|
|||||||
|
Archives |
|||||||
Bridgeport yeshiva on the grow, despite setbacks
Last year, the yeshiva earned state licensure, allowing it to offer courses for credit. School administrators have applied for full national accreditation, which would make available federal financial assistance. The school initiated a smicha program that grants rabbinical degrees, affiliated with Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn and headed by Rabbi Yisrael Saperstein. Early this year, fire destroyed the yeshiva's dorm facility, a financial strain that was exacerbated by a drop in tuition and donations, says executive director Rabbi Chagie Rubin, who also serves as Judaic principal at Hillel Academy in Fairfield. "But the fact that we are able to continue despite these challenges shows that the yeshiva is persevering and has the resilience to continue," he says. The yeshiva's Kollel, or community-outreach arm, offers lecture series at various locations from New Haven to Greenwich. The economic downturn has caused a decrease in programming, Rubin says, and a return to the original mission of operating a rabbinical college. But thanks to a donor who has offered apartments at a subsidized rent, the yeshiva is working to replenish the Kollel with young married couples. The men, some of them Yeshiva Gedola alumni, will study in the post-graduate program and perform community outreach. The event's guest of honor is Bridgeport mayor Bill Finch, who has supported the yeshiva's community-building objective vision from the start, Rubin says. Other honorees include David and Jessi Levi, who will receive the Young Leadership Award. The fifth annual dinner will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 7 at the JCC of Eastern Fairfield County. For reservations and information, contact the yeshiva at (203) 330-9200 or dinner@ygbridgeport.org. |
|||||||
Enter your comments here. The Jewish Ledger invites you to post your thoughts and comments on the story above. Please be sure to include your full name, city of residence and your email address if you wish your comments to be considered for publication in the print edition of the Jewish Ledger. If your comments are selected for inclusion in our print edition, an editor must contact you for confirmation. Thank you for reading the Jewish Ledger! |
|||||||
|
|
