In a development that has touched off a flurry of speculation that Yeshiva University plans on significantly expanding its presence in Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin’s Ohr Torah Stone Institutions will open Yeshivat Toras Shraga, a new men’s post-high school program to be situated in Yeshiva’s Joseph and Caroline Gruss building in Jerusalem. The new yeshiva, to be operated under the direct leadership of Rosh Hayeshiva Rabbi Chaim Brovender, claims to offer academic Jewish Studies courses sanctioned for credit by Yeshiva’s Jewish Studies Department; many insiders feel that such low-level collaboration marks the first step towards a broad relationship between the two bastions of Modern Orthodoxy
While Toras Shraga has not yet opened its doors, its director, Rabbi Moshe Cohen, former head of the National Council of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) Southern Region, promises that the nascent yeshiva will boast some thirty students in its upcoming inaugural year. “We are looking for boys with extremely well-developed learning skills,” Cohen explained, “essentially YU beis medrash type boys who represent the specific ideology of charda”l (Charedi-Dati Leumi) — yeshivish and believing in medinat yisrael, but with the ability to find truth in all subjects.”
The correspondence of this demographic to that of hesder institutions like Yeshivat Har Etzion and Yeshivat Sha’alvim has left some hesder Roshei HaYeshiva fearing the specter of this putative merger. A hypothetical joint institution, bolstered by anxious parents’ fears of sending their children to schools outside of Jerusalem, would possess the necessary financial clout to divert a significant fraction of potential hesder students away from the well-established yeshivot. Commentator sources reveal that more than one such Rosh Hayeshiva has placed a call to high-level Yeshiva administrators to express concern over the rumored partnership. Yeshiva’s top brass has remained markedly silent on the matter. In the words of one Yeshiva insider, however, “This marriage was made at the very top levels.” While the identity of these ‘top levels’ remains ill-defined, another insider pointed to YU board members such as Moshael J. Strauss and Morry Weiss, who bear strong ties to Ohr Torah Stone, and who might desire a closer relationship between their two beneficiary institutions. Most insider sources ultimately refused to speculate on the exact source of the alleged cooperation.
In contrast to Yeshiva’s reticence, however, Rabbi Riskin seemed more open to discussing the possibilities afforded by the new school, reaffirming the fears of many. “I would hope that this will be the case,” Riskin revealed, when questioned about the possibility of the new yeshiva strengthening ties between his institution and Yeshiva University. “I would say this is a first step. We will be offering two very unique and important courses to our students, courses that will receive full credit from YU’s Judaic Studies department. One course will be on Tanach, including the geography and history in Tanach. We will also offer tiyulim to illustrate these ideas. Our other course will be Hebrew Language, along with a sense of what is happening in Eretz Yisrael, and an appreciation of the differences between modern Ivrit and Mishnaic Hebrew.”
Though Riskin hastened to add that these courses had been approved by Yeshiva’s Judaic Studies Department, Dr. Yaakov Elman, Cluster Head of Judaic Studies, contested Riskin’s assessment. “While we will consider their course offerings for credit,” he clarified, “we certainly have not approved any syllabi or definite courses yet.” Elman also strongly denied that any Bible courses would garner approval. “The courses we agreed to consider were Hebrew Language and Jewish History,” he averred. “We definitely will not approve any Bible courses.”
Riskin pointed out, however, that the Tanach course he touted would actually fall under the heading of Jewish History, since it would deal with “the history and geography of Tanach.” He also denied knowledge of any Yeshiva board member involvement in the developing cooperation effort. “I met with Rabbi Lamm and with Dr. Lowengrub, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and they were both very gracious,” he recalled. “Everyone seemed interested in how the relationship develops. However, there was no board involvement that I was aware of,” he qualified. “My discussions were primarily with Rabbi Lamm, and he sees this as a purely academic matter.” While both Ohr Torah Stone and Yeshiva will obviously reap the benefits of any strengthening of ties between the institutions, the biggest loser appears to be Beit Medrash L’Torah (BMT), the yeshiva that had occupied part of the Gruss building until this year. BMT’s continuous presence at the facility since 1971 will officially end with the current academic year. Although Yeshiva owns the entire Gruss complex, it had been leasing much of its space to Machon Lev, the Jerusalem Institute of Technology, which had in turn sublet to BMT. Due to Machon Lev’s growth, the college had been annually apportioning less space to the post-high school yeshiva. In response, BMT had repeatedly requested the ability to lease space directly from Yeshiva, and had been rebuffed time and again.
“YU wouldn’t even talk to us,” complained Reuven Angstreich, Administrator of BMT. “They could have rented less space to Machon Lev, and maintained space to rent to us, but they chose not to. The proof is in the pudding,” Angstreich bitterly concluded. “Now YU is directly renting to Toras Shraga. There has been no hakarat hatov from YU to BMT whatsoever for the services we provided them, such as food services to the Gruss Kollel. They just saw no reason to help us.”
Angstreich surmised that Yeshiva’s apparent antipathy towards their tenant was merely an issue of dollars and cents. “Toras Shraga is a more important priority for them right now. What we gather is that this might well be a forerunner of a much greater collaboration between the institutions. BMT, however, was just a liability for them.” Angstreich added that his yeshiva would be relocating to a new building in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat Shaul.
In spite of Angstreich’s assertion that Yeshiva would be directly renting space to Toras Shraga, Rabbi Brovender indicated that Machon Lev’s continuing expansion would possibly jeopardize any connection between the fledgling school and Yeshiva. “They are only able to give us space for thirty boys right now,” maintained Brovender. “If the yeshiva grows, these facilities will not be an option for much longer. The future here is not clear to me,” he added.
The uncertainty surrounding the future of Toras Shraga does not stop at the number of dorm rooms it will eventually inhabit, however. Aside from Brovender, no faculty has been named. “Contracts have not yet been signed with any rebbeim, so I can’t discuss any possible hirings,” said the director, Rabbi Cohen. In spite of this problem, Cohen insists that “the entire program is up and running.” If Cohen’s assessment proves correct, the landscape of the Israeli Yeshiva world may be radically altered in the near future.