The Ponevezher Ravlooked up at the behemoth hotel and exclaimed: “This building is perfect for a yeshivah!”
The community of Gateshead, England celebrated a momentous occasion last week when the city’s yeshivah ketanah, Yeshivas Tiferes Yaacov, relocated from the premises it had been operating out of for the majority of its 47-year history, to a new, large and airy campus, one befitting a makom Torah. Rav Shimon Galai and the Rosh Yeshiva of Chevron, Rav Dovid Cohen, flew in from Eretz Yisrael, joining the Gateshead Roshei Yeshivah, rabbanim, and the local community to mark the occasion.
And while every chanukas habayis is a cause for celebration, the specific building that the yeshivah is moving into holds special significance: Nearly 50 years ago, a hotel chain announced plans to erect a large, new resort hotel in Gateshead, which naturally caused consternation amongst the Gateshead rabbanim and community members, who were concerned that the resort would attract a crowd and culture anathema to the atmosphere of the Torah city.
The Ponevezher Rav, Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman ztz”l, though, had a different view: Upon visiting Gateshead, the legendary Rav looked up at the behemoth hotel and exclaimed: “this building is perfect for a yeshivah!” Like many of his statements, which initially seemed far from reach, his words proved prophetic. Eventually, a second, more popular Hilton hotel opened up a short distance away, sending the first hotel into disuse, and eventually, bankruptcy. After a few short years of business, the building was abandoned and boarded up, remaining in that sorry state for a number of years.
When the administration of Yeshivas Tiferes Yaacov decided to look for a new building for its thriving yeshivah, someone suggested that the massive eyesore a few blocks away just may be the perfect location. The yeshivah enlisted the help of prominent philanthropists, including the Reichmann family from Toronto and England’s Pels family, and acquired the building for a fraction of its original value, allowing the yeshivah to enter a new era — and fulfilled the vision of a gadol from long ago.
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