Yeshiva Keter Torah of Lakewood Forced to Close Due to Finances
Yeshiva Keter Torah in Lakewood is the latest victim of the dire financial state of our community’s mosdos, as the yeshiva has been forced to close after consultation with Rav Matisyahu Salomon.
Rav Salomon, mashgiach of Beth Medrash Govoha, recently advised Yeshiva Bais Hatorah in Lakewood that unless it can form a responsible budget, it may not open (see Matzav reprotes here, here and here). Keter Torah, led by its rosh yeshiva, Rav Mordechai Dabbah, is now in the same predicament and was advised similarly. Rabbeim in both mosdos have not been paid in months.
The yeshiva, located on Apollo Drive in Lakewood, is comprised of a Sefardi cheder and mesivta.
One possible option for the stranded 150 students would be to join the Keter Torah branch in nearby Deal, NJ. Efforts are underway to place the talmidim of the yeshiva.
In the last year, Bais Yaakov Elementary School of Lakewood was forced to close due to a monetary shortfall and, just a week and a half ago, as reported here on Matzav.com, Yeshiva Bais Hatorah announced its closure due to a $500,000 deficit.
It is still hoped that Bais Hatorah may open for this school year, as the majority of its 400 students still remain without a school.
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
61 Responses to “Yeshiva Keter Torah of Lakewood Forced to Close Due to Finances”
2. Comment from good
Time August 25, 2010 at 10:06 AM
Nebach. They just had a fire a few months ago and put in money to fix up the yeshiva
it is a great yeshiva with great rabbeim
and a great menahel
3. Comment from Tamar
Time August 25, 2010 at 10:16 AM
I live in Queens. I know little about the Lakewood schools. Is there any communal organization or board in Lakewood that handles these types of matetrs which can come in and ameliorate the situation?
4. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 10:18 AM
Boruch dayan emes
5. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 10:26 AM
Who is the menahel?
6. Comment from it’s broken
Time August 25, 2010 at 10:33 AM
when are we going to real;ize that our system is broken
people are floundering
no money for food
no money for shcool
no money to marry off their kids
no money period
even people with jobs
even p[eople who both wife and husband are working
we need a new system
we need housing
we need aubsidized food
we need help to support frum families
most frum families are struggling
moist people are not making ends meet
how long will it take till people realize
how many more mosdos will have to close
7. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 10:44 AM
Where is Appolo Drive?
8. Comment from LCSW
Time August 25, 2010 at 10:45 AM
This is school that taught middos tovos and achdus. What a sad day for klal yisroel.
9. Comment from A Lakewood Resident
Time August 25, 2010 at 10:56 AM
The menahel of Keter Torah is Rav Zvi Zev Schwartz, a master mechanech and a kind and gentle Yid. He is a special Yid. He and Rabbi Dabbah are two of the most special people around. My heart breaks for them. I hope this can be worked out.
10. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:02 AM
Why wasn’t this worked out during the summer so the students wouldn’t be left hanging?
11. Comment from A friend of the Malkas
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:13 AM
Does anyone know how much money is needed? Maybe we can try to raise the funds. Please, if anyone knows, let us know.
12. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:14 AM
how old is the school
13. Comment from Lakisha
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:22 AM
Maybe we can get Rabbi lipshutz to orgenize a massive fund raising rally in Lakewood to help save OUR mosdos, he has proven to be a very affective fund raiser, even in Lakewood. We need his help..
14. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:24 AM
What’s with Bais Hatorah? Is it reopened?
15. Comment from editor
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:29 AM
This is tragic.
so many boys without school
what are the parents doing?
who will be watching these kids to amke sure thay are not on the street?
16. Comment from Ribs
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:29 AM
To#9, I Don’t know anything firsthand, but maybe they wanted to try and held out hope because they didn’t want to give up, and they kept trying. It is not as easy as you make it sound.
So it is unfortuante that they had to close on the first day of school, but they didn’t want to be mayeyeish before.
17. Comment from chusid
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:30 AM
the only way a yeshiva should b stable financially is to have bigger yeshivas
18. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:31 AM
In this day and age, there’s only so much money to go around. Perhaps some of that money should have gone to these mosdos? There are a lot of pressing causes out there, but perhaps now more than ever, we must prioritize our causes.
19. Comment from yodeiah sefer
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:35 AM
Our grandparents from Europe would be beside themselves to see so many tayere yiddishe neshamos being thrown about like ping pong balls.
20. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:38 AM
Rabbi Dabbah is a tzaddik. His wife is a tzadeikes. They lost their precious son last year and have been pure inspiration to all of us in how they handled the tragedy. I am telling you they are mamesh tzaddikim. Speak to anyone who knows them. They are living mussar shmuessen. May Hashem give them hatzlacha.
21. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:47 AM
I don’t understand: Is it better to have hundreds of kids without a school than to have rabbeim not paid? The rabbeim are either way not being paid bec. now they are out of a job. But we have hundreds of kids without school!
22. Comment from destro613
Time August 25, 2010 at 11:54 AM
maybe more tuition is needed
23. Comment from Alteh Bucher
Time August 25, 2010 at 12:05 PM
Wheres is the Agudah?
24. Comment from Alteh Bucher
Time August 25, 2010 at 12:07 PM
To Comment # 21. Sorry , but NO.
25. Comment from The Beast
Time August 25, 2010 at 12:14 PM
I DECLARE WE ARE INSANE and will pay a much heavier price! I am not a youngster anymore and I have seen much in my day but nothing as bad as this past year alone. I can tell you this - If people do not wake up (and we are in a very deep sleep) and stop the double standards (there are too many to list) MARK MY WORDS as the saying goes - “We aint seen nuthin’ yet”.
26. Comment from Stages of Life
Time August 25, 2010 at 12:31 PM
Re: It’s Broken (#6)
You note that there is, “no money for food
no money for shcool
no money to marry off their kids
no money period”
and you want to know when people will start to “get it”? When will YOU get it? Do you think the answer is, “we need housing
we need aubsidized food
we need help to support frum families”
Really?
What we need, sir, is mass reeducation that life is not about “make it or break it”. There is a huge middle class in between “gevir” and “subsidized food”.
V’kal l’havin.
27. Comment from Confused
Time August 25, 2010 at 12:36 PM
Hopefully these rabbeim will be ok and have what to support their families.
28. Comment from LightBentow
Time August 25, 2010 at 12:47 PM
To all that sent the kids to day camps or vacations, and paid no tuition, YOU are responsable.
You earn money, pay your food and basic food, use store brand for many items and save!!! pay your rent! your utilities and the pay tuition, make it a priority, then schools will remain open. For the one that get food benefits, used for food no junk or nosh! But somehow, for summer vacation there is money, for a very expensive there is money, for expensive matzoth as well, and so for some fancy clothing and a newer car
29. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 12:49 PM
Oy! Rabbossai, if only we could come together for the suffering students, families and staff of these mosdos.
30. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 1:05 PM
The yeshivas in Brooklyn are not doing that well financially either.
We need to lower our standards of living reducing the peer pressure.
No reason to make weddings for 800-900 people.
31. Comment from Halacha
Time August 25, 2010 at 1:07 PM
are some serious halachic ramifications to closing a school down.
32. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 1:08 PM
we were worried about a financial tsunami ….we have to have bitachon and not worry.
33. Comment from Jerusalem Observer
Time August 25, 2010 at 1:12 PM
to #21:
Unfortunately, in today’s world the community does not galvanize unless there is a crisis at hand.
When the principal walks around breaking his head trying to figure out how meet the budget, not too many people care, because it HIS problem. But when hundreds of kids are left without a school, it suddenly becomes the COMMUNITY’S problem. The community’s problem is more likely to get solved than a single person’s problem.
It is a shame that we have reached the point where the only way to underscore the community’s problem is by taking such drastic steps.
34. Comment from heyy
Time August 25, 2010 at 1:26 PM
what about the high school?????? they in school today!!!!!!!!!!!!
35. Comment from Practicaly speaking
Time August 25, 2010 at 1:26 PM
How come in New York or anywhere else in the world this is not happening with heimishi moisdos?
36. Comment from school board not
Time August 25, 2010 at 1:58 PM
flood the public schools with yiddishe children
suddenly people in town will care more about the quality of education
and hoiw much money is saved through the priavte schools, even with bussing provided
37. Comment from joseph m
Time August 25, 2010 at 2:11 PM
What would it help to flood the public schools? The tax levy would than soar and our property taxes would than go through the roof. It costs mosdos on average 6000 per child yet it costs the Public Schools 30000. Lets stop saying we will flood the public school system and be more responsible.
I Propose we merge administrators for multiple schools. For example, The lakewood Cheder together with Bais Faiga, which have a combined enrollment of 2500 Children, have ONE administrator. Why then, Does every school with 200 or 400 children need their own administrator. This is just one example, There are so many cost cutting measures that could be along these lines. LETS BE RESPONSIBLE
38. Comment from Shnitzel Sandwich
Time August 25, 2010 at 3:51 PM
It’s not such a big deal. Everyone calm down. Schools close all the time. Stop making such a big deal.
39. Comment from dovid
Time August 25, 2010 at 4:43 PM
To it’s broken (#6)
We would all do better if instead of your dirge, you asked in earnest for Moshiach. We clearly are broke and can’t fix the system.
40. Comment from Mashiach Agent
Time August 25, 2010 at 5:00 PM
Starting first with Bais Yaakov elementary, then with Yeshiva bais hatorah & now with this yeshive. there can only be one main reason why this is all happening:
these kind of things happening & people being Niftar at young ages or in strange ways R”L are all wake up call to klal yisroel that we only care about ourselves, but when it comes to helping/caring for another yid then i cannot help you.
with that being the case, each time tragedy strikes Hashem has the same question-for each person separately-now you have woken up, now you are crying at this baby’s levaya R”L but when we hear of someone else in tragic cases… we dont care. hashem then wants to know if we will wake up now to help others or do we need another tragic WAKE-UP call from hashem C”V to care for one another?
41. Comment from kesef minolon
Time August 25, 2010 at 5:16 PM
How much money does it cost to run such a school annually?
42. Comment from kukish cake
Time August 25, 2010 at 5:30 PM
#21 since you’re offering to teach for free… the struggles that the average rebbe goes through are. amazing lessons of mesiras nefesh as it is on the small salaries they receive … sorry but that’s not the eitza. This is a terrible tragedy. May Hashem help us all.
43. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 5:50 PM
I just saw this story from Matzav. I can’t believe it’s over a year already. How sad.
http://matzav.com/tragic-passing-of-9-year-old-eliyahu-dabbah-zl
Tragic Passing of 9-Year-Old Eliyahu Dabbah z”l
Sunday May 3, 2009 9:49 AM - 24 Comments
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of 9-year-old Eliyahu Dabbah, son of Rabbi Mordechai and Mrs. Faigy Dabbah of Long Branch, NJ. Rabbi Dabbah is the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Keter Torah Elementary School, located on Appollo Road in Lakewood, NJ. Eliyahu was tragically niftar after having been hit by a baseball on Friday. Eliyahu was knocked unconscious and residents of Deal and Lakewood said Tehillim for Eliyahu ben Fraida Rochel, but this young neshama was taken from us.The levaya will be held this morning in Deal, NJ. Kevurah details will be posted shortly.
May we know of no further tzaar.
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
44. Comment from TEARS FROM HEAVEN
Time August 25, 2010 at 5:52 PM
CORRECTION,
IT’S A SHAME FOR THE BOYS AND THEIR RABEYIM
45. Comment from Normal
Time August 25, 2010 at 6:08 PM
Yungerleit are paid 80 dollars per week only after being in Kollel for a few years [waiting list].
Women that teach are paid minimally.
For a family of eight children the tuition without camp is at least 28,000.00.
How are they expected to live?
Kollelim that pay higher wages should be welcomed into our town!
46. Comment from m.t.
Time August 25, 2010 at 6:18 PM
to #6′it’s broken’:
you have correctly identified some of the symptoms. the only way to solve the problems is to deal honestly with the true causes.
47. Comment from TEARS FROM HEAVEN
Time August 25, 2010 at 6:21 PM
AIN OD MILVADO!
HASHEM YAAZOR all the children.
48. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 7:24 PM
lets see when the New York schools open next week.
49. Comment from moshe
Time August 25, 2010 at 10:14 PM
Comment # 35
Look around you and you will see it everywhere.
In Toronto for example the Bobov cheder closed permanently and 2 heimeshe schools in Yesodei Hatorah and Toronto Talmud Torah have yet to ope because the rebbeim haven’t been paid in 5 months.
50. Comment from MORRIS
Time August 25, 2010 at 10:29 PM
If two yeshivas closed down and we dont even hear a comment from our “national communal organizations,” what are they worth ? maybe if they close down there will be more money for these yeshivas?
51. Comment from abe
Time August 25, 2010 at 10:38 PM
why cant a few gevirim step up and cut the schools a check shtill eheit.i dont get it.
52. Comment from Shlomo Zehavi
Time August 26, 2010 at 12:33 AM
To 23, What can they do anyways: Have a Hisorerus get to-gether?
Gimmee a break
53. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 26, 2010 at 1:26 AM
this is the first time in our history where we can freely go to eretz yisroel since the churban. Our ancestors and great rabbonim tried to go when life there was much harder then it it now. This is Hashems gentle way of telling us go to Eretz Yisroel. Subsidized tuition and better economy, and if a bunch of people go enmasse from america maybe we can be a positive force for change and help get rid of the extremism in both the chareidie and secular worlds
54. Comment from TEARS FROM HEAVEN
Time August 26, 2010 at 8:51 AM
#43
ZACHOR VE AL TISHKACH!
it was targic
55. Comment from lowermytuition
Time August 26, 2010 at 1:11 PM
#45 - Eight children and only $28,000? Please tell me where. I live in Flatbush and my tuition bill (before my annual begging and pleading) is around $60,000. And i know a family in the five towns with 5 children and the tuition bill is over $75,000.
56. Comment from ykt student
Time August 26, 2010 at 4:10 PM
i heard 8th grade will have school does anyone know
57. Comment from Mel from Monsey
Time August 26, 2010 at 5:25 PM
There is a serious problem. Our young men are not permitted to learn a trade or a profession. They then start families that have to be educated. How can they pay tuition? If no one is paying tuition, how will the Rebbeim be paid their pittance of a salary?
Therefore why not emulate the Amoroim; they all had trades or professions.
Are we better and smarter than the Amoroim and therefore do not need a trade or profession?
58. Comment from shlomo zalman
Time August 27, 2010 at 2:49 AM
To #51.
I have a better idea. Why don’t you become a gvir , after all,you make it sound easy. Then you can cut a nice size check for everyone.
59. Comment from Charlie Hall
Time August 27, 2010 at 3:03 PM
“I don’t understand: Is it better to have hundreds of kids without a school than to have rabbeim not paid? The rabbeim are either way not being paid bec. now they are out of a job. But we have hundreds of kids without school!”
I’m surprised to see this on a frum site. Not paying employees is asur! Should we reduce expenditures by serving non-kosher food in the cafeteria?
60. Comment from argue
Time August 28, 2010 at 6:22 PM
“”"I’m surprised to see this on a frum site. Not paying employees is asur! “”"
Sorry teaching for money is ossur!
61. Comment from shmuel
Time August 31, 2010 at 2:49 AM
“this is the first time in our history where we can freely go to eretz yisroel since the churban.”
Not true. You see instances of rabbis travelling to Israel from Bavel all over Shas, which activity presumably occurred in the 4th and 5th centuries. You see the Ramban traveled there after his disputation, mid-13th century. The students of the Besht and the Gra went there in the early 19th century.
“Subsidized tuition and better economy…”
I assume you mean in Israel. But Israel is a shnorrer nation, dependent on America for
$3 billion+ /year, and Chunch Atzmai is dependent on donations and a schnorrer country’s largess. Israelis pay for their subsidized tuition in the form of high taxes.
“and if a bunch of people go enmasse [sic] from america maybe we can be a positive force for change and help get rid of the extremism in both the chareidie and secular worlds {sic]
I disagree. Not trying to talk anyone out of moving to Israel—good luck to you—but you are naive beyond belief if you think a few thousand Americans are going to damp down the incredible extremism in the communities there. To blend in, they themselves will likely become more extreme. But hey, go for it if you feel like experimenting. Let me know how your efforts to increase toleration go.
1. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 25, 2010 at 9:53 AM
Rabbi Dabbah is a tzaddik. I wish him well.