New Haven was also America’s first mussar-oriented yeshivah
At the 1923 convention of the Agudas HaRabbanim in Lakewood, NJ, a brilliant talmid chacham and close talmid of the Alter of Slabodka named Rabbi Yehuda Heschel Levenberg proposed opening a post high school yeshivah in New Haven, Connecticut, where he served as chief rabbi. He received resounding support, and following its opening later that year, America’s first “out-of-town” yeshivah, which was called Beis Medrash L’Rabbanim, began to attract some of the top bochurim from Torah Vodaath and RJJ.
New Haven was also America’s first mussar-oriented yeshivah and its first major hire was Rav Sheftel Kramer, the brother-in-law of Rabbi Levenberg’s rebbi, Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein. As mashgiach, he inculcated the bochurim with the spirit of Slabodka, and the yeshivah grew in both size and stature.
It wasn’t just mesiras nefesh for Torah and the mussar environment that the early talmidim at New Haven had in common with their counterparts across the Atlantic. Unhappy with the food arrangements made by the yeshivah’s sisterhood, the senior talmidim penned a letter of protest, a move reminiscent (but not quite as sharf) of the strikes that were held in yeshivos such as Volozhin, Radin, and Telshe over various student grievances including the lack of adequate foodstuffs:
Dear Parents’ Association!
Knowing that you have undertaken to work for the welfare of your sons and all the students of the holy yeshivah who are studying here, we hereby deem it necessary to inform you about the current conditions: The cook has little understanding of what cleanliness is and the food is lousy. Although they try to convince us that the quality is sufficient, we know (otherwise) because we and no one else are the ones who are eating the food and experiencing discomfort, and we feel that the situation should be improved immediately. The meat we are served is almost a “poison of death” for our stomachs and many boys need to take medication. A meeting of all the yeshivah boys was convened and we all protested against the kitchen staff and all those who aren’t understanding of our situation.
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