Yeshiva Toras Chaim
Encyclopedia
Yeshiva Toras Chaim was founded in Denver, Colorado
in 1967. It is headed by the Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbi
Yisroel Meir Kagan, and Rabbi Yitzchock Wasserman, both students of Rabbi Aharon Kotler
, founder and rosh yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha
in Lakewood, New Jersey. The yeshiva is an all-male, Lithuanian
(Litvish)-style Talmudic academy
. YTC is located in the Denver West Side Jewish Community
in the neighborhood of West Colfax, Denver
.
s Dov Lesser to discuss potential leadership for the yeshiva. Lesser mentioned the prospect to Rabbi Yitzchock Wasserman, who was teaching in a bais medrash in Boston
at the time. Though Rabbi Wasserman was initially hesitant to leave his Boston position, Mr. Beren convinced him, along with fellow BMG
talmid Rabbi Chaim Kahn, to come to Denver. When Rabbis Wasserman and Kahn realized how much time and energy went into recruiting and fundraising
, they felt that the importance of having a full-time presence in the bais medrash was crucial enough to warrant the inclusion of another yeshiva head. Rabbi Wasserman's childhood friend, Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan, who was giving chaburas in BMG, was recruited for the job. The yeshiva opened its doors to students in the fall of 1967.
Due to the yeshiva's unique location (at the time of its founding, YTC was the first full-time yeshiva not located on the east coast
), the students were initially mainly from Denver and other western cities. Seattle, Los Angeles
, Detroit, Chicago
, St. Louis, Vancouver
, British Columbia
and several other cities were represented, along with bochurim from New York
, New Jersey
, Baltimore
and other east coast communities.
is at its peak. Though many new yeshivas have been established in cities across America
since the yeshiva's inception in 1967, YTC students still choose the Denver yeshiva for its long-standing reputation for strong rebbe
-talmid relationships, along with its high-level Talmudic academic program.
The yeshiva provides a full high school
program (grades 9-12), a bais-medrash program for post-high school bochurim, and a chabura for kollel
yungeleit. Students lodge in the yeshiva's dormitory
facilities, located near the main yeshiva building.
, YTC is responsible for spearheading many of the successful Community Outreach (kiruv) programs in Denver. Yeshiva staff members were giving informal classes in homes on Denver's East Side
before 1983, when YTC responded to the needs of the community by becoming the first yeshiva in the United States
to employ a full-time kiruv professional. In 1986, Rabbi and Mrs. Wasserman traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico
, where they taught Torah
and spent Shabbos in an effort to raise Jewish awareness in the Southwest
.
Today, Rabbi Yaakov Meyer, the yeshiva's original outreach director, leads a flourishing Aish HaTorah
community in Southeast Denver. Rabbi Aaron Y. Wasserman, son of Rabbi Yitzchock Wasserman, heads The Jewish Experience, a multifaceted outreach project in Denver which provides classes, a Sunday school
, Shabbatonim in the Rocky Mountains
, and many other programs that appeal to a wide variety of Jews
.
Yeshivah Toras Chaim also has an active “inreach” program. Merkaz Torah V'Chesed, located in East Denver, serves as a nightly beis medrash open to the community. Merkaz provides a high-level shiur
given by its rabbinical director, Rabbi Aver Jacobs, along with chavrusa
learning, regular classes and other events organized by program director Rabbi Chaim Sher, an alumnus of Beth Medrash Govoha. Merkaz's regular programming includes women's classes, youth programming, Rabbi Yissocher Frand's weekly parsha
shiur (via the Torah Conferencing Network) and annual teshuva drasha, Chol Hamoed
sedarim, and an annual Chanukah chagiga.
R' Shlomo Gottesman- Rosh Yeshiva of the Mesivta of Greater Los Angeles
, Calabasas, California
.
Dr. Phil Mehler- Chief Medical Officer at Denver Health Medical Center
and world expert on the medical complications of eating disorders.
Frank Menlo- Los Angeles
Jay Moskowitz- President of Quality of Life Management
Rabbi Joel Rebibo- Editor of the Jerusalem Post, international edition.
Robert Rechnitz- President of Rechnitz Construction, Inc., and Beverly Hills Typewriter, Inc.
http://www.denveralumni.com
http://www.denveralumni.com
https://www.connecttocharity.com/charity/84-0576800/donate
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in 1967. It is headed by the Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Yisroel Meir Kagan, and Rabbi Yitzchock Wasserman, both students of Rabbi Aharon Kotler
Aharon Kotler
Aharon Kotler was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and a prominent leader of Orthodox Judaism in Lithuania, and later the United States, where he built Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey.- Early life :...
, founder and rosh yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha
Beth Medrash Govoha
Beth Medrash Govoha is a Haredi yeshiva located in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. It is commonly known as BMG, or Lakewood Yeshiva....
in Lakewood, New Jersey. The yeshiva is an all-male, Lithuanian
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
(Litvish)-style Talmudic academy
Academy
An academy is an institution of higher learning, research, or honorary membership.The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 385 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and skill, north of Athens, Greece. In the western world academia is the...
. YTC is located in the Denver West Side Jewish Community
Denver West Side Jewish Community
The West Side community is the oldest Jewish community in Denver, Colorado. It is a traditional, Haredi community with its own eruv. The community follows Ashkenazi Jewish traditions as set forth by the Litvak Jewish tradition, that of Lithuanian Judaism....
in the neighborhood of West Colfax, Denver
West Colfax, Denver
West Colfax is a neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. The neighborhood is located in the West Denver area. According to the Piton Foundation, in 2007, the population of the neighborhood was 11,285, and there were 3,958 housing units.-Boundaries:...
.
History
In 1966, a group of community leaders headed by Mr. Sheldon K. Beren approached Beth Medrash GovohaBeth Medrash Govoha
Beth Medrash Govoha is a Haredi yeshiva located in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. It is commonly known as BMG, or Lakewood Yeshiva....
s Dov Lesser to discuss potential leadership for the yeshiva. Lesser mentioned the prospect to Rabbi Yitzchock Wasserman, who was teaching in a bais medrash in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
at the time. Though Rabbi Wasserman was initially hesitant to leave his Boston position, Mr. Beren convinced him, along with fellow BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
talmid Rabbi Chaim Kahn, to come to Denver. When Rabbis Wasserman and Kahn realized how much time and energy went into recruiting and fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
, they felt that the importance of having a full-time presence in the bais medrash was crucial enough to warrant the inclusion of another yeshiva head. Rabbi Wasserman's childhood friend, Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan, who was giving chaburas in BMG, was recruited for the job. The yeshiva opened its doors to students in the fall of 1967.
Due to the yeshiva's unique location (at the time of its founding, YTC was the first full-time yeshiva not located on the east coast
East Coast
East Coast most often refers to coastline which is on the eastern side of a particular area. Many other terms refer to this initial meaning. Some of these things include:-Malaysia:* The East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia.-New Zealand:...
), the students were initially mainly from Denver and other western cities. Seattle, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Detroit, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, St. Louis, Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and several other cities were represented, along with bochurim from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
and other east coast communities.
YTC Today
Currently, yeshiva enrollmentEnrollment
Enrollment or enrolment may refer to:* Matriculation, the process of initiating attendance to a school...
is at its peak. Though many new yeshivas have been established in cities across America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since the yeshiva's inception in 1967, YTC students still choose the Denver yeshiva for its long-standing reputation for strong rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
-talmid relationships, along with its high-level Talmudic academic program.
The yeshiva provides a full high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
program (grades 9-12), a bais-medrash program for post-high school bochurim, and a chabura for kollel
Kollel
A kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...
yungeleit. Students lodge in the yeshiva's dormitory
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
facilities, located near the main yeshiva building.
Community Outreach
In addition to being the first full-time yeshiva west of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, YTC is responsible for spearheading many of the successful Community Outreach (kiruv) programs in Denver. Yeshiva staff members were giving informal classes in homes on Denver's East Side
East Side
-Municipalities:* East Side Township, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, United States* East Side, Pennsylvania, United States- Canada :* Eastside, Ontario, a neighborhood in Sault Ste...
before 1983, when YTC responded to the needs of the community by becoming the first yeshiva in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to employ a full-time kiruv professional. In 1986, Rabbi and Mrs. Wasserman traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, where they taught Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
and spent Shabbos in an effort to raise Jewish awareness in the Southwest
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
.
Today, Rabbi Yaakov Meyer, the yeshiva's original outreach director, leads a flourishing Aish HaTorah
Aish HaTorah
Aish HaTorah is a Jewish Orthodox organization and yeshiva. Aish HaTorah is actively pro-Israel and encourages Jewish people to visit Israel and connect to the land and its history. Some consider the organisation to reflect a more Religious Zionist philosophy in its attachment to Israel, promoting...
community in Southeast Denver. Rabbi Aaron Y. Wasserman, son of Rabbi Yitzchock Wasserman, heads The Jewish Experience, a multifaceted outreach project in Denver which provides classes, a Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
, Shabbatonim in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, and many other programs that appeal to a wide variety of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
.
Yeshivah Toras Chaim also has an active “inreach” program. Merkaz Torah V'Chesed, located in East Denver, serves as a nightly beis medrash open to the community. Merkaz provides a high-level shiur
Shiur
Shiur is a lesson on any Torah topic, such as Gemara, Mishnah, halakha, Tanakh, etc.-History:The shiur has been a primary method of teaching since Mishnaic times. In a famous Talmudic passage, Rabbi Judah haNasi averred that he gained his sharp mind from watching Rabbi Meir deliver the shiur...
given by its rabbinical director, Rabbi Aver Jacobs, along with chavrusa
Chavruta
Chavruta, also spelled chavrusa , is a traditional Rabbinic approach to Talmudic study in which a pair of students independently learn, discuss, and debate a shared text. It is a primary learning method in yeshivas and kollels, where students often engage regular study partners of similar knowledge...
learning, regular classes and other events organized by program director Rabbi Chaim Sher, an alumnus of Beth Medrash Govoha. Merkaz's regular programming includes women's classes, youth programming, Rabbi Yissocher Frand's weekly parsha
Parsha
This article is about the divisions of the Torah into weekly readings. For this week's Torah portion, see Torah portionThe weekly Torah portion |Sidra]]) is a section of the Torah read in Jewish services...
shiur (via the Torah Conferencing Network) and annual teshuva drasha, Chol Hamoed
Chol HaMoed
Chol HaMoed, a Hebrew phrase meaning "weekdays [of] the festival" , refers to the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot. During Chol HaMoed the usual restrictions that apply to the Biblical Jewish holidays are relaxed, but not entirely eliminated...
sedarim, and an annual Chanukah chagiga.
Notable Alumni
R' Yaakov Friedman- Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Bircas Mordechai, Beitar.R' Shlomo Gottesman- Rosh Yeshiva of the Mesivta of Greater Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Calabasas, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Dr. Phil Mehler- Chief Medical Officer at Denver Health Medical Center
Denver Health Medical Center
Denver Health Medical Center was founded on 1860, and is one of four Level I Trauma Centers in Colorado. The hospital is located near Cherry Creek, in Denver....
and world expert on the medical complications of eating disorders.
Frank Menlo- Los Angeles
Jay Moskowitz- President of Quality of Life Management
Rabbi Joel Rebibo- Editor of the Jerusalem Post, international edition.
Robert Rechnitz- President of Rechnitz Construction, Inc., and Beverly Hills Typewriter, Inc.
External Links
Link labelhttp://www.denveralumni.com
http://www.denveralumni.com
https://www.connecttocharity.com/charity/84-0576800/donate