3 Partners Kick-off Oholei Torah’s Expansion Campaign

Oholei Torah is acquiring the apartment building, 639 Eastern Parkway, next door to its current campus and kicking off a campaign to help raise the funds needed for the purchase. This will allow Oholei Torah to add 14 additional classrooms and more outdoor recreation area. It will also give the opportunity to further expand the campus, giving the 1850 talmidim the comforts they need and deserve.

Three partners, long-time friends, alumni and supporters, have stepped up to match donations for this kick-off campaign. These partners share the vision of expansion for Oholei Torah, a mossad that is a true pride and integral part of the Chabad Lubavitch community worldwide

HaRav Yitzchok and Rebbetzin Shaindel Raitport

The Raitports’ connection with Oholei Torah goes back close to 60 years. As a young child, Rabbi Raitport lived in close proximity to Oholei Torah, which was then on Rochester Avenue and Eastern Parkway. His mother, Rebbetzin Pesha Raitport a”h, was an acquaintance of Rebbetzins Esther Teitelbaum a”h and Sara Roitblat a”h, founders of Oholei Torah’s Women’s Auxiliary.

With warm memories,Rabbi Raitport recalls how his mother would come in to Oholei Torah with a full pushka that she and her children had filled and, with great pride and love, present it to the Yeshiva office. She was thoroughly pleased to be supporting a Yeshiva whose ideals stood true to those of the “alte heim.”

In addition, being she was raising her family alone after having lost her husband, she realized the importance of a true wholesome chinuch and the integral role a Yeshiva plays in the upbringing of a young child.

His mother’s dedication to support Oholei Torah made an indelible impression upon Rabbi Raitport, encouraging him to make it one of his priorities to further the goals of Oholei Torah, not only by way of financial support, but also by investing efforts to raise the bar of its students’ Torah study and spiritual growth.

Rabbi and Rebbetzin Raitport have both keenly followed the growth of Oholei Torah and have generously supported many of its major endeavors. As close and personal friends of Oholei Torah’s founder, Reb Michoel Teitelbaum a”h, and R’ Dovid Deitsch, a”h and, yibadel lechayim tovim, executive director, Rabbi Joseph Rosenfeld, the Raitports’ door has always been open to them and they have always been warmly received.

Today, the Oholei Torah buildings proudly carry the Raitport name with many prominent dedications. The Beis Medrash (study hall), opened in 2001, where thousands of talmidim spend precious years learning from some of the most sought after Roshei Yeshivas in the world, is known as the Raitport Beis HaMedrash. The magnificent Aron Kodesh that adorns the
Beis Medrash also carries the Raitport family name.

A Beis Medrash used for the Mechina Division is known as the Katz Beis Medrash, after Rebbetzin Raitport’s parents, Reb Alter Gershon Chanoch Henoch HaKohen and Baila Tzirel Katz, OBM.

The Yeshiva library was dedicated in memory of their beloved son, Hatomim Sholom Dovber Raitport OBM, and has many volumes of Rabbi Raitport’s seforim. These seforim include 22 volumes of B’var Melech on the Rambam, 2 volumes of Toras Yitzchok on the Shulchan Aruch, responses of B’var Melech and many more, including weekly kovtzim and a special kovitz on every yom tov. Rabbi Raitports newest sefer, over 350! pages, is being published on the Yom Tov of Purim. All this was written with the directives, encouragement and brochos from the Rebbe.

Many additional dedications have been made over the years, including an Aron Kodesh in Oholei Torah’s newly purchased summer camp grounds in Kingston, NY, and a prominent entrance Sha’ar Eliyahu in the beis medrash in memory of R’ Eliyahu Raitport obm, Rabbi Raitports older brother.

Today’s partnership with Oholei Torah’s expansion campaign brings HaRav and Rebbetzin Raitport much interest, joy and nachas, as they watch others join in support of such an important and growing institute.

Oholei Torah Board of Directors

With the tremendous growth of Oholei Torah, the need for a vibrant, involved and dedicated Board of Directors became more and more evident. Under the leadership of Rabbi Joseph Rosenfeld, Executive Director, the Oholei Torah Board has been bringing Oholei Torah to even greater heights and professionalism, in matters both of physical growth and financial stability, as well as a concern for the ruchnius of the mossad.

Working together, the Board has expanded to 13 members, including senior members that have been with the mossad for close to 50 years, as well as young members who joined more recently, who have experience in chinuch as well as communal affairs.

The Board members are: Rabbi Joseph Rosenfeld, Executive Director, R’ Boruch Brikman, R’ Yosef Brikman, R’ Shmuel Brook, R’ Zalman Chein, R’ Mottell Deitsch, R’ Avremel Lokshin, R’ Moshe Melamed, R’ Leibel Motchkin, R’ Yankel Pinson, R’ Shalom Ber Rabkin, R’ Sholom Rosenfeld, and R’ Eliezer Teitelbaum.

More recently, the board has added a new division to the elementary school and has provided an assistant principal to each division, thus providing the principals with a workable number of talmidim to deal with, so they can properly assess each talmid’s growth and needs on an individual basis. Updates to the financial and tuition offices and its computer systems have allowed for more accurate and easier flow of information. A Va’ad Ruchni has been established with veteran mechanchim, who oversee the chinuch of the mossad.

In addition, an expanded development and PR office has been opened to expand the donor base of the mossad, and Rabbi Yisroel Levertov has been hired as the COO of the development office.

A new 120 acre camp grounds, known as Yeshivas Kayitz Kingston,was opened under the auspices of Oholei Torah in Kingston, NY, geared towards grade 8 and Mesivta talmidim. The campus grounds were dedicated by Hershey and Raisy Friedman. This camp has gained a reputation of being an outstanding program and attracts campers from all over the United States and overseas, as far away as Australia.

Also new to this year is the addition of a younger division of Shiur Alef and Beis in the Raitport Beis Medrash, with the hiring of Rabbi Nissin Deitsch as the Menahel.

And today, the board is undertaking an extraordinary Building Campaign which will lead to a massive expansion and benefit all the divisions. The kick off of this campaign is with the purchase of 639 Eastern Parkway.

The Board has proven itself to be involved, knowledgeable and dedicated, they have been long time supporters and collectively give tens of hours each and every week to Oholei Torah. With great vision and a vast look to the future,Oholei Torah is most fortunate to have such a dedicated Board.

Contribute to the campaign at Charidy.com/OT

A collective group of Parents, Alumni and Friends

As the third matcher, a group of parents, alumni and friends have joined together with one common denominator, belief and support of a mossad chinuch based on the Rebbe’s Horaos, and seeing the vision of an all-inclusive expanded campus.

This group includes both longtime supporters and new ones, who have belief in our mossad and its hanhola.

Interestingly, in the last letter Oholei Torah received from the Rebbe, he added the following words:

“I am sure that all participants…. and Anash in particular, will respond with unique devotion, so as to enable the important institution, Educational Institute Oholei Torah, to strengthen and broaden its vital educational activities.”

These outstanding individuals optimize these words of the Rebbe, and are looked up to and influence many others to follow in their charitable ways.

The Anash group include
Osher and Rivka Karnowsky
Ari and Malky Sperlin
Honoring of the Rebbe’s Yeshiva
Shmuel and Rosalynn Malamud
In honor of Rabbi J. Rosenfeld
Chona N. and Chana Gewirtz
Anonymous

Zalman and Raizy Cousin
A Grateful Parent
Union Capital LLC
Honoring Rabbi Levi Borenstein
Anonymous
Ya’akov and Malky Lang
One of the first OT Talmidim
Sruli & Toby Richler
In zechus of Chassideshe Kinder
Schnuer Z. and Yocheved Minsky

The entire Oholei Torah community salutes and deeply thanks these matchers, as they lend their financial support, allowing Oholei Torah to further expand.