Yeshiva of Greater Washington
Encyclopedia
The Yeshiva of Greater Washington is an all boys, Modern Orthodox
community based Jewish Day School
, that is located in Silver Spring, Maryland
. It was originally founded in 1964 by Rabbi Gedaliah Anemer. It consists of a high school
and beis medrash.
Area. Rabbi Anemer came to Washington, DC in 1957 to lead a Hyattsville congregation that eventually moved to Washington. In 1961, he settled in Silver Spring and led Jewish services in his basement while also leading the synagogue in his community. On the Sabbath
Rabbi Anemer had to walk 7 miles just to lead his services at the synagogue. In 1964, as the community began to expand, he established a Jewish school, the Yeshiva of Greater Washington which is here till this day. He taught advanced classes on the Talmud
, or Jewish law. In 1974, Rabbi Anemer's synagogue expanded with a second location on Arcola Avenue. Unfortunately Rabbi Anemer died April 15, 2010, but was well known for building the community which expanded from 30 families to over 500 today and will be remembered for many generations to come. Although Rabbi Anemer was not buried in Silver Spring, there was a large gathering to commemorate the impactful Rabbi. The commemoration ceremony was filled with students, Rabbis and families throughout the Jewish communities. Every student from the Yeshiva of Greater Washington and the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy attended this ceremony.
, Science
, English
, Computers, and History
. The other part of the day consists of Judaic studies such as Gemorah, which is focused on the most, Chumash, Jewish Law, and Hebrew Language
. The school offer three levels of High School courses: Regular,Honors, and A.P Classes.The various Advanced Placement classes include AP European History, AP United States History, AP English Literature and Composition, and AP Government. They have a College preparatory program that is designed to provide the students with a comprehensive academic program, emphasizing the development of critical thinking and research skills both written and oral. These classes prepare the students academically for admission to the colleges of their choice as a primary goal.
club,Minyonaire Club, Art
club, science club and a krav maga club. They have a Junior Varsity basketball
team and a varsity baseball
team. During the fall season they play an intramural football
team called Yeshiva Football League. The school has a newspaper
once a week that many of the students post articles in for the community. Twice a year they have a Shabbaton program for both the high school and the middle school. The past two years the school has taken the seniors to Israel
to tour and evaluate the schools for their upcoming year in Israel. In addition, the whole school takes a ski trip during the winter. They have many different committees in school, such as: the Chesed committee, the business committee, yearbook committee, and the trip committee. The school has a student council for each grade but one president from the senior class. Overall the students participate in the schools extra curricular activities during school and help the Jewish community with the their needs.
committed to making Torah
the major focus of their formative years. This is a separate section of the Yeshiva High School, and takes in students after High School
. Students that attend Yeshiva Gedolah receive a four year bachelors degree in Talmudic Law
and could then go to Graduate school
. Many other students learn Torah
during the day, and at night they take college classes. The most common college that the students go to is UMUC. Most of the Yeshiva Gedolah students live in the Warwick apartments in Kemp Mill Maryland
; the students who do not live in the apartments live in house in Kemp Mill Maryland
. The rabbis that teach them Torah
are Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky, Rabbi Reingold, Rabbi Arzouan, and Rabbi Leifor. The Yeshiva Gedolah provides a three "seder" yeshiva education with their personalized interaction that only a small yeshiva can offer. The Yeshiva places a major focus on their students to develop their own learning skills with the Torah
and how to apply it to their daily lives. The classes are given at a very high level to make sure that they develop self sufficiency in their learning. The Yeshiva Gedolah offers a unique atmosphere where student development can thrive, and is looking for students who are self motivated in making learning their priority.
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
community based Jewish Day School
Jewish day school
A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide Jewish children with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full time basis, hence its name of "day school" meaning a school that the students attend for an entire day and not on a part time...
, that is located in Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
. It was originally founded in 1964 by Rabbi Gedaliah Anemer. It consists of a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and beis medrash.
The Yeshiva of Greater Washington Boys Division
The Yeshiva is for boys in grades 7 through 12, and they have a student body of 100. The Yeshiva of Greater Washington ( or YGW) has a dual curriculum that emphasizes on both secular and Judaic studies, and holds its students to high academic standards. The Yeshiva encourages its students to pursue a year in Yeshiva in Israel before attending college. The school runs from Monday through Thursday at 7:30 AM and ends at 6:15 PM. Twice a week they have a mandatory program that runs until 7:30. However, on Friday school ends at 12 to prepare for the Sabbath. In addition to the boys school, The Yeshiva has a girls division located in a separate building.Rabbi Gedaliah Anemer
Rabbi Anemer led one of the Washington area's oldest and largest Orthodox Jewish synagogues and was considered the chief rabbi of greater Washington. Rabbi Anemer led the Young Israel Shomrai Emunah synagogue for over 50 years and he established a large orthodox Jewish community in the Kemp Mill Silver SpringSilver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
Area. Rabbi Anemer came to Washington, DC in 1957 to lead a Hyattsville congregation that eventually moved to Washington. In 1961, he settled in Silver Spring and led Jewish services in his basement while also leading the synagogue in his community. On the Sabbath
Sabbath
Sabbath in Christianity is a weekly day of rest or religious observance, derived from the Biblical Sabbath.Seventh-day Sabbath observance, i.e. resting from labor from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, is practiced by seventh-day Sabbatarians...
Rabbi Anemer had to walk 7 miles just to lead his services at the synagogue. In 1964, as the community began to expand, he established a Jewish school, the Yeshiva of Greater Washington which is here till this day. He taught advanced classes on the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
, or Jewish law. In 1974, Rabbi Anemer's synagogue expanded with a second location on Arcola Avenue. Unfortunately Rabbi Anemer died April 15, 2010, but was well known for building the community which expanded from 30 families to over 500 today and will be remembered for many generations to come. Although Rabbi Anemer was not buried in Silver Spring, there was a large gathering to commemorate the impactful Rabbi. The commemoration ceremony was filled with students, Rabbis and families throughout the Jewish communities. Every student from the Yeshiva of Greater Washington and the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy attended this ceremony.
Curriculum
Yeshiva curriculum is split into two parts. One part is devoted to the general studies of MathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Computers, and History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. The other part of the day consists of Judaic studies such as Gemorah, which is focused on the most, Chumash, Jewish Law, and Hebrew Language
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
. The school offer three levels of High School courses: Regular,Honors, and A.P Classes.The various Advanced Placement classes include AP European History, AP United States History, AP English Literature and Composition, and AP Government. They have a College preparatory program that is designed to provide the students with a comprehensive academic program, emphasizing the development of critical thinking and research skills both written and oral. These classes prepare the students academically for admission to the colleges of their choice as a primary goal.
Faculty
The development department is led by Rabbi Binyamin Sanders, who assists the headmaster, Rabbi Yitzchok Merkin. The development coordinator is Miss Donna Goldman. The boys middle school and high school division is currently under the leadership of the Menahel, Rabbi Dovid Niman, who until recently, had the position since 2002. The Assistant Principal is Rabbi Pinchus Idstein. The principal of the secular studies is Mr. Etan Savir. Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky is the head Rabbi of the Yeshiva Gedolah. Yeshiva has both Jewish and non Jewish staff for their classes throughout the day. The classes are quite small in size giving enough attention to the students. Throughout the year the faculty becomes very close with their students making them feel like home. In the spring of 2006, there were talks of adding a chief of security position in response to the infamous destruction of property when a sociopath student, who was only in 7th grade, put graffiti on a sheet of construction paper in the hallway.Extra curricular activities
The Yeshiva of Greater Washington extra curricular activities include, but are not limited to, a robotics club, a public speakingPublic speaking
Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners...
club,Minyonaire Club, Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
club, science club and a krav maga club. They have a Junior Varsity basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team and a varsity baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team. During the fall season they play an intramural football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team called Yeshiva Football League. The school has a newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
once a week that many of the students post articles in for the community. Twice a year they have a Shabbaton program for both the high school and the middle school. The past two years the school has taken the seniors to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
to tour and evaluate the schools for their upcoming year in Israel. In addition, the whole school takes a ski trip during the winter. They have many different committees in school, such as: the Chesed committee, the business committee, yearbook committee, and the trip committee. The school has a student council for each grade but one president from the senior class. Overall the students participate in the schools extra curricular activities during school and help the Jewish community with the their needs.
Yeshiva Gedolah
The Yeshiva Gedolah of Greater Washington takes in intelligent and mature students who are focused on becoming serious JewsJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
committed to making Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
the major focus of their formative years. This is a separate section of the Yeshiva High School, and takes in students after High School
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. Students that attend Yeshiva Gedolah receive a four year bachelors degree in Talmudic Law
Talmudic law
Talmudic Law Is the law that is derived from the Talmud based on the teachings of the Talmudic Sages.* See Talmud or Talmudical Hermeneutics for more information....
and could then go to Graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
. Many other students learn Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
during the day, and at night they take college classes. The most common college that the students go to is UMUC. Most of the Yeshiva Gedolah students live in the Warwick apartments in Kemp Mill Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
; the students who do not live in the apartments live in house in Kemp Mill Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The rabbis that teach them Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
are Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky, Rabbi Reingold, Rabbi Arzouan, and Rabbi Leifor. The Yeshiva Gedolah provides a three "seder" yeshiva education with their personalized interaction that only a small yeshiva can offer. The Yeshiva places a major focus on their students to develop their own learning skills with the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
and how to apply it to their daily lives. The classes are given at a very high level to make sure that they develop self sufficiency in their learning. The Yeshiva Gedolah offers a unique atmosphere where student development can thrive, and is looking for students who are self motivated in making learning their priority.