about to
leave yeshiva to learn out of town.
He discussed his struggle with Rav
Malinowitz, who validated his feelings, confiding in him that he, too had
a difficult time when his older brother,
Rav Chaim yblct, with whom he
was very close, made the move from
America to Eretz Yisroel. I cannot forget his empathy, the alumnus relates. His was rosho magia
haShamaymah his preoccupation
was in Torah, in lofty matters but
he was a sulam mutzav artzah, ready
to lower himself to meet a talmids
needs, whatever they were.
In the summer months, he was
technically on vacation, but relaxation was far from his mind. He
took the opportunity of a change in
routine to tackle masechtos that he
could not adequately focus on year
round and to share his talents by
editing sefarim being prepared for
publication.
RAV ZALMON MALINOWITZS
impact went beyond his talmidim; it
was recognized by all who came into
contact with him and were zocheh to
a brush with true gadlus.
One grandfather of talmidim,
who was present at the hespedim,
wrote:
...I am reeling from the display
of love from his talmidim. That my
grandsons would be hysterical over
the petirah of a rebbi is a huge compliment to the man. I cannot think of
a single teacher in all my years over
whose loss I would be emotional...
I think of a dvar Torah that Rav
Aharon Soloveichik ztl told regarding the distinction between a rebbi
and a teacher. A rebbi invests his soul
and heart into a talmid while a teacher
most often is a visiting lecturer...
53
TRIBUTE
MR. RONALD LOWINGER, the

president of the Yeshiva, wrote:
Rabbi Malinowitz was a quiet
jewel that we were honored to have
in Mesivta Chaim Shlomo for 15
years. The maamad [of the levaya],
of bachurim crying their eyes out is,
I think, unparalleled in the Yeshiva
world... I think the most poignant
thing I can say is something that a
young [alumnus] who I respect very
much told me yesterday. He said that
he was not in Rav Malinowitzs shiur,
but that every night when he would
come to the beis medrash [the rebbi]
would come over and say Hello. That
was Rabbi Malinowitz.
A PARENT OF TALMIDIM
SHARED:
A Camp Munk hanhala member
told me that when the boys in Camp
Munk heard the news they immediately gathered in the gazebo, sat on
the floor and cried their hearts out for
two hours. These boys are talmidim
who loved their rebbi with all their
hearts. They are still kids, 16-, 17- and
18-year olds... What love for a rebbi.
What kavod haTorah.
This was no ordinary rebbi. He

was a rebbi who taught his talmidim
how to learn and how to love learning. His bechinos were legendary. The
endless hours that the bachurim put
into chazara before a bechina was
simply incredible. They put that time
in because he cared for each and every
one of them and they, in turn, loved
his Torah and loved him.
As I told my older boys, they
were zocheh to have a special bond
with a gadol baTorah, and a bond
formed through Torah is everlasting
and can never be taken away. I feel
sad for my younger boys, and for all
the younger boys who will never have
that opportunity...
We must find a way to perpetuate
his legacy and keep his Torah alive.
RAV ZALMON MALINOWITZ took
American boys, mostly from regular baalebatishe homes, and infused
in them the spirit of becoming bnei
Torah, of striving for the heights of
gadlus and settling for nothing less.
The testaments to his success are the
bachurim and kollel yungeleit, the
Less than two weeks before his petirah, Rav Malinowitz dancing with Shlomo Hirschey at his chasunah
54
husbands and fathers who have been

forever changed because they were
privileged to be his talmidim. The
alumni who took upon themselves
to finish Shas Bavli in time for the
Shloshim, because they could not help
but give back to their rebbi they owe
so much and their gift was the only
one he would appreciate: Torah itself.
THE VERY WALLS OF THE
YESHIVA are saturated with his
Torah, molded by his steady, clear
voice that resonated with amkus, with
mesikus and an unending song of
ahava for Torah and for his talmidim.
Our Yeshiva is zocheh to so many
chashuveh rabbeim. But Rav Zalmon
was unique. He was looked up to by
his illustrious colleagues, and to a
large degree he was the miacheid, a
unifying force in a close-knit group of
marbitzei Torah whose burning desire
is to raise talmidim who will love
learning and will aspire for greatness.
He was the anchor of the Yeshiva.
Mi yitein lanu timuraso? f
Mazel Tov Alumni
Yaakov 99E and Mrs. Aber

on the birth of a son
on the marriage of their

daughter
Yaakov Abramczyk 12B on

his marriage
Pinny 98E, 02M and Aliza

Brecher on the birth of a son
Nachum Dovid Alpert 05E,

12B on his marriage to Dina
Gross of Lawrence
Yehuda 85E and Yocheved

Brecher on the birth of a son
Dani 01E, 05M and Rivky

Aranov on the birth of a
daughter
Shmuel 89E and Yehudis

Brown on the birth of a son
Simcha Buff 05E, 09M on
his marriage
Rafi 00M and Shulamit

Aranov on the birth of a son,
Binyomin Moshe
Mordechai 94E and Aliza

Burg on the birth of a
daughter, Miriam Tehilla
Boruch Chiya and Michal

Aryeh 91E on the bar
mitzvah of their son
Zevi 02E, 06M and Rivka

Carlebach on the birth of a
daughter, Sarah Tehillah
Yaakov Avigdor 10M on his

engagement
Shmuel Carrey 05E, 09M

on his engagement to Michal
Schulman
Avraham 04E and Mrs. Bane

on the birth of a daughter
Natan 00E and Mrs. Bane on
the birth of a son
Avrohom 91E and Yocheved
Bender on the birth of a
daughter, Chaya Tova.
Dovid 87E and Hennie
Bender on the birth of a
daughter, Chaya Tova.
Moshe Nesanel 08B and
Chavy Bender on the birth of
a daughter
Zvi 93E and Esther Bender
on the birth of a daughter,
Chaya Tova
Nochum 06M, 07B and
Esther Bluma Berenbaum on
the birth of a daughter
Yitzy 98E and Mrs. Berger
Moshe 87E and Chani
Bloom on the bar mitzvah
of their son
Shlomo 06E, 10M and Esty
Bloom on the birth of a
daughter
Yechiel 80E and Shulamis
Bloom on the birth of a
grandson
Yussi Cohen 04E, 08M, 11B

on his marriage
Boruch 03M, 05B and Sari
Cooper on the birth of a
daughter
Sruly Dachs 06E, 10M on
his engagement to Shana
Sochaczewski of Toronto
Chaim Gershon 02M, 05B
and Chana Davis on the birth
of a son
Yehuda Davis 05E, 09M on
his engagement to Chaya
Weissman of Cedarhurst
Ezzy Dicker 06E, 10M on his
marriage to Chavi Tusk of Kew
Garden Hills
Asher 01E, 05M, 08B and

Chayala Feigenbaum on the
birth of a daughter, Malka
and his wife on the birth of a

daughter
Yisroel Isser Indich 05E on

his marriage
Avrohom Dovid Goldman

05E on his marriage
Netanel Isaacs 12B on

his marriage to Sarah
Koshkerman of Atlanta
Yitzy Feigenbaum 08M,

11B on his marriage to Sari
Friedman of Highland Park, NJ
Yehudah Leib 89E and

Shoshana Gordon on the bar
Moshe Shlomo 08M and

Michal Feivelson on the
birth of a son
Mordechai 07M and Leba

Tova Goldman on the birth
of a daughter
Moshe Jungreis 05E on

his engagement to Rivkah
Rosenthal of Lakewood. Mazel
Tov to his parents, Osher 80E
and Yaffa Jungreis.
Yitzy 99E, 03M and Ahuva

Feldstein on the birth of a son
Mendy 05M, 08B and Malky

Greenbaum on the birth
of a son
Pinchos Kanner 00E and

his wife on the birth of a
daughter
Asher 01E, 05M and

Shoshana Gross on the birth
of a son, Akiva Eliyahu.
Netanel Kashi 08M on his

marriage to Malka Mizrachi of
Monsey
Avrumi Gross 06E, 10M

on his engagement to Raizy
Rubinfeld of Brooklyn
Kalman Yosef 04E, 08M and

Elana Katlowitz on the birth
of a daughter
Yitzy 98E, 02M and Kayla

Gross on the birth of a son,
Levi Shmuel
Moshe 80E and Friedy

Kaufman on the
engagement of their
daughter
Levi Felsenthal 10M, 11B

on his marriage to Nechama
Rubin of Har Nof
Ephraim Fink 12B on his
marriage to Chani Schwebel
of Cedarhurst
Yehoshua 02M, 04B and
Fayga Fleisher on the birth
of a son
Gili Friedman 06M on his
marriage to Tali Silverstone
Shaya 85E and Tzippy
Friedman on the birth of a
daughter
Yitzy 04M and Michal
Friedman on the birth of a
daughter
Dovi 10B and Mrs. Frischman
Dovid 91E and Penina
Ganger on the birth of a
daughter and on the bar
Yehuda Gutkind 08M on his

marriage to Dafna Zauderer
of Los Angeles
Moshe Halberstam 02E
on his engagement to Chani
Grinspan of Brooklyn
Afshin and Naz Hekmati on
the bar mitzvah of their son
Shlomo Hirschey 09M, 10B
on his marriage to Shoshana
Greene of Brooklyn
Shlomo Hoberman 05E on
his marriage
Shraga Garfinkel 01E, 05M,

08B on his marriage
Menachem Hoffman 05E,

09M on his engagement
Shaya 02E and Mrs. Gerstel

Raffi Holzer 02E on his

engagement
Boruch 08B and Leah

Ebstein on the birth of a son
Yaakov 12B and Rivky Gifter

Nechama
Yehuda Holzer 04E on his

marriage to Talia Pruzansky
Yossi Eichorn 09M, 12B on

his marriage
Moshe 00E and Dani Glenn

Moshe Eisen 07E, 11M on

his marriage
Chaim Gold 04E, 08M, 11B

on his marriage to Chanala
Salamon of Brooklyn
Michoel Drillman 06E,

10M, 13B on his marriage
to Yehudis Fruchthandler of
Brooklyn
Yisroel Yaakov Eisen 04E,

08M, 11B on his marriage
Avromi Blum 99E on his

marriage
Menachem 88E and Yehudis

Engel on the birth of a son
Eli 94E and Shira Blum

Zahava Bracha
Shimon Farber 09M and his

wife on the birth of a son
Zvi 84E and Faygie Bokow
daughter
Yoni 01E, 05M and Rachel

Farber on the birth of a
Dovid 97E, 01M,B and Adina

Indig on the birth of a son,
Chaim
Avi 83E and Ilana Keilson on

the birth of a son
Yair 91E and Milka Keilson on
the bar mitzvah of their son
Dovi 06M, 09B and Penina
Kenig on the birth of a
daughter, Devorah
Naftoli 02B and Miriam Dina
Kolodny on being honored
as Alumnus of the Year by
Yeshiva Mercaz Hatorah of
Belle Harbor
Michoel Kosoff 03E, 07M,
08B on his marriage to Malky
Brodsky of Lakewood
Mordechai 94E and Tsiporah
Kralik on the birth of a son
Yehuda Kram 11B on
his marriage to Avigayil
Kaminetsky of Lakewood
Ari Krasnow 06E, 10M, 13B
Stay Connected!
Meir 90E and Estie

Goldberg on the bar mitzvah
of their son
Attention Alumni! Stay informed. Be inspired.

Reconnect with your yeshiva and your friends. Make
sure the Alumni Association has your correct address
and contact information.
Yisroel 98E and Mrs.

Goldberg on the birth of
twin daughters
Email us: alumni@darchei.org

Call us: 718-868-2300 ext. 317
Text YDTALUMNI to 22828
Betzalel Goldgrab 98E
55
on his engagement to Shevy

Bush of Monsey
Moshe Krischer 04E on his
marriage
Shlomo and Rochel Kushner
05B, 08M on the birth of a
daughter, Chana Bluma
Eli 00M and Malki Langer on
the birth of a son
Kalman Laufer 06E on his
marriage to Talya Lent of New
Rochelle
Bezalel Leben 06E,10M,13B
on his marriage to Shira
Schick of Lawrence
Aryeh Lerer 02E,06M on his
marriage to Baila Maghen
Tzvi 00E, 04M, 05B and
Hadassah Lieberman on
the birth of a son, Refael
Menachem
Yosef and Aviva Lifshitz 11B
on the birth of a son, Dovid
Yehuda
Avi 99M and Amanda
Loewenstern on the birth
of a son
D.Z. 02M, 07B and Esty
Loketch on the birth of a
daughter, Raizy
Yitzchok Lubin 03E, 07M,
10B on his marriage to Elana
Hoch of Brooklyn
Ovadiah Luwish 04E on his
engagement
Tzvi 01E, 05M and Devorah
Mandel on the birth of a
daughter
Shaya 00M and Shoshana
Markovits on the birth of a
daughter
Moshe Marton 06E on his
marriage to Aviva Skaist
Eliyahu Abba Metz 03E on
his engagement
Yaakov Yosef Monczyk 00E,
04M, 08B on his marriage to
Sima Rosenberg of the Lower
East Side
Yechiel 08M, 11B and Naomi
Munk on the birth of a son
Yair 00E, 04M, 07B and Perri
Netzer on the birth of a son,
Yaakov Yoel
Yisroel Moshe Neuberg
03E, 07M on his marriage to
Batsheva Kreiser of Lakewood.
Yehuda Neuman 04E, 08M,
11B on his marriage to Adina
Tatel of Lakewood
Yitzy Novak 98E, 02M on his
marriage to Susie Kassai
56
Mazel Tov Alumni
Zack Nussbaum 07E, 11M

on his engagement to Penina
Sheer of Passaic
Yisroel Oppen 11M on his
marriage to Simcha Frichner
of Monsey
Avraham Yitzchak 05E,

09M, 11B and Esther Bracha
Roubeini on the birth of a
daughter
of a daughter, Ahuvah Reizel
Eli 90E and Mrs. Ruzohorsky

on the bar mitzvah of their son
Yitzchak 98E and Nechama

Skaist on the birth of a son
Sochie 01E, 05M, 08B and

Miriam Parnes on the birth
of a son
Meir Safdieh 12B on his

marriage to Frumie Churba of
Brooklyn
Mordy 00M and Ruchi

Pluchenik on the birth of a
daughter
Avi 95E and Nami Safer on

the birth of a son
Menachem and Chayitty

Pollack 01M, 02B on the
birth of a daughter
Heshy 97E, 01M and Shaina
Raskin on the birth of a
daughter, Chana Rivka
Chaim Asher Reisman
10M, 13B on his marriage to
Raizy Messner of Kensington,
daughter of Alumnus Yitzchak
82E and Sara Messner
Gavriel 03E and Zahava
Neufeld on the birth of a
daughter
Baruch 97E, 01M and Melissa
Pelcovitz on the birth of a
daughter, Aria Yehudis
Zvi Pollak 09B on his
marriage to Naomi Birnbaum
of Brooklyn
Yaakov 01E and Mrs. Safer

Doniel 03E, 07M and Kayla
Salamon on the birth of a
daughter
Shmuel and Mrs. Salamon
03E on the birth of a daughter
Yitzy Satt 05E, 09M on his
marriage to Shira Cooper of
Baltimore
Eli 07M and Chaya
Scherman on the birth of
a son.
Ari Schlam 05E, 09M on
his engagement to Faigy
Goldbaum of Brooklyn
Yitzy Schreiber 01E on his
marriage
Yaakov Yosef Schuss 05E on
his marriage
Yehuda Polter 05E, 09M

on his engagement to Orly
Perlmutter of Passaic
Avremel Schustal 00M,B

on his marriage to Naomi
Dornbush of Bayswater
Yossi 99M, 03B and Gitty

Reisman on the birth of a son
Benzy 10B and Shaindy

Schwadel on the birth of a
son, Yehoshua
Zevi Rhodes 02E, 06M on

his marriage
Dovid 07M, 09B and
Chani Roll on the birth of a
daughter
Shalom 01M,B and Miriam
Rosen on the birth of a
daughter, Leah
Yaakov 02E, 06, 10BM and
Chomi Rosen on the birth
of a son.
Sruli Rosenberg 06E, 10M
on his engagement to Chani
Goldberg of Montreal
Yossi Rosenblatt 11M on his
marriage to Arielle Lugassy of
Thornhill, Ontario
Zeev 00M and Mrs.
Rosenfeld on the birth of a
daughter
Mordechai 88E and Chaya
Sara Ross on the bar mitzvah
of their son
Yitzie 00M and Sirkie
Rothman on the birth of
a son
Aaron 06M and Rivky

Schwartz on the birth of a
daughter
Meir Chaim 97E and Mrs.
Schwartz on the birth of a
daughter
Meyer Simcha 98E, 02M,B
and Sora Schwartz on the
birth of a daughter
Shlomo Schwartz 05E, 09M
on his marriage to Deena Kay
of Far Rockaway
Yaakov Gedalia 05B and
Rivka Shapiro on the birth of a
son, Avrohom
Michoel Sharifian 10M, 11B
on his marriage to Yocheved
Zaghi
Srulie 99E, 03M and Chana

Shira Singer on the birth of a
daughter
Moshe Slepoy 05E, 09M,

12B on his marriage to Sara
Adina Taub
Yitzy Sochet 12B on his
marriage to Esti Back of
Lakewood
Benjy and Bracha Soffer on
the birth of a son
Daniel 93E and Ilana Soffer
Tzvi 97E and Esty Soffer on
the birth of a daughter
Zevi Soffer 05E on his
engagement
Moshe Spiegel 04E,08M
on his marriage to Yael
Greenfield
Twersky on the birth of a

daughter
Yechiel 05E, 09M, 14B and
Chani Ungar on the birth of a
son, Yitzchok
Moshe Meir 05B and Devorah
Waldman on the birth of a
daughter, Reesha Esther
Sruli Wallach 05E, 09M, 14B
on his marriage to Breindy
Zilberberg
Eli Weiss 10B of Monsey on
his marriage to Zahava Brown
of Flatbush
Eli 02E, 06M, 09B and Chaya
Wiener on the birth of a son,
Boruch Mordechai
Yitzchok 99M, 05B and
Chana Rivka Wiener on the
birth of a son
Asher Witty 12M on his
marriage to Aliza Bregin of
Baltimore
Moish 00E, 04M and Nomi

Steinberg on the birth of a
daughter, Chaya
Dovid Mordechai Wolfson

06E, 10M, 13B on his
engagement to Nechama
Litenatsky
Yoel 02E, 06M, 09B and Tzarti

Steinmetz on the birth of a
daughter
Kasriel and Rivkah Leah

Yavne 04E, 08M, 09B on the
birth of a son, Yitzchok Leib
Yechiel Stern 05E, 09M on

his engagement to Rivky Press
Tzvi Zaiman 04E, 08M,

11B on his marriage to Gitty
Einhorn
Meir Yehuda 97E, 01M, 05B

and Chani Sternberg on the
birth of a son
Moshe 04M, 05B and Rivkie
Stone on the birth of a
daughter, Chana
Shmuel Yitzchok Zelasko

01E on his marriage to Leah
Gorbunova
Dovid Tepfer 08M, 11B on

his engagement
Emmanuel Zerovabeli09M,
12B on his marriage to
Devorah Rahmany of Los
Angeles
Yossi Tepfer 06E, 10M, 13B

on his marriage to Chana
Sosha Wolfson of Lawrence
Eli Zlotowitz 08M, 09B on

his marriage to Chana Jacobs
of Brooklyn
Refael Tessler 02E on his

engagement to Shira Van De
Veen
Yehuda Zutler 09M, 12B

on his marriage to Ariella
Sommerstein of Cedarhurst
Ephraim 08M, 11B and Michal

Tuchman on the birth of a son
Elchanan Yehuda and Talia

Shira Zwick 02M on the birth
of a son
Aharon 94E and Shoshana
Kos Tanchumim
Moshe Bonrouhi 99E, 03M, 07B on the petirah
of his father ah
Mordechai 03E, 07M, 10B

and Shifra Shenker on the
birth of a son
Aaron Eis 10B on the petirah of his father, ah
Levi Simsovits 06M on his

marriage to Hila Cohen
We regret to announce the petirah of our alumnus

Menachem Schertz 80E, a member of the pioneer
class of Yeshiva Darchei Torah.
Shlomo 05E, 09M, 12B and

Margalit Singer on the birth
Yissochar Mittel 13B on the petirah of his mother, ah.
Dedicate a Day of Eternity.

Through the Parnes HaYom program, the thousands of collective
hours of Torah study taking place in the Yeshivas various divisions
from Preschool and Elementary School to Beis Medrash and Kollel
can serve as a zchus in honor or in memory of a loved one.
Dedication details are displayed prominently throughout the Yeshiva.
For more information or to receive a beautiful CD-ROM presentation

describing the details of the program, please call Rabbi Zev Bald at
718-868-2300 ext. 219
57
Yeshiva Darchei Torah

257 Beach 17th Street
Far Rockaway, NY 11691
Design By: David Benoliel, 718.207.2125, db@davidbenoliel.com
news@darchei.org
In Living Color
A Second Grade talmid learns about plant parts and functions at the Yeshivas state-of-the-art
science laboratory, which was underwritten by the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education

Bedarchei Hatorah Winter2015

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Bedarchei Hatorah Winter2015

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WINTER 5775/2015 // NO.

Mr. and Mrs. Yoav Taub

Mr. and Mrs. Eytan Feldman

Mr. and Mrs. Yumi Kleinbart

Rabbi & Mrs. Moshe Lubart

Mr. and Mrs. Yossi Preiserowicz

The Mesivta Chaim Shlomo Class of 2000

Yeshiva Darchei Torah

From the Rosh HaYeshiva

Junior High School

YESHIVA DARCHEI TORAH

Rabbi Yaakov Bender

Bedarchei Hatorah d Winter 5775/2015

From the Rosh HaYeshiva

On Shemini Atzeres we recite Tefillas Geshem, asking Hashem

Rabbi Yaakov Bender

Bedarchei Hatorah d Winter 5775/2015

Yeshiva Darchei Torahs

Mr. and Mrs. Yoav Taub

oav and Shari Taub, devoted parents and supporters of Yeshiva

Bedarchei Hatorah d Winter 5775/2015

in the early 1970s, back when it was

describe as a very central part of our

Mr. and Mrs. Eytan Feldman

ytan and Aliza Feldman of

Eytan has always felt a sense of

tutions. While at Ner Israel, Eytan

Mr. and Mrs. Yumi Kleinbart

ossi Kleinbart is now in his

Yumi says. These feelings of gratitude

42nd Annual Dinner

at Khal Mateh Efraim, Rav Chaim

sion for chesed to their children. One

Rabbi & Mrs. Moshe Lubart

av Moshe Lubart has been

Bedarchei Hatorah d Winter 5775/2015

talmidim to spend a portion of their

Park Yeshiva, and is a daughter of

42nd Annual Dinner

Mr. and Mrs. Yossi Preiserowicz

ossi Preiserowicz is a member of

PHOTO BY HERSH ROSNER

A partial view of the class of 2000 at their graduation

ing campaigns for the Yeshiva itself

Boruch Binyomin Kitay

The Mesivta Chaim Shlomo Class of 2000

eshiva Darchei Torah is proud to

class of 2000 took a leap of faith in a

bers of the class live in diverse geographic locations, from Yerushalayim

6 Distinguished Rabbeim Join Faculty

RAV NACHUM NACHUMSON,

Bedarchei Hatorah d Winter 5775/2015

RAV SHALOM ROSEN is a new

ith terrorist attacks around

For Rosh Chodesh,

Every Rosh Chodesh at the Junior High

Bedarchei Hatorah d Winter 5775/2015

A siyum was held on Seder

Dr. Yakov Lowinger, a grandson

Rav Dovid Morgenstern, Upper Elementary School menahel

Bedarchei Hatorah d Winter 5775/2015

Middos Mission Off to a Great Start

he Yeshivas remarkable Middos Mission project, profiled in our last issue,

At a special event for the