By COLlive reporter
A revamping at the Rabbinical College of America, a veteran Chabad educational institute located in Morristown, New Jersey, was announced this week in a letter to parents of students.
“Substantial changes and improvements are already being implemented in the Morristown mosdos,” Rabbi Moshe Herson, Dean of the institutions and the Head Shliach of New Jersey, wrote on Wednesday.
Chief among them is the promotion of Rabbi Chaim Schapiro, who has run its successful smicha ordination program, to “head the entire Tomchei Temimim program for the school year 2015/16.”
Under his new position as Menahel, Rabbi Schapiro will oversee one of Chabad’s oldest Yeshivas for bochurim 18–22, with Rabbi Elimelech Zweibel continuing to serve as Head Mashpia and even undertaking “new needed responsibilities.”
“At a staff meeting on the eve of 27 Adar, every staff member of Tomchei Temimim pledged full compliance and full cooperation to Rabbi Schapiro, the new program Menahel for the sake of the Rebbe’s institution,” Rabbi Herson reported.
He is replacing Rabbi Aharon Gancz, the current Menahel, who will in turn be joining the staff of the smicha program which will still be led by Rabbi Schapiro. Rabbi Gancz joins Rabbi Avrohom Levin to help bochurim through halacha studies.
“We thought a great deal about this,” Rabbi Herson told COLlive.com on Thursday. “There is no point to weaken one mosad to help another, but we made provisions not to minimize the smicha program, which is one of our most successful mosdos.”
Rabbi Herson added that the changes were done “by necessity” and aimed to “strengthen the mosad to be what it was for so many years and was weakening now. We don’t want to wait any longer. Rabbi Schapiro’s appointment is going to be a big difference, and has already made a tremendous positive impact.”
He said that the staff at Yeshiva Tiferes Bachurim, one of the first programs for Ba’alei Teshuva founded in 1973, “will continue its increasingly successful program. Innovations and further improvements… will be announced before or immediately after Pesach,” he said.
In addition, Rabbi Mendy Herson is officially stepping in to assist his father “in the implementation of major programs and staff shifts.” He is currently Executive Director of Chabad of Greater Somerset County in Basking Ridge, NJ.
The senior Rabbi Herson said his son “will substantially focus his daily attention to the personal needs of the students. This will start with Tomchei Temimim and Smicha and later expand to Tiferes Bachurim.”
Rabbi Moshe Herson called on parents to become more involved in the institution and reminded them that “the chinuch of our children must be the priority of the entire Chabad Community.”
Rabbi Zaontz gives a terrific shiur.He is totally dedicated to his talmidim. Having heard shiurim from some the most well known litvish Roshei yeshiva I can clearly say Rabbi Zaontz is one of the greatest lomdim. Someone who is looking for a place where his son can learn lomdus should look into this great asset the yeshiva has.As a clarification as a retired individual I have been attending his shiur for a number of years. He has great dedication and cares very deeply about each talmid to inspire him to grow in lomdus.
Cares about his students like no other teacher does.
To #9 – Morristown Zal is post high school age. If you want a secular track in high school, then look there. There was never secular education in Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva Gedolah age. If one reads / learns Kuntres Eitz Chaim from the Rebbe Rashab which lays down the mission of “Tomchei Temimim”, one will see that it is supposed to be a time and place of being totally immersed in learning Nigleh & Chassidus and concentrating on Avodas Hashem without any external interference. That is the way Tomchei Temimim should remain. If you want to make a Yeshiva Gedolah… Read more »
Great menahel and great gashmiyus.
Rabbi’s Spalter, Ganz, Tzwibel, Schappiro, etc are all amazing teachers!!!
Mazal Tov
Very nice to see a yashiva make an effort to step up the program
Spalter zaontz and crew ?
It is not enough to shuffle real change must be done.
The semicha program will Suffer without Chaim running it full time
Rabbi Schapiro is a great choice. My boys loved him
Might help to start a secular track. Was once a staple of Tomcei Tmimim and has unfortunately died out. Today’s parents want to English taught to bochurim 13-22 al taharas hakodesh and under the auspices of chasidusher yidden.
Just what they needed to do!! Under Rabbi Schapiro role there will be a complete revolution in Morristown Zal.
Morristown next year will be the number one place.
I am happy to hear these steps are being taken and I think its gonna be good for morristown AND for the bochurim. The smicha guys all seem to love him so if he can have that connection with the Zal bochurin as well it will be moredik and will definitely attract a crowed bezras hashem
what’s the shakeup?
I’m sure the change will surely be for the benefit of all.
Hatzlacha
Rabbi Schapiro is a Solid Solid Rabbi.
reb chaim is the heart and soul of smicha don’t take him away! who are you fooling it will change smicha drastically don’t ruin the best asset of Morristown!
very nice amazing hatzlachah moshiach now
why not take back the old Rosh yeshiva R’ shmuel heber?
i remember my days in morristown with him, he is an unbelievable mechanech and a gaon.