Yeshiva Zichron Yaakov (ישיבה זכרון יעקב) was an all-male Jewish Orthodox high school located in
New Hempstead, New York
New Hempstead is a village in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of New Square, east of Wesley Hills, south of Pomona, and west of New City. The population was 5,132 at the 2010 census. Residents ...
which operated under the direction and leadership of Rabbi Eliyahu Maza and, for several years, Secular Studies Principle Rabbi Benyamin Plotzker. It closed in 2013.
History
Frequently referred to as "Chofetz Chaim of Monsey," Yeshiva Zichron Yaakov was founded in 1999 and graduated its first class in 2003. According to some reports, attendance peaked at around 70 in 2005. Enrollment fell to a modest 40 students per year on average in the school's later years. It ran its high school program until 2013.
Affiliation
The school was an affiliate of the
Rabbinical Seminary of America
Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim (also known as the Rabbinical Seminary of America) is an Orthodox Yeshiva in the United States, based in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, New York. It is primarily an American, Lithuanian-style Talmudic Yeshiva. The Yeshiva is ...
, (which is more commonly known as Chofetz Chaim). As such, its curriculum and ideals matched those of the Chofetz Chaim Yeshivas.
Curriculum
The school combined a traditional Lithuanian-style Yeshiva schedule in the morning with a notable General Studies program in the afternoon to provide a proper education to its students.
Judaic studies
The primary portion of the Judaic Studies curriculum was study of the
Babylonian Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
. Mussar study was considered paramount, and the study of the book
Chofetz Chaim
The '' Sefer'' ''Chafetz Chaim'' (or ''Chofetz Chaim'' or ''Hafetz Hayim'') ( he, חָפֵץ חַיִּים, trans. "Desirer of Life") is a book by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, who is also called "the Chofetz Chaim" after it. The book deals wit ...
highly recommended by the school. The Judaic Studies program also consisted of
Halacha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
Hebrew Language
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
was part of the General Studies program.)
General studies
The typical student in the school took all the required
Regents Examinations
In New York State, Regents Examinations are statewide standardized examinations in core high school subjects. Students are required to pass these exams to earn a Regents Diploma. To graduate, students are required to have earned appropriate credit ...
by the conclusion of four years of schooling: English, two courses in Mathematics, two Sciences (usually ''Biology'' and ''Chemistry''), two History courses (''World History and Geography'' and ''U.S. History and Government''), and one foreign language.
Alumni
Most (if not all) Yeshiva Zichron Yaakov graduates continue their studies upon graduation at more advanced yeshivas and/or universities.