It is every Yid’s nightmare: their child’s yeshivah is fighting for its financial survival and announces deep cuts in programs. With America’s deep economic crisis showing no sign of fading, the hanhalah of Lakewood’s Yeshivah Bais HaTorah sent shock waves throughout the chinuch world when it announced that it could not continue to operate. A community-wide campaign has been launched to reverse these dire tidings, but this story is symptomatic of the reality that is facing many communities worldwide.
With the myriad external chinuch challenges facing children today having financial problems obstruct their quest for Torah is a particularly disturbing reality to ponder. Young Moshe’s innocent tears symbolize the spiritual pain suffered by countless frum boys and girls across America.
“I’ve been in hanhalah for twenty-seven years and this is the toughest financial situation I’ve ever seen” says Rabbi Kalman Baumann principal of Yeshivah Toras Emes in Miami Beach Florida. “Some children may not be consciously feeling the pain but most have lost out on precious chinuch opportunities as a result of the crisis.”
The Depths of Debt
The Weisz family’s predicament was shared by hundreds of families in Torah community of Lakewood when word spread last week that a popular local cheder Yeshivah Bais HaTorah was closing indefinitely. The yeshivah which was founded in 1999 boasts nearly 400 talmidim and is noted for its adaptation of the unique method of learning utilized in the “Zilberman cheder” in the Old City of Jerusalem. Described in Pirkei Avos and reiterated by both the Maharal and the Vilna Gaon the Zilberman curriculum generally calls for starting with Chumash and Navi at age five proceeding to Mishnah at around age ten and only beginning Gemara at a later age.
Unfortunately Bais HaTorah has experienced a continuous financial struggle. Last year some of its rebbeim taught outside the yeshivah for several weeks when Bais Hatorah fell drastically behind in its payroll.
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