Nearly a year has passed since Yeshiva Gedolah of the Five Towns inaugurated its magnificent mikdashme’at. The last few months have brought explosive enrollment, an expansion of communal outreach and shiurim, and the addition of new members to the administration and the board. However, the yeshiva’s steadfast commitment to limudhaTorah, mussar, and tikunha’middos has not changed an iota.

The yeshiva is committed to keeping the warmth and closeness to every talmid, yungerman, and community member that it had when they were in their previous, smaller quarters. The new building has allowed the yeshiva to visualize the majesty of Torah and make that majestic presence accessible to all who enter its doors.

The yeshiva has become a sought-after makomTorah for young men returning from learning in Israel. The yeshiva is known for high-level shiurim given by the prominent rebbeim as well as for its warm atmosphere and unique hashkafah.

The yeshiva also serves the Five Town community in various ways. The eiruv is maintained by the yeshiva and it sends people to check its status on a weekly basis. The yeshiva provides numerous shiurim to ba’aleibatim, ranging from iyun to amud yomi and hashkafah. Its doors are open to all who wish to learn in its inspiring atmosphere. The yeshiva’s yungerleit are available as chavrusas for interested ba’alei batim.

In the coming days, at the yeshiva’s 12th annual dinner, the now expanded community will once again come together to celebrate YGFT’s growing accomplishments, and put faces on some of those who have borne the greatest responsibilities towards facilitating its success.

Guests of Honor: Mr. Yehuda and Mrs. Rebecca Biber. Yehuda’s tireless dedication, with the constant encouragement and sacrifice of his wife, has allowed him to function as its treasurer, janitor, fundraiser, advisor, and close confidant to the b’neiyeshiva, kollel, and its rebbeim. And he has accomplished all of this while maintaining a demanding job and, most importantly, while disguising himself as a bachur in the yeshiva–given the many evening and weekend hours he spends learning in its beismidrash. While this evening is a celebration of all of these accomplishments, it is also a bittersweet occasion, as Yehuda has recently resigned from his position as treasurer of the board to allow other individuals to assume roles of leadership. It is without any doubt that the yeshiva would not have achieved its success without him, and no words of hakarasha’tov can adequately convey the deep sense of appreciation.

Yehuda grew up in Chicago, before making his way to Yeshiva University where he learned in its beismidrash and kollel. He is the head of the tax department at Viking Global Investors and active in a variety of communal organizations including his service on the board of Torah Academy for Girls.

Rebecca has played a central role in the N’shei Yeshiva Gedolah, opening up her home to host shiurim and coordinating meals for women after childbirth. Her family, the Rubinsteins, raised Rebecca in Woodmere after spending their earlier years in Plainview and share their children’s commitment to the community.

Together, the Bibers are beautifully raising their children, Aliza, Tamar, Aharon, and Shayna. Aliza and Tamar are both in TAG and Aharon attends Yeshiva Darchei Torah. Though still young, Aharon has demonstrated an exuberant enthusiasm for the yeshiva and following in his parents’ path of influencing those around him.

Parents of the Year: Mr. Ricardo and Mrs. Gitty Goldschmidt. Some parents are simply fortunate to have children who grow into bneiTorah. Others will do everything in their power to create that reality. Ricardo Goldschmidt and his eisheschayil, Gitty, fall firmly into the latter category. Not only has Ricky learned on more continents than most people ever have the opportunity to visit, but he has proactively ensured, b’gufou’b’mamono, that wherever he resides, his communities are bustling with Torah institutions and talmideichachamim. From his early years in Buenos Aires to his time at Ner Yisrael in Toronto and Baltimore, later on to yeshiva in Switzerland, back to university in Argentina before settling in Woodmere, Torah has been the a focus in Ricky’s life.

In addition to his close kesher with the rosheiyeshiva and other local rabbanim, including the mara d’asra of Aish Kodesh, Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, Ricky can be found in the houses of talmideichachamim across the globe. Just in the last couple of years, Ricky has founded a new dafyomishiur at Aish Kodesh, headed by Rav Yoni Levin, so he can begin his mornings at 6:00 a.m. with the words of Torah on his lips. It is this tradition that has been imbued in his children, who are all deeply engaged in the world of Torah study–first in Netiv Aryeh, then in Yeshiva Gedolah of the Five Towns, and now the three oldest children are part of the same kollel program in EretzYisrael.

Ricky’s father escaped to Argentina from Austria prior to its occupation, and his mother settled there later, after surviving Auschwitz and living in Rav Eliyahu Dessler’s home. Upon marrying in Argentina, his parents raised him with a firm yeshiva education before encouraging him to pursue studies in university, join the family textile business, and obtain an MBA.

In Buenos Aires, Ricky met his wife, a child of prestigious rabbinical lineage. Gitty’s father was Rabbi Meyer Shapiro, the former chief rabbi of Venezuela and Argentina, born in Caracas, Venezuela. After Ricky and Gitty married in Argentina, they remained there for their early married years, until settling in Woodmere 25 years ago. Their first three children, Yissachar Dov (Kevin), Menachem (Jason), and Malka were born in Argentina, and their youngest son, Michoel (Darren), was born in NY.

Harbotzas Hatorah Award: Rabbi Tani and Mrs. Suzanne Feit. Rabbi Tani Feit is one of the earliest products of the yeshiva’s kollel program and living evidence of the success of its work. It has been nearly eight years since he and his wife, Suzanne, entered the walls of the YGFT beismidrash and, over that time, with the joyful prodding and support of his wife, he continues to develop as a talmidchacham and role model for all the b’nei yeshiva. The remarkable achievements of such a ben Torah has encouraged the kollel to flourish over the years, expanding in size and now hosting more than two dozen yungerleit who influence the yeshiva and the ba’alei batim in the community.

Tani grew up in Staten Island and learned in EretzYisrael in both Yeshivat Hakotel and in Yeshivas Mir, before settling in the Yeshiva Gedolah. His wife, formerly Suzanne Hiller, was raised locally in Lawrence and attended HAFTR before heading to seminary. She attended Midreshet in EretzYisrael before returning to Stern College, ultimately attaining a master’s degree in nursing from NYU. In addition to her role as a full time balabusta to their family, she works as a labor and delivery nurse in South Nassau Hospital. Baruch Hashem, the Feits have been blessed with a beautiful family–Akiva, Yedidya, Esti, Hindy, and Aryeh. The older boys attend Yeshiva Darchei Torah and are active participants at Yeshiva Gedolah, escorting their father to learning and davening. Esti attends Bnos Bais Yaakov where, iy’H, her sister Hindy will shortly join her. It is a great kavod to the yeshiva that the Feits agreed to act as its shining example of achievement in accepting this award.

Please join YGFT at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 10, at the Sands in Atlantic Beach, as they recognize these special individuals for their tireless service to the yeshiva, the Five Towns community, and klalYisrael.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here