Rabbi Gellermans Yeshiva-Lakewood

Yea, I know a lot about it. It’s funny you say not sooo Yeshivish when your son posted in the other topic it’s Ossur to learn Limudey Chol in HS. While there are some Farfrumtas -it’s mostly good normal nice boys. It’s probably not Frum enough for your Heilige son.

First of all, why are u looking into yeshivos so early on on the year? u have at least until purim/pesach until u have to think about it. Also, since u did ask, i did hear about it and know a little about it. It is a very ‘shtarke’ yeshiva, not too greasy, and the rebeim are very warm. Overall from wat i hear, its a very good yeshiva.

Whiteberry, I commend your questions. After observing yeshiva boys for a long time in Lakewood, and having a long conversation with a few of them recently, it seems that the answers are not always what you’d think they are. I would add a few more: Does the yeshiva provide three meals a day and shabbos seudas? (I have met bachurim who walked two miles to a seudah because the yeshiva didn’t host them, and suggested that they let the mashgiach know if they didn’t find a meal. I also constantly see bachurim hitchhiking to fast food restaurants across town, and there have been several FATAL car accidents lately involving those bachurim.) What is the shabbos schedule like? (I have met, on many occasions, bachurim at shalom zachors of complete strangers, because they had nothing else to do Friday night, and they had no other outlets during the week. What do bachurim do for fun? What is the student/faculty ratio? Are there always rebbeim/mashgichim on call? What kind of relationship do bachurim who are not the best in learning have with their rebbeim? (I spoke over yom tov with a kid in a mid-level yeshiva, not for metzuyanim, nor for druggies, who said that about half his class wasn’t there for shiur each day. The rebbeim didn’t say anything because of the prevailing fear that the boys would become rebellious, and the boys weren’t going to volunteer to come. The parents are blissfully unaware of this.)

HIE: There’s a small logical malfunction in your post. After admitting that YOU don’t know of a bachur who was hit by a car hitchhiking, you accuse me of not knowing what I’m talking about. I concede that you don’t know about these bachurim, however I know about them and I will feel free to talk about them.

Furthermore, the point about hitching wasn’t only about fatalities; it was also about the impropriety of bachurim wandering around town unsupervised, with complete freedom to go anywhere they want and often nobody who will notice if they don’t return. There are also more subtle negative effects of being in an environment where nobody is answerable for your welfare, which was the rest of my point about yeshivas not being responsible for their bachurim. Admittedly, it was not a point tailored to bachurim, many of whom don’t mind eating tuna from a can three times a day, hitching all over town, and crashing shalom zachors and weddings for free booze. But it’s something parents should be inquiring about – or at least be aware of in case they want the option of inquiring about.

VM -“Whiteberry, I commend your questions.”

While you ask good questions – I think with regards to Yeshiva D’Brick -I think the answers will be in the positive. I never per se have asked all these questions to them, but I’ve been there quite often and still continue to be there occasionally and spoken to many Bochurim and I get a positive response by many.

Another Yeshiva that I have personal info about is R’ N. Stein’s Yeshiva on the cor. of 9th & Monmouth. It also seems like a very good Yeshiva. The learning here is probably higher than Yeshiva D’Brick.

When I was in yeshiva, there was no reason to hitch. everything we could have possibly wanted or needed was contained in the yeshiva building (dorm and meals) and anything we wanted to purchase was available less than a 5 minute walk (the yeshiva had rules about where we could shop, the local wegmans and cvs were b”h on the approved list). Anything beyond that point was unattainable simply because one had to check out of the building and was always given a strict time frame for how long they could be out and had to check back in.

I personally forbid my children from hitching. You never know who will stop and offer you a ride.

I’m the one who asked about supervision at the beginning of this thread. As the father of teenaged sons, I can emphasize with your comment about a jail like setting, I can’t sympathize with you though 🙂

Back to the subject at hand. Could you elaborate on why and when a bachur would have the need to hitch a ride somewhere? Is it to seder, davening or a meal? Is it to a simcha? Shopping? How much time (or alternately how often) do bachurim have to engage in this activity? When these bachurim are hitching, is the yeshiva aware of where they are, why they are not in the yeshiva and when they are expected back?

“Another Yeshiva that I have personal info about is R’ N. Stein’s Yeshiva on the cor. of 9th & Monmouth. It also seems like a very good Yeshiva. The learning here is probably higher than Yeshiva D’Brick.”

Health- As someone who is in the ‘parsha’ of yeshivos, I have to disagree. Though steins has a good name, there is no argument that Yeshiva Gedolah D’Brick has a higher level of learning than steins. As someone who has friends in yeshiva gedolah dbrick, I am not lying when I tell you that there can be bochrim in the beis medrash on any given night until 12:30!

I used to learn in Rav Gellerman’s Yeshiva second seder. It’s a very nice place. Besides the high level of learning, the bochurim are a warm chevra. Rav Gellerman puts in a lot of kochos into each bochur. It is a well run mossad. Feel free to ask about anything else.

hurtfirefighter -“Health- As someone who is in the ‘parsha’ of yeshivos, I have to disagree. Though steins has a good name, there is no argument that Yeshiva Gedolah D’Brick has a higher level of learning than steins. As someone who has friends in yeshiva gedolah dbrick, I am not lying when I tell you that there can be bochrim in the beis medrash on any given night until 12:30!”

What? And their are no Bochurim up late at nite in Steins?

Stein’s Yeshiva is probably bigger and even though e/o gets individual attention -Yeshiva D’Brick is probably even more attention. But not e/o needs such personal attention.

As far as learning goes, I stand by my statement of Stein’s is a higher level of learning. R. N’ Stein is a very big Talmud Chachum.

Hitching in Israel is far more dangerous than in the States. There are documented stories where even soldiers hitchhiking were kidnapped (and worse) by Arabs dressed as Israelis.

“As far as learning goes, I stand by my statement of Stein’s is a higher level of learning. R. N’ Stein is a very big Talmud Chachum.”

Health- Just because someone is a big talmud chacham, doesnt mean his yeshiva is on a high level. From what I hear R’ Gellerman is also a big talmid chacham who wrote many seforim.

HIE -“health: I think that your way off, iv’e spoken to many people in the yeshivishe velt recently and have been told by everyone that Brick has a significantly higher level of learning than Steins. I’m not talking about who is a bigger talmid chochom. I’m talking about the bochurim.

Health, and regarding the nights, i was told that although steins has good bochurim there are very few in BM after night seder.”

Look my opinion is based on actually being there a lot (at Brick), not what I heard from s/o else.

hurtfirefighter -“Health- Just because someone is a big talmud chacham, doesnt mean his yeshiva is on a high level. From what I hear R’ Gellerman is also a big talmid chacham who wrote many seforim.”

Look I’m not going into this immature argument of – mine is better than yours. I have My Opinion and you’re entitled to yours. They are both good Yeshivos and IMHO stand out amongst the myriad of Yeshivos you now have in Lakewood.

Btw, have you ever stepped into Stein’s? Or are you basing Your Opinion on what you heard from S/o else like HIE did?

HIE -“i have visited both yeshivos and spent time in each one and it was clear to me that brick had better guys. Steins is a little on the “flatbushy” side, it seems, while brick is a little more yeshivish and more into learning.”

What do you consider spent time that you decided that Yeshiva D’brick is better? Btw, they have a new name now. Like I said, you’re entitled to your opinion & I’m entitled to mine. Both are good places to learn.

As s/o from out of town -I chuckled at your “on the “flatbushy” side” line. The whole Lakewood is made up of NY’ers.

Btw, I spend much more time in Yeshiva D’Brick than you ever have.

I’m there almost every week and I got to know a lot of the Bochurim, as opposed to s/o like “Lakewood Yungerman” who just learns/t with one or two guys.

Veltz meshugener -“After observing yeshiva boys for a long time in Lakewood, and I also constantly see bachurim hitchhiking to fast food restaurants across town, and there have been several FATAL car accidents lately involving those bachurim.”

“I live in Lakewood and I pick up Bochurim for rides -only when they are HH in a safe spot and where I can pull over safely. Whether s/o has been killed/hit or not is irrevelant, I’ve seen many Bochurim HH in a dangerous way and many don’t wear reflectors at nite.”

I see nothing has changed here!

I had a ride last night & I wasn’t hitching, but a lot Buchirim were. The person I had ride with, stopped to pick up 2 guys hitchhiking, standing in the street, without any reflectors!

BTW, they weren’t from R. Gellerman’s yeshiva.