Yeshiva Gedola and Mesivta of Carteret () informally, "YGOC", also called Yeshiva Tiferes Yehuda Aryeh, is a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; 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 are studied in parallel. The stu ...

and non-profit organization located in Carteret in Middlesex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, United States.

History

The yeshiva was founded in 2006 by Rabbi

Azriel Brown Yeshiva Gedola and Mesivta of Carteret () informally, "YGOC", also called Yeshiva Tiferes Yehuda Aryeh, is a yeshiva and non-profit organization located in Carteret, New Jersey, Carteret in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jers ...

and Rabbi Yaakov Mayer, both graduates of the Mir yeshiva in Jerusalem, and

Yeshivas Ner Yisroel Ner Israel Rabbinical College (ישיבת נר ישראל), also known as NIRC and Ner Yisroel, is a Haredi yeshiva (Jewish educational institution) in Pikesville, Maryland. It was founded in 1933 by Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, a discipl ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, talmidim of Rabbi

Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg, known as Yaakov Weinberg (also Jacob S. Weinberg) (1923 – July 1, 1999) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, Talmudist, and rosh yeshiva (dean) of Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Maryland, one of the major American ...

the son-in-law of Rabbi

Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman (1900 – July 11, 1987) was a Russian-born American Talmudic scholar and rabbi who founded and served as ''rosh yeshiva'' (yeshiva head) of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore. Early life Ruderman was born to a Hasidic ...

, and Rabbi

Yaakov Moshe Kulefsky Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Kulefsky (December 14, 1925 - November 30, 2000) was an American-born rabbi and teacher. He served as both dean and rosh yeshiva at Yeshivas Ner Yisroel for decades, until the last year of his life. Early life His parents, Rap ...

, a very close

Student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most The Commonwealth, commonwealth countries, a "student" attends ...

of Reb

Shlomo Heiman Shlomo Heiman (1892–1944) known informally as "Reb Shlomo", was a rabbi, Talmudist, and rosh yeshiva. He led some of the most prominent yeshivas in Europe and the United States. Early life Shlomo Heiman was born in Paritsh, Minsk in Belar ...

.Green, Miriam. "Catapaulted to Carteret: Detour to destiny". '' Binah'' Pesach supplement, 11 April 2011, pp. 24–29. Retrieved 5 September 2011. With the backing of Rabbi Aharon Feldman, Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetzky, and Rabbi

Yaakov Perlow Yaakov Perlow ( ‎; November 16, 1930 – April 7, 2020) was an American Hasidic Judaism, Hasidic rabbi and rosh yeshiva, and Rebbe of the Novominsk List of Hasidic dynasties, Hasidic dynasty. From 1998 until his death in 2020, he was presiden ...

, among numerous others, Rabbis Brown and Mayer decided to open a yeshiva in the suburban north Jersey town of Carteret. Carteret had previously boasted a Jewish community with two

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

s in the 1950s but its Jewish presence had dwindled since then, to the point that it was no longer able to support the remaining synagogue, a

Jewish community center A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, ...

, which closed in 2002. Garson Gruhin and Lou Raiman, remaining board members of the Jewish community center, worked hard to preserve Jewish life in Carteret. Garson Gruhin along with his son Mark I. Gruhin, Esq., arranged to transfer the former synagogue and community center building and an adjoining five-bedroom rabbi's residence to the yeshiva. Yeshiva Gedola of Carteret building

The yeshiva opened in September 2006, starting with a small group of 14 students. Initially, Donya Brown and Chani Mayer, wives of the founders, handled the food preparation and bookkeeping for the fledgling institution, and each family hosted all the students in their home for one

Shabbos Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical stories describing the cre ...

meal. As enrollment grew and the students began staying in the Yeshiva full-time, the Browns and Mayers took an active role in each student's education, and personal growth, helped them with

shidduch The ''Shidduch'' (, pl. ''shidduchim'' , Aramaic ''shidduchin)'' is a system of matchmaking in which Jewish singles are introduced to one another in Orthodox Jewish communities for the purpose of marriage. The practice In the past and until t ...

im (marriage proposals), and even hosted their

sheva brachos ''Sheva Brachot'' (; literally, "the seven blessings"), also known as ''birkot nissuin'' (; literally, "the wedding blessings") in ''Halakha'', are blessings that have historically been recited during the wedding of a Jewish couple. There are tw ...

(festive meals held during the week after the wedding). In 2015, Rabbi Yaakov T. Biderman became the executive director of the yeshiva. Biderman is an alumnus of the Yeshiva, who was intimately involved in its operations as a student and remained involved throughout the years in between. He also founded the Alumni Association in August 2013, with the help of Alumnus Zecharya Michelsohn. Rabbi Biderman transitioned to the Executive Board in 2024. In 2017, a

Mesivta ''Metivta'' (also mesivta; Aramaic language, Aramaic: מתיבתא, "academy") is an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish yeshiva secondary school for boys. The term is commonly used in the United States to describe a yeshiva that emphasizes Talmudi ...

was added. Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Roth, who was Rebbi in the Yeshiva for several years prior, was appointed The

Rosh Mesivta The title ''rosh mesivta'' (alt. ''rosh metivta''; ; from Jewish Babylonian Aramaic ''rêsh mṯivtā'' ), abbreviated as Ram (), is a term in Jewish education for the person in charge of a Jewish all-boys high school, as "Rosh" in Hebrew means "H ...

. In 2024, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Brog became the executive director of the yeshiva.

Program

The yeshiva is an all-male Lithuanian (Litvish)-style

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

ic college. Currently, it consists of a mesivta (high school) program.

Curriculum

The Mesivta's studies are broken into two portions. The first half of the day is focused on Talmudic texts and rabbinic literature, '' mussar'' (Jewish ethical literature) and practical ''

halacha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mi ...

'' (Jewish law). The afternoon is focused on general studies, including math, history, science, language arts, computers, business economics, public speaking and more. The evening is once again focused on Talmudic texts and rabbinic literature, '' mussar'' (Jewish ethical literature) and practical ''

'' (Jewish law).

Leadership

*Rabbi Yaakov B. Mayer,

Rosh Yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; 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, primarily the Talmud and th ...

*Rabbi

*Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Brog, Executive Director *Rabbi Heshy (Yisroel Tzvi) Fireworker,

Mashgiach Ruchani A mashgiach ruchani (; pl., ''mashgichim ruchani'im''), sometimes mashgiach for short, is a spiritual supervisor or guide. They are usually a rabbi who has an official position within a yeshiva and is responsible for the non-academic areas of yesh ...

*Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Roth,

Rosh mesivta The title ''rosh mesivta'' (alt. ''rosh metivta''; ; from Jewish Babylonian Aramaic ''rêsh mṯivtā'' ), abbreviated as Ram (), is a term in Jewish education for the person in charge of a Jewish all-boys high school, as "Rosh" in Hebrew means "H ...

*Rabbi Eliyahu D. Teitz, General Studies Principal

Azriel Brown

Azriel Brown () (born August 1972) is an

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tra ...

Rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

and

of the Yeshiva Gedola of Carteret. He is the oldest son of Rabbi Moshe Brown, a prominent Rabbi in Far Rockaway and the 5 Towns,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, and a Maggid Shiur at

Yeshiva of Far Rockaway Yeshiva of Far Rockaway (also known as Yeshiva Derech Ayson () and Derech Ayson Rabbinical Seminary) is a yeshiva located at 802 Hicksville Road, Far Rockaway, Queens in New York City. It comprises a high school, beis medrash, and Kollel. The sc ...

. Rabbi Brown studied at

Yeshiva Darchei Torah (Far Rockaway) Yeshiva Darchei Torah is a private Orthodox Jewish boys' school in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York, United States. History The yeshiva was founded by Rabbi Yisroel Bloom and is headed by Rabbi Yaakov Bender, an award-winning educator There are ...

Mir Yeshiva (Jerusalem) The Mir Yeshiva (, ''Yeshivat Mir''), known also as The Mir, is an Orthodox Jewish ''yeshiva'' in Beit Yisrael, Jerusalem. With over 9,000 single and married students, it is the largest yeshiva in the world.Krausz, Yossi. "Our Boys in Israel". ...

, and Ner Israel, where he received a PhD in Talmudic Law. Brown has mastered the

and completed it at least 12 times. Rabbi Brown has written numerous works in Hebrew on various subjects within Torah literature. *ספר עוז והילול on Hallel *ספר עוז לעמו on Jewish History *ספר עדות לאברהם on Mesches Nedorim *ספר עבודה בים on Safek Doraisa L'Chumra *קונטרס עוז לתורה on Three Mesoras HaTorah He also authored a portion of "Introduction to the Talmud" by

Artscroll ArtScroll is an imprint of translations, books and commentaries from an Orthodox Jewish perspective published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd., a publishing company based in Rahway, New Jersey. Rabbi Nosson Scherman is the general editor. ArtScro ...

Mesorah Publications, as well as contributed to numerous other of their works.

Rabbinical Advisory Board

*Harav

Shmuel Kamenetsky Shmuel Kamenetsky (born November 12, 1924) is an American Haredi rabbi. He is the co-founder and rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia. He is also a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages). Early ...

*Harav

Reuven Feinstein Sholom Reuven Feinstein (; born August 1937) is an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish rabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Staten Island, New York (state), New York. He is the younger of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's two sons, the leading posek of ...

*Harav Aharon Feldman *Harav Eliyahu (Elya) Brudny

Executive Board

*Rabbi Avrohom Biderman *Rabbi Yaakov T. Biderman *Mr. Nachum Futersak *Dr. Alan Goldsmith *Mr. Leon Mayer *Mr. Shlomo Mayer *Rabbi Dovid Merkin *Rabbi Naftali Miller

Hachnasas Sifrei Torah

In December 2008, the yeshiva celebrated a '' Hachnasas Sefer Torah'', the traditional festivity upon the completion of a new

Torah scroll A Sephardic Torah scroll rolled to the first paragraph of the Shema An Ashkenazi Torah scroll rolled to the Decalogue file:Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, Interior, Tora Cases.jpg">Torah cases at Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Mumbai, India ...

. Several hundred guests came to Carteret for the procession, including several eminent Torah figures. Noe Street was barricaded off to outside traffic as the crowd wound its way to the yeshiva building accompanied by live music and dancing. In September 2011, the yeshiva held a ''kesivas osios'' (Torah scroll-writing ceremony) in Lakewood for another new Torah scroll, that was to be dedicated after

Sukkos Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths, is a Torah-commanded Jewish holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which Israelite ...

2011. The Hachnosas Sefer Torah took place in Carteret.

Hurricane Sandy

In October 2012 the yeshiva building experienced substantial damage from

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...

. The flooding reached nearly above the main floor, as well as damaged dormitory houses. One dormitory, hit by the flood and by an explosion from a neighboring building, was condemned by the township. Total damage was estimated at close to $200,000. The Yeshiva was ineligible for FEMA assistance, due to the exclusion of religious institutions at the time. This set back the Yeshiva tremendously.

Hurricane Ida and fire

In September 2021, the Yeshiva suffered massive amounts of damage from

Hurricane Ida Hurricane Ida was a deadly and extremely destructive tropical cyclone in 2021 that became the second-most damaging and intense hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. state of Louisiana on record, behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In terms of m ...

. Later the same school year (early summer 2022), the Yeshiva had a fire.

References

External links

*
Alumni association page and form
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeshiva Gedola Of Carteret Carteret, New Jersey Haredi Judaism in New Jersey Lithuanian-Jewish culture in the United States Seminaries and theological colleges in New Jersey Men's universities and colleges in the United States Orthodox yeshivas in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 2006 Kollelim Universities and colleges in Middlesex County, New Jersey 2006 establishments in New Jersey