Yeshiva Opens in Boca Raton

A Welcome Ceremony for a new Rabbinical College in Boca Raton, Florida took place Sunday night and included participation by 14 rabbinical students, the founders of the school, as well as a number of Chabad Rabbis from throughout South Florida.

In attendance were Rabbi Ruvi New of Chabad of East Boca; Rabbi Moshe Denburg of Chabad of Central Boca; Rabbi Berel Gurary – teacher at the school; Rabbi Yisrael Eidelman of Deerfield Beach; and Rabbi Shmuel Lew of London England.

Student Levi Weingarten of Flint, Michigan spoke on behalf of his classmates: “You can imagine the energy in the room when 14 boys are learning, hopefully we can achieve many great things in Boca Raton and the entire Palm Beach County.”

“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,” said Rabbi Ruvi New of Chabad of East Boca. “For the first time ever, the Rabbinic leaders of tomorrow will be trained and ordained right here in Boca Raton.”

Machon Menachem, the first Yeshiva in Palm Beach County, is hosted by Chabad of East Boca’s Rabbi Ruvi New and will be attended by 14 young men from cities around the world, including: Brooklyn, NY; Flint, MI; Montreal, CAN; San Rafael, CA; Melbourne, AUS; Delray Beach, FL; Worcester, MA; Coconut Creek, FL; and Chicago, IL.

The school opened in early-September and will bring together aspiring Rabbis to complete their final year of Judaic education. Over the next nine months (through their graduation/ordination in June 2012), the young men will have the opportunity to study in a unique communal setting, which will help facilitate community outreach programs in addition to a rigorous academic study regimen.

Community outreach programs throughout South Florida will include: weekly one-on-one “chavrusah style” or small group learning classes; Shabbat dinners; tutorials and lessons with local businessmen; etc. Further, the young men will spend a significant amount of time learning how to communicate the Jewish laws they are learning to the surrounding community, how to be a hands-on rabbi and as well as the more practical skills, including officiating a wedding and funeral.