Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim is a

Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy a ...

located in Kew Garden Hills,

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The yeshiva also has a

kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

, and operates in conjunction with its high school Mesivta Yesodei Yeshurun which is located next door to Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim. The current

Rosh Yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

is Rabbi Doniel Lander and the Rosh Kollel is Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovici. Both are former students of the revered Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik of

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universi ...

. The yeshiva building is prominently located on Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills. The building is noted for its exterior, which is primarily made of Jerusalem stone (so named for being both common and legally required for construction in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

) imported from

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

specifically for the building. Rabbi Mordechai Kraus was one of the Roshei Yeshiva until his passing in 2016.

History

Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim was founded in 1983. Its first location was at Congregation Bnei Abraham. As the yeshiva continued to grow and attract more students, it needed to move to a bigger location. Two years after it was founded, in 1985, the yeshiva moved to a new location. A synagogue was rented at 69-69 Main Street that served as a Bais Medrash. But soon after, the burgeoning enrollment of the yeshiva called for yet another move. In the 1990s a series of attached houses from the corner house of 71st Avenue and Main Street down the block were purchased and construction on the new building began.

The New Building

In the fall of 1991 the new building began its construction. Five houses adjacent to the existing location were acquired and demolished. Bobby Jacobs and Aryeh Rabinowitz designed the building and supervised the construction. For the next four years, the yeshiva found a temporary home at Congregation Ohel Simcha. Finally, in October 1996 the new facilities were ready to open. That building remains in use now.

High schools

Founded under the umbrella of Ohr HaChaim in 1993, Mesivta Yesodei Yeshurun is a four-year high school whose curriculum is largely Yeshiva-preparatory. Senior year programming dovetails with the yeshiva's resulting in significant overlap of scheduling and facility use. The twelfth grade Yeshiva program primarily takes place in the Ohr HaChaim building while the school's home is in a purpose-built four story building adjacent to the Yeshiva building, on 71st Ave. The building includes dormitories for students from Jewish communities from the Greater New York City metro area, as well from around the United States and Canada. In addition, there is a full-court

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

gym in the lower basement, a common feature in vertically built New York City schools. The Yeshiva currently has two branch high schools, Mesivta Yesodei HaTorah in

Naugatuck Naugatuck is a consolidated borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town spans both sides of the Naugatuck River just south of Waterbury and includes the communities of Union City on the east side of the river, wh ...

, Connecticut, under the leadership of Rabbi Aryeh Reiss. The school also has a 55 acre development community and a Kollel on the grounds. Additionally, there is a second High School branch in

Elkins Park Elkins Park is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is split between Cheltenham and Abington Townships in the northern suburbs outside of Philadelphia, which it borders along Cheltenham Avenue roughly from Cente ...

, PA on the Jewish Federation Campus since 2017. There was also a branch in Monsey, NY from 2004 till 2014 before the campus was sold and the school shut down.

References

{{Yeshivas in New York (state) Kew Gardens Hills, Queens Orthodox yeshivas in New York City Touro University System