Morristown Cheder To Upgrade and Renovate, Doubling Capacity

For nearly 50 years, the Cheder in Morristown New Jersey has been cultivating neshamas, lovingly providing the care and nurturing required to create the optimal learning environment. From its earliest days when the entire school was composed of less than 20 kids, Cheder Lubavitch Morristown has emerged as a leading center of Lubavitch chinuch for children from day care through 8th grade. Over the past several years registration requests have exploded resulting in greater demand than the school can accommodate. Enrollment has nearly doubled to 300 plus students.

“It’s a credit to our reputation and our devoted team of Melamdim that each year we have numerous requests from out-of-town parents wanting to send their kids to Morristown,” said Rabbi Ari Wilschanski, principal of the boys division. “Unfortunately, our space is limited which means each year we have to tell more and more parents we can’t accept every applicant.”

The story is similar in the girls division according to limmudei kodesh principal Mrs. Chani Faiden. “Our staff is truly amazing. The morahs are very skilled and especially dedicated, but I think the special ingredient is the closeness of the community. The majority of our staff, in both divisions, is made up of community members and parents. We truly care about the success, educationally, spiritually, and emotionally of each and every student in a very personal way.” The results speak for themselves.

The demand is particularly acute in the preschool. Classrooms are full to capacity in every grade. Cheder Lubavitch Morristown has built an outstanding reputation for early childhood development, led by director Mrs. Chavie Sobel, who notes, “Our talented staff are well-versed in numerous pedagogical approaches such as Montessori, Nurtured Heart, and Conscious Discipline. They are also deeply committed to fostering a nurturing environment and a strong sense of community for our little scholars.”

The mission is clear. In order to keep up with the demand, it’s time to expand. In coordination with the opening of the brand new 30,000 square foot Harry and Joseph Wilf Educational Building on the campus of the Rabbinical College of America, and the relocation of Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim as well as the administrative offices into the new building, additional space is being allocated to the Cheder. Additionally, with the completion of the new Yeshiva building, the Cheder will have access to a state-of-the-art indoor gym where the students can play sports year round.

“Gaining this space is exactly the brocha our Cheder needed,” says Yitzchok Koval, member of the Cheder’s Vaad. “We are excited to announce that we are about to embark on a project of expansion, nearly doubling every elementary classroom and completely renovating our preschool.” The total project is expected to cost approximately $750,000. According to Vaad member Rabbi Yossi Spalter, “we’ve been planning ahead for this day for several years and after successfully completing our fundraiser this week, B’H, we’ve raised the full projected amount.”

With funds accounted for, the hard work lies ahead. Construction is scheduled to begin late spring with the goal of completing the project in time for the upcoming school year. Rabbi Spalter adds “The timeline seems impossible, but our Cheder’s existence has been miraculous and is powered by the Rebbe’s brochas. We have every reason to believe that this project will be more of the same.”