New Yeshiva Opens in Boca Raton

The 14 young rabbinical students stood on the stage at the Morris and Anita Kaufman Chabad Center in Boca Raton, smiling broadly, as they received a warm welcome from the audience of mostly Chabad rabbis from the tri-county area.

The students, who hail from cities throughout the nation, as well as countries such as Canada and Australia, are the first students to attend the Boca Raton Rabbinical College, the first yeshiva in Palm Beach County.

The opening celebration hosted by the Chabad Center was an opportunity for the students to meet members of the community, in addition to celebrating the yeshiva’s official opening.

The school will be hosted by the Chabad of East Boca Raton.

“The launching of the first Boca Raton Rabbinical College is a historic milestone for the entire Palm Beach County Jewish community, as we now join the ranks of the great centers of Jewish scholarship,” Rabbi Ruvi New of Chabad of East Boca said. “For the first time ever, the Rabbinic leaders of tomorrow, will be trained and ordained right here in Boca Raton.”

Boca Raton Rabbinical College, which opened in early September, will bring together aspiring rabbis to complete their final year of Judaic education. Over the next nine months, the students will study in a unique communal setting, which will help facilitate community outreach programs, in addition to a rigorous academic study regimen.

Some of the community outreach programs throughout South Florida will include, weekly one-on-one, small group learning classes; Shabbat dinners; tutorials and lessons with local businessmen. In addition, the young rabbis will spend time learning how to communicate the Jewish laws they are learning to the surrounding community, how to be a hands-on rabbi, as well as the more practical skills, including officiating a wedding and funeral.

“The yeshiva was the brainchild of Rabbi New,” said Rabbi Moshe Denburg of Chabad of Central Boca, who was one of the keynote speakers at the celebration event.

Other speaker included Rabbi New and Rabbi Shmuel Lew of London England and Rabbi Berel Gurary, primary teacher at the yeshiva. Student Levi Weingarten of Flint, Michigan spoke on behalf of his classmates.

“There is great energy when we study together as students,” he said. “And we know we can achieve anything.”

Another two students gave an in impromptu performance after being called up and identified as “talented singers” by Rabbi New. The lively performance had the audience clapping and singing along.

“To bring in a group of young rabbis to study Torah is a wonderful thing,” Rabbi Yisroel Edelman of Young Israel in Deerfield Beach said.

“These students are a bunch of handsome guys,” Edelman joked, “and I don’t think any of them are engaged or married.”

Rabbi Yakov Fellig of Chabad of Coconut Grove in Miami-Dade County said the students will be visiting the entire South Florida community.

“A yeshiva like this is very important,” he said. “Young people relate to young people — and the future of Judaism is with the young people.”