Yeshiva Keter Torah of Lakewood Forced to Close Due to Finances

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keter-torah-lakewoodYeshiva 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 COMMENTS

  1. 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

  2. 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?

  3. 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

  4. 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.

  5. Does anyone know how much money is needed? Maybe we can try to raise the funds. Please, if anyone knows, let us know.

  6. 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..

  7. 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?

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. Our grandparents from Europe would be beside themselves to see so many tayere yiddishe neshamos being thrown about like ping pong balls.

  11. 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.

  12. 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!

  13. 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”.

  14. 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.

  15. 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

  16. 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.

  17. 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.

  18. 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

  19. 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

  20. 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.

  21. 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?

  22. #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.

  23. 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}

  24. 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!

  25. 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.

  26. 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.

  27. 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?

  28. 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

  29. #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.

  30. 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?

  31. 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.

  32. “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?

  33. “””I’m surprised to see this on a frum site. Not paying employees is asur! “””

    Sorry teaching for money is ossur!

  34. “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.

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