The Bronx, once the home of a vibrant frum community, is now receiving its long awaited revitalization with the opening of a Yeshiva Gedolah and Beis Medrash in the northernmost borough of New York.
Yeshiva Gedolah of the Bronx will be headed by the popular Rebbie, Rabbi Yehsohua Danese, who taught for twelve years with the Torah Academy of Brooklyn, and other yeshivas, along with Menahel, Rabbi Yeshurun Zeitlin.
The Yeshiva, which will be beginning classes October 29th, will sport renovated dormitories, van service, access to a gym, catered meals, a full day and week of learning along, with a regents diploma, Shabatons, and, of course, access to the classic immense parks that the Bronx is famous for.
Asked why they are opening this Yeshiva in the middle of the year Rabbi Danese responded “that you will be surprised as to the number of boys who are not in yeshiva right now. It is extremely easy to fall out of the system and once that happens it is extremely difficult to get back in. We are here to address that need, as well as many others.”
With the goal that their talmidim should all opt to move on to learning in Israel after High School, the Yeshiva Gedolah of the Bronx will also be offering a beis medrash program in addition.
The remnants of the once powerful Bronx Jewish community looks forward to this new Yeshiva and hopes that this will bring an awareness to others of the opportunity that lies for frum people way up and above the borough of Manhattan.
“A dean of a different yeshiva said to me,” remarked Rabbi Danese, “’that he is a mechanich and is not interested in kiruv.’ I replied, that ‘nowadays every Rebbie must be a kiruv Rebbie. The entire world is amassing and wielding all of their resources to mikarv our children to relinquish their position as part of the Am Hanivchar, chas v’shalom. We have to fight back. That the Torah is beautiful, Hashem is beautiful Yiddishkeit is beautiful, we just have to do our part not to turn our young people off.”
“Yoseph Hatzadik was a teenager, strutting around in his beautiful coat, telling on his brothers, being bullied and rejected by them. Nowadays, a boy like that,” continued Rabbi Danese, “would be given behavioral therapy, put on medication and sent out of yeshiva. Yaakov, instead kept his eye on his son. ‘This mida,’ he thought, ‘could be the one that will lead him to greatness as an adult.’ And as that was true with Yoseph, it is also true with all children. That mida that is getting a child into trouble, is the same mida that is meant for him to utilize, as an adult, in his unique contribution to Hashem’s Holy Nation.”
“We will be taking all these under-utilized misunderstood talents and as Mishlie recommends ‘train a child according to his way.’ We will be taking their individuality and running with it and they will be successful, not because they squelched all their drives, but because we took advantage of them.
If you would like more information concerning the Yeshiva Gedolah of the Bronx please email [email protected]
(YWN – Studio B)
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10 Responses
I grew up in the Bronx in the 60s and 70s when the Jewish population was 600,000.
In which part of the Bronx will the Yeshiva be located? If Pelham Parkway, excellent!!! Maybe more Jewish families will move there.
To late as a Bronx born and raised person there is nothing left of the vibrant community the Bronx was. I wish them luck. But where were you in the 80s ,90s. When it still had Jews. Other then riverdale the last bastion of yiddishkeit the Bronx is not rising out of the ashes it once was
It should be matzleach. I
To kollel faker, The Bronx has a few shul’s. it has a kosher pizza/ take out place and jewish families with YOUNG children. In no way is The Bronx in ashes or empty. I know plenty of families there. FRUM.
As a musmach of yeshiva rav yisroel salanter (Webster and Tremont) from the early 60s, its really exciting to hear of about a small spark of yiddeshkeit being relit in the Bronx. Sadly, there really isn’t anything left of what many of us consider the “Alte Heim”. Aside from the small oasis in the north bronx/Moshulu Parkway/Riverdale area, the east bronx and Pelham Parkway areas really don’t have the population to support yiddeshe mosdos.
#1. Have you been to Pelham recently or r u reminiscing There is nothing left the once thriving young isreal is abandoned and has moved into basement of the reformed temple try to find a kosher store there there is nothing left I lived in the Bronx all my love from 1947 until mid 70s when I moved out.
The story of the ‘wandering Jew’ repeats itself in every neighborhood. The Bronx, areas of East New York, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Coney Island, Jamaica and Canarsie, and these are only NY examples.
Same story as neighborhoods shifted in Milwaukee, Detroit, LA, Miami area, Newark, etc. This is the status of am Yisroel until the Geulah, so don’t get so attached to your home & neighborhood.
The Young Israel has the whole building and there IS for a fact a community there. Please don’t write anything until you know the facts. Pelham Parkway HAS Jews a kosher store and a couple of minyanim. And to Gadolhadorah you know nothing. And to Kollel Faker, there is a store under the KAJ in Pelham Parkway.
The old Young Israel was never abandoned. It was sold to the Board Of Ed before the shul even moved out. You really don’t know any facts. Haven’t you ever learned, if you don’t have any thing nice to say, don’t say anything at all. You should find out before you type…. Please.
I live in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. All our O shuls are mobbed with people every Shabat. Where will this yeshiva be located?