Yeshivah Gedolah Zal
Encyclopedia
Yeshivah Gedolah "Zal" , Yeshivah Gedolah, The Rabbinical College of Australia and New Zealand, or colloquially, Y.G., is a government accredited yeshiva
, an academy for young Orthodox Jews
to devote themselves to full-time rabbi
nical studies. It is located in St Kilda East, Victoria
, Melbourne
, Australia
, and is the only yeshiva of its kind on the continent. It is under the auspices of the Chabad-Lubavitch
Hasidic movement. It offers the government recognised Diploma of Talmudic Studies.
Yeshiva network, though not officially under that name. Both the addition of the word "Zal" (yid. - study hall) and the name "The Rabbinical College of Australia and New Zealand" were at the suggestion of Rabbi Schneerson.
and Rabbi Yaakov Eliezer Herzog were the founding administrators. Rabbi Herzog was the Rosh Yeshiva
and Rabbi Serebryanski was the Mashpia
. Rabbi Chaim Gutnick served as honorary Rosh Yeshiva and would deliver weekly lectures and examine the students from time to time.
In 1974, Rabbi Binyomin Gavriel Cohen became the new Rosh Yeshiva and in 1989 Rabbi Yaakov Winner was appointed Mashpia.
Mr. Avrohom Procel is the yeshiva's financial administrator.
in Melbourne. .The yeshiva is currently located on Alexandra Street. The building, known as The New Alexandra, is an officially recognized historical site.
purchased the mansion Fairholme in Alexandra Street, St Kilda East, Victoria
. He subsequently subdivided a portion of the north-eastern section of the grounds and built five residential houses in the then popular California Bungalow
style. After his death on 28 September 1931 at the height of the Great Depression
, the mansion was sold, becoming a reception hall and is today modified for use as The Rabbinical College of Australia & NZ
, the first of their kind anywhere in the world. These were unmarried students of advanced caliber sent to bolster the Yeshiva by studying and teaching the local students. After the resignation of Rabbi Herzog, the student Shluchim took over as teachers of Talmud in the Yeshiva. They also studied with Jewish university students, many of whom eventually enrolled in the Yeshiva. They opened up an English lending library of Jewish literature.
According to the current system at any given time there are altogether twelve student Shluchim on a two year stay, but six student Shluchim leave each year after completing their two-year period, and six new student Shluchim arrive, usually in the month of Cheshvan
. This was done in order to prevent a gap in which no student Shluchim are present. Thus, at any given time there are six student Shluchim in their first year and six in their second. It is customary for the entire Yeshiva to travel to the airport to greet the newly arrived student Shluchim with traditional boisterous Chasidic joy.
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
, an academy for young Orthodox Jews
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
to devote themselves to full-time rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
nical studies. It is located in St Kilda East, Victoria
St Kilda East, Victoria
St Kilda East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district. It is located within the Local Government Areas of the City of Glen Eira and the City of Port Phillip. At the 2006 Census, it had a population of 12,188.St Kilda East is one...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and is the only yeshiva of its kind on the continent. It is under the auspices of the Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch is a Chasidic movement in Orthodox Judaism. One of the world's larger and best-known Chasidic movements, its official headquarters is in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York...
Hasidic movement. It offers the government recognised Diploma of Talmudic Studies.
Founding and naming
It was founded on 1 February 1966, under the auspices of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson and is considered a branch of the Lubavitch Tomchei TemimimTomchei Temimim
Tomchei Temimim is the central Yeshiva of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement...
Yeshiva network, though not officially under that name. Both the addition of the word "Zal" (yid. - study hall) and the name "The Rabbinical College of Australia and New Zealand" were at the suggestion of Rabbi Schneerson.
History and leadership
Rabbi Zalman SerebryanskiYehoshua Shneur Zalman Serebryanski
Rabbi Yehoshua Shneur Zalman Serebryanski, known familiarly as Reb Zalman, was an Orthodox rabbi and Mashpia belonging to the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement...
and Rabbi Yaakov Eliezer Herzog were the founding administrators. Rabbi Herzog was the Rosh Yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...
and Rabbi Serebryanski was the Mashpia
Mashpia
Mashpia lit. "person of influence", pl. Mashpi'im is the title of a rabbi or rebbetzin who serves as a spiritual mentor in Tomchei Temimim , in a girls' seminary belonging to the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, or in a Chabad community.-Definition:Although counterparts to the mashpia exist in...
. Rabbi Chaim Gutnick served as honorary Rosh Yeshiva and would deliver weekly lectures and examine the students from time to time.
In 1974, Rabbi Binyomin Gavriel Cohen became the new Rosh Yeshiva and in 1989 Rabbi Yaakov Winner was appointed Mashpia.
Mr. Avrohom Procel is the yeshiva's financial administrator.
Location
The yeshiva began on Goathlands Avenue, St Kilda East. On December 17, 1970 a campus on Alexandra Street was purchased under Rabbi Schneerson's name by Chabad-LubavitchChabad-Lubavitch
Chabad-Lubavitch is a Chasidic movement in Orthodox Judaism. One of the world's larger and best-known Chasidic movements, its official headquarters is in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York...
in Melbourne. .The yeshiva is currently located on Alexandra Street. The building, known as The New Alexandra, is an officially recognized historical site.
Property History
In the early 1920s, Marino LucasMarino Lucas
Marino Lucas/Marinos Lekatsas was a Greek-Australian businessman, originally residing in Greece and subsequently Melbourne, Hobart and Launceston, Australia.Marino was involved in the construction industry and the operation of theatres...
purchased the mansion Fairholme in Alexandra Street, St Kilda East, Victoria
St Kilda East, Victoria
St Kilda East is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south-east of Melbourne's central business district. It is located within the Local Government Areas of the City of Glen Eira and the City of Port Phillip. At the 2006 Census, it had a population of 12,188.St Kilda East is one...
. He subsequently subdivided a portion of the north-eastern section of the grounds and built five residential houses in the then popular California Bungalow
California Bungalow
California bungalows, known as Californian bungalows in Australia and are commonly called simply bungalows in America, are a form of residential structure that were widely popular across America and, to some extent, the world around the years 1910 to 1939.-Exterior features:Bungalows are 1 or 1½...
style. After his death on 28 September 1931 at the height of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the mansion was sold, becoming a reception hall and is today modified for use as The Rabbinical College of Australia & NZ
Yeshivah Gedolah Zal
Yeshivah Gedolah "Zal" , Yeshivah Gedolah, The Rabbinical College of Australia and New Zealand, or colloquially, Y.G., is a government accredited yeshiva, an academy for young Orthodox Jews to devote themselves to full-time rabbinical studies. It is located in St Kilda East, Victoria, Melbourne,...
Student Shluchim
Before Passover of 1967 student Shluchim (emissaries of Rabbi Schneerson) arrived from the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the first of their kind anywhere in the world. These were unmarried students of advanced caliber sent to bolster the Yeshiva by studying and teaching the local students. After the resignation of Rabbi Herzog, the student Shluchim took over as teachers of Talmud in the Yeshiva. They also studied with Jewish university students, many of whom eventually enrolled in the Yeshiva. They opened up an English lending library of Jewish literature.
According to the current system at any given time there are altogether twelve student Shluchim on a two year stay, but six student Shluchim leave each year after completing their two-year period, and six new student Shluchim arrive, usually in the month of Cheshvan
Cheshvan
Marcheshvan , sometimes shortened to Cheshvan , is the second month of the civil year and the eighth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew...
. This was done in order to prevent a gap in which no student Shluchim are present. Thus, at any given time there are six student Shluchim in their first year and six in their second. It is customary for the entire Yeshiva to travel to the airport to greet the newly arrived student Shluchim with traditional boisterous Chasidic joy.
See also
- Yeshiva Gedolah in Sydney.
- Rabbinical College of AmericaRabbinical College of AmericaThe Rabbinical College of America is one of the largest Chabad Lubavitch Chasidic Yeshivas in the world. The Yeshiva is located in Morristown, New Jersey and has trained thousands of Rabbinic students. The Yeshiva is supported by Jewish philanthropists such as David T. Chase, and Ronald Lauder of...
- Oholei TorahOholei TorahOholei Torah is the common name of the Lubavitch schools Educational Institute Oholei Menachem and Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah...