Chabad Yeshivas for College Students Join Forces

This year, Chabad on Campus International Foundation launched the “Yeshiva Initiative,” to provide yeshivas and campus shluchim and shluchos resources for advanced Jewish educational opportunities for their students.

To date, the Yeshiva Initiative has offered tuition and travel scholarships to enable students to study in yeshiva without finances being an obstacle. Under the direction of Rabbi Levi Rabin a “Taste of Yeshiva” Shabbaton was coordinated. Rabbi and Mrs. Zalman and Chaya Schurder are joining the Chabad on Campus team to serve as Jewish Study Counselors to help guide students to choose the most appropriate learning program for them.

In a first meeting of its kind, representatives from various Chabad yeshivas that cater to college students met with campus shluchim on the Yeshiva Initiative Vaad and Chabad on Campus. The goals of the five-hour meeting were for all of the shluchim and the yeshivas to get to know one another better, to work on ensuring that students are matched with the appropriate learning institute for them, and to work together to make it easier for more students to participate in yeshiva learning programs.

The meeting began with welcoming remarks by Rabbi Yossy Gordon, executive vice president of Chabad on Campus International Foundation, explaining Chabad on Campus’ commitment and drive to ensure that college students have the opportunity to enrich and advance their Jewish learning in a yeshiva environment.

Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch and chairman of Chabad on Campus, spoke passionately about the long-term impact that time in a Yeshiva environment has on a student, and how it is up to us to make sure every student who may be interested has this opportunity.

Rabbi Avi Weinstein, director of administration for Chabad on Campus, updated everyone on the accomplishments of the Yeshiva Initiative to date, followed by a discussion of ideas for the future moderated by Rabbi Yudi Steiner, shliach to George Washington University and chairman of the Yeshiva Initiative Vaad.

The meeting, which beautifully illustrated how important it is for organizations to work together to achieve common goals, concluded with numerous commitments for making the Yeshiva Initiative even stronger.