In honor of the centennial celebration of The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy/Yeshiva University High School for Boys (YUHSB), Hyman Arbesfeld has made a $1 million gift to establish the Abraham Arbesfeld Scholarship Fund, named in honor of his late father.

Arbesfeld is a YU Guardian and a Benefactor and vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS). He has a long, personal history with YU. In 1945, Arbesfeld entered YUHSB, encouraged by his father to study Torah rather than attend The Bronx High School of Science, which was Arbesfeld’s first choice. As a scholarship recipient, he was so grateful for the opportunity to attend that he never missed a day of high school in four years, feeling that it was his duty to make the best use of the support given to him.

“I was lucky enough to go through my entire YU education, from high school to RIETS, supported by scholarships,” said Arbesfeld. “I made this gift in honor of my father because without his encouragement and love, I would not have had the rich Jewish life that I have been so fortunate to lead. This gift will reassure families that they can send their sons to the high school without worrying about tuition, just the way my scholarships reassured my father.”

After graduating from YUHSB in 1949, Arbesfeld went on to attend Yeshiva College and received semicha [ordination] from RIETS. He and his wife, Ann, have established the Benjamin and Rose Berger Kollel Fellowship at RIETS (in honor of Ann’s parents) and two study groups, the Abraham Arbesfeld Kollel Yom Rishon program for men and the Millie Arbesfeld Midreshet Yom Rishon program for women.

“With the school’s centennial in full swing and a new university president coming on board, I felt this was the perfect time to pay YU back for everything it had given to me,” said Arbesfeld. “I also want the gift to inspire everyone who has ever benefited from scholarship support to step up and, as the Jews say about charity, ‘give until it makes you feel good.’”

Rabbi Joshua Kahn, head of school at YUHSB, added, “This gift enables us to provide our excellent all-around education and unique experience to all families, regardless of their financial circumstances.”

To learn more about the centennial or to support Yeshiva University High School for Boys, visit yuhsb.org/centennial.