Kol Yaakov Torah Center
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kol Yaakov Torah Center is a Haredi baal teshuva yeshiva, whose focus is to help students gain skills in Torah study and an understanding of Torah Judaism and Orthodox Jewish philosophy. The goal of the yeshiva is to place students on the path of independent advanced rabbinical and Talmudic Torah scholarship.
Kol Yaakov is based in Monsey, New York in rural Rockland County, 35 miles northwest of Manhattan.
Contents |
[edit] History
Kol Yaakov Torah Center was founded in 1981 by Rabbi Leib Tropper, formerly of Ohr Somayach, Monsey. Rabbi Tropper was at one of the first (but not the first, there was Hadar Hatorah, RCA in NJ etc.) Baal teshuva yeshiva Shema Yisrael Yeshiva when it split into Aish HaTorah and Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem.
Kol Yaakov provides a distinct Haredi environment that operates from a "Torah only" philosophy (as opposed to Torah Im Derech Eretz). Kol Yaakov generally takes an oppositional stance to secular teaching and culture.
[edit] Program
Daily lectures and classes are provided to answer both basic and challenging questions in Judaism. However, the educational program of Kol Yaakov operates much like a typical Lithuanian yeshiva by focusing on Talmud and other textual study. There are four programs offered:
- Introductory
- Intermediate
- Advanced
- Bais Achiezer Rabbinical Training Program
Many of its students have already searched elsewhere for guidance and meaning. With the Torah as their guide, they come to find out how Judaism can enrich their lives and give purpose to their other educational and professional pursuits. One underlying principle that makes Kol Yaakov unique is its goal of not succumbing to the temptation of compromising academic excellence in order to make Torah more palatable, for the ultimate goal is to educate and bring the students into the sphere of Torah Judaism. A professional career integrated with traditional Jewish values is a common goal among Kol Yaakov students. Graduates of Kol Yaakov who want to continue studying Torah more intensively enjoy the unique advantage of being able to study in virtually any mainstream yeshiva.
Kol Yaakov's rabbinical staff helps the students acquire skills in Torah studies, Jewish Law, Talmud and Jewish Philosophy, and also give them spiritual guidance with a view to actualizing the humanity and Torah greatness within themselves. It seeks to maximize the opportunity for personal growth by providing individualized attention designed to meet the needs of each student. Kol Yaakov's full-time programs provide classes for the Winter, Spring and Summer terms on all levels from introductory to advanced. Day, evening and Sunday classes are also available for the part-time students.
Kol Yaakov is an accredited College. It provides an opportunity for students to acquire a clear perspective on their Jewish Heritage, and at the same time obtain a few more credits towards a degree.
The full day's schedule begins with Morning Prayers at 7:30 am and culminated with Evening Services at 9:45 p.m.
Kol Yaakov has been a fully accredited educational center since 1984. Kol Yaakov's success has been unusual in expediting the mainstreaming of students to the conventional and more mature Torah Community. Some 2,000 students have crossed the threshold of Kol Yaakov's door.
The student body is usually about 90 percent Baal teshuva ("returnees [to Orthodox Judaism]") and people from Orthodox families are in the minority. Out of a group of 25 students there are usually about 5 - 10 regular students and rest turn over 90 percent every few months.
[edit] Faculty
- Rabbi Leib Tropper a is founder of Kol Yaakov Torah Center. A native of Brooklyn. He served as an educator at Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem. He returned to the United States in 1980 to help found Ohr Somayach, Monsey, Kol Yaakov, Horizons, and the Eternal Jewish Family project to standardize the process of conversion to Judaism in the Haredi and Orthodox world.
- Rabbi Dovid Stefansky is Rosh yeshiva of Kol Yaakov Torah Center in Monsey.
- Rabbi Dovid Wolpin, received his ordination at the Yeshiva Torah Vodaas. He is the brother of Rabbi Nison Wolpin, editor of the Jewish Observer magazine published by Agudath Israel of America.
