The “boys will now feel this is their home,” said Rabbi Aryeh Stechler, rosh yeshiva of Heichal HaTorah, the boys yeshiva high school that has just received the green light to purchase the building that is currently The Jewish Center of Teaneck.
When the school opened its doors in 2014, it rented space from the Jewish Center’s educational wing, a section of the building with several classrooms, a perfect fit for the newborn yeshiva in this incubation phase.
In recent years, the Jewish Center has been through many incarnations, but in the last decade reinvented itself as an Orthodox shul. It has been struggling to maintain itself, but at the same time, Heichal has blossomed. The shul’s need for support to pay its bills coincided with Heichal HaTorah’s need for a permanent home.
The building is a natural fit for Heichal. It houses a large gym, pool, exercise room and fully equipped science lab, all of which enhance Heichal’s program.
With its new status, Heichal plans to deepen its connection to the greater Teaneck community, true to the name of the building. Heichal already has a track record for drawing hundreds of community members to a Chanukah concert, selichos and Purim chagigah. In addition to the junior high and adult shiurim and a strong relationship with its co-tenant Yachad already in place, the school plans to offer programming for senior citizens, something Rabbi Stechler says is greatly lacking in the local Orthodox community. A Holocaust memorial is also on the horizon, as well as sports offerings, greater summer camp choices and shiurim for women.
The big dreams come with the need to fundraise. Heichal is looking at a $3 million building campaign for the sale of the building, along with a million dollar endowment fund. Yehuda Jacoby, president of the board of the Yeshiva, told The Jewish Link that renovations of the building will be incorporated gradually over time and that there are aspirations to add on to an already-existing catering business on site in order to generate revenue.
The relationship between the two institutions has been in place for some time and the sale of the building simply “concretizes the partnership,” said Jacoby.
The president of the Jewish Center of Teaneck, Isaac Student, noted, “I am glad that the Jewish Center has found a partner like Heichal HaTorah, a school that shares our Jewish values and has guaranteed permanent space for the Center. Our davening and programming have grown over the past few years and we expect it to grow even more with this new arrangement.”
After recognizing its growth, Heichal never looked to transport itself elsewhere. It was “designed as a yeshiva for Teaneck,” said Rabbi Stechler. While students hail from Rockland, Passaic and Union counties the “heart of the Yeshiva is here.” Learn more at http://www.heichalhatorah.org.
