(Courtesy of Ohr Yisroel) On the 19th yahrzeit of Davood Rozehzadeh, Dr. and Mrs. Joe Rozehzadeh dedicated the Zichron Dovid Beit Midrash at Ohr Yisroel of Tenafly in his memory. Their oldest son, Dovid, who is learning in Reishit currently, is named for him. Seeing Dovid’s excitement and growth in that environment inspired his parents to dedicate the beit midrash and Dr. Rozehzadeh to serve as president of the board of the yeshiva, in order to create a similar environment here in America for high school talmidim.

The festive ceremony included special presentations by Rabbi Scott Friedman, head of school; Rabbi Mordechai Shain of Chabad of Tenafly, and a keynote address by Rabbi Mordechai Finkelman, mashgiach of Ohr Hachaim.

Rabbi Friedman took the opportunity to express to the talmidim that the yeshiva would never exist without the Rozehzadeh family’s leadership, commitment, love and support. Ohr Yisroel is a dream come true. A place where the focus is on growth above and beyond all else. A place that values the student above all else. A place that seeks to connect and inspire, not command and control.

Ohr Yisroel’s inaugural year has seen the student body grow to 40 students, and the dedication was both a fantastic and inspiring opportunity to celebrate the yeshiva. The program was held in the newly dedicated beit midrash and featured a catered lunch from Juniors in Passaic.

The Rozehzadeh family continues to demonstrate their profound commitment to Talmud Torah, tefillah and excellence in Jewish education, and Ohr Yisroel is grateful to be the beneficiary of their tremendous generosity. Dr. Rozehzadeh reflected on this azkara being the first time in 19 years that he was not in Israel for the occasion. With that in mind, he explained “how it gives [him] such nechama knowing all the learning in the yeshiva is in [his] father’s zechut and how proud [his] father would be of each and every student.” He expressed how he and his wife, Lori, “hope our kids see the plaque on a daily basis and know their grandfather is looking down at them watching them and is always proud of them. Finally, “Ohr Yisroel is a dream come true and the entire yeshiva should go may chayil el chayil.”