What Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah is like

What it's like

Oholei Torah is a Chabad-Lubavitch yeshiva in Brooklyn drawing students from around the world. It is a religious educational institution centered entirely on Torah study and the teachings of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, with no secular curriculum. The school enrolls approximately 1,600 students across multiple divisions from preschool through post-secondary Talmudic study.

Academic feel

The curriculum consists solely of Torah study with a strong emphasis on Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson's teachings. The school notably excludes English, mathematics, and all other secular studies from its program. Post-high school study is offered through the Beis HaMedrash (Talmudical Seminary), which since 1979 has published a biweekly journal and annual volume containing essays on Torah topics contributed by students, staff, and alumni.

What you should consider

More than 70% of Oholei Torah graduates pursue lifelong positions as Chabad Shluchim, initiating and directing Jewish activities in 75 countries with the goal of bringing Jews closer to Judaism. The school's mission and curriculum are specifically designed to prepare students for this path of religious outreach and community leadership within the Chabad movement.

Weaknesses

• In 2016, the school was the subject of a Newsweek exposé for its decades-long history of failing to fire teachers who physically abused and molested students.[1]

Traditions

• Founded in 1956 by Rabbi Michoel Teitelbaum and Reb Dovid Deitsch at Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson's direction, the school began in a Brownsville synagogue with a handful of students and has since expanded to multiple divisions including kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school, plus a post-secondary Talmudical Seminary.[1]