Yeshivas Kol Yaakov Yehudah Hadar Hatorah, under the auspices of NCFJE, celebrated 57 years at a gala dinner Sunday evening at the Jewish Children’s Museum in Crown Heights.
Before the Dinner, at the yeshiva, there was Mincha and a dedication ceremony for the newly completed beis medresh, attended by alumni. friends and students of the yeshiva.
Afterwards, donors, alumni, and staff gathered for the annual dinner marking 5, years of Hadar Hatorah, the world’s first Baal Teshuvah Yeshivah for Jewish men with little or no formal background in Jewish knowledge or practice. The yeshiva has literally transformed thousands of lives since its founding in 1962 by Rabbi Yisroel Jacobson obm. Shortly afterwards, Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht obm joined Rabbi Jacobson as Menahel and Dean.
The yeshiva offers both a full time and part time curriculum as well as shorter learning programs such as the ten-day Yeshivacation in Brooklyn and the Summer Program in the Catskills.
At the dinner, the yeshiva honored alumni Avi Kamman and Eli Rosen, with the Jewish Education Award, Shmuel Lezell, Alumnus of the Year and Binyomin Abrams with the Alumnus Outreach Award. Tuvyah Schleifer was Dinner Chairman and Dovid Chaim Hoffman was Journal Chairman.
A special tribute was given to Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yaakov Goldberg for 50 years of dedicated service to Hadar Hatorah. Rabbi Goldberg is an admired and beloved figure among students and alumni. A moving video tribute was prsented comprising anecdotes and best wishes from his talmidim from all over the world.
