After graduating from TABC, most students attend Yeshiva in Israel for the year. What’s that experience like?
I’ve interviewed former TABC students who have had this experience. In what comes below, these alumni will not only provide insights on their expectations and new situations but also shed light on how TABC prepares each student for the next level.
We know that TABC alumni attend a multitude of Yeshivot, with Hakotel, Shaalvim, Netiv Aryeh (or Netiv), and Torat Shraga (Shraga for short) among some of the popular options.
Since there are many different Yeshivot in Israel, with each one bringing unique opportunities, students must find the best option that both fits their current personalities and encourages maturation.
This makes the Yeshiva decision a very difficult process, one that TABC Rebbeim (Rabbis) actively participate in, so they can guide and assist students.
This gap year of Yeshiva learning plays a major role in shaping the minds and lives of young adults. Current Yeshiva students realize they have a great opportunity and have already begun looking to utilize it.
As TABC alumnus Jonathan Haberman (‘19) told me, “The year in Yeshiva is an amazing gift of time, as you’re allowed to grow as a person in a pressureless environment with no outside responsibilities.”
Joe Baron (‘19) is a current Yeshivat Hakotel student who echoed Haberman’s assessment. He told me that just before entering Yeshiva, he made many goals for himself: “I hoped to gain a love for learning Torah, develop long-lasting friendships, increase my happiness as a Jew, and build connections with the awesome rebbeim.”
Despite the long days that sometimes make it hard to focus on learning, Baron feels that he is certainly progressing and learning to better enjoy a halachic Jewish lifestyle; he has developed a love for learning and a close connection with Hashem. Baron said he has already made many new friends.
According to Baron, Hakotel gives its students the best of both worlds. Not only does it provide top-notch learning with incredible rebbeim, but it also encourages students to form friendships in the school, which leads to a fun atmosphere.
Baron specifically enjoys living and “immersing” with Israelis. He says that rooming together and sharing a lunchroom with them force Americans to speak Hebrew multiple times a day. This also fosters new bonds of friendship between native Israelis and American Jews studying in Israel.
Although Baron says his Yeshivah experience has gotten off to an excellent start, he was forced to undergo a large adjustment period. “It takes a while to get accustomed to living independently in a cramped dorm without any home-cooked meals,” said Baron. “Learning to travel by bus and being thrown into a new social environment was initially difficult as well.”
Baron had high praise for how our school prepared him. “I have noticed that TABC students are typically among the most advanced in learning, both textually and analytically, upon entering Yeshiva,” he said.
However, Baron does describe his chavrusa studying (learning with a partner) in Hakotel as being “incomparable” to his chavrusa time in TABC. Now that he’s in Yeshiva, he pushes himself to fully understand each topic on his own, something he never did while in high school.
Next, I interviewed Jonathan Haberman, who attends Shalavim. Like Baron, Haberman entered Yeshivah with a mindset focused on personal growth, as he aspires to become the best “Eved Hashem” (servant of Hashem) and Jew he can be.
Like the majority of Yeshivot, Shalavim places a heavy focus on Gemara. However, Haberman appreciates the time allotted for Mussar shiurim, which are essentially instructions on how to live a meaningful life.
Haberman noted the difference between the learning at TABC and the learning at Shaalvim. While TABC focuses on approaching the daf (page) in an analytic, creative way, Shalavim emphasizes the importance of the text.
Haberman finds this difference to be significant. Learning that is text-based centers on the improvement of reading skills, while a creative, analytic learning style gives students a better understanding of the context and modern applications of the text.
Although the two approaches are very different from each other, Haberman appreciates them both and finds them to be equally stimulating.
Unlike Baron, who experienced a long and prolonged adjustment period that then ended, Haberman faces “pockets of adjustment,'' as he refers to them.
He has observed that he will settle into his routine and then, all of a sudden, run into a “wall” or new circumstance where he feels himself struggling. This lasts for only a short amount of time, though, before Haberman quickly gets back on his feet.
In the beginning, this cycle often repeated itself, leading to a “bumpy ride.” However, Haberman noticed that as the year went on, his routine became more consistent with fewer disruptions.
Haberman believes that TABC prepared him for Yeshiva as best as it could. The rebbeim helped shape his expectations and maximize his time. However, he feels that his “pure reading skills” were not up to par and needed improvement.
To further showcase the lives of former TABC students in Yeshiva for the year, I interviewed Matthew Ganchrow, who is a TABC alumnus (‘19) and currently attends Netiv.
Ganchrow says that he is very happy in Yeshivah right now - he says his gap year has gotten off to a great start. When stating the positive aspects of Netiv, he immediately mentioned the school’s proximity to the Kotel: “It’s pretty cool to see the Kotel every day.”
Also, Ganchrow loves how often he can see his friends from other Yeshivahs, as they are all right near each other. He notes that the food in Netiv is a great bonus, especially since, in general, Yeshivot are widely known for their lackluster meals.
An additional aspect Ganchrow appreciates about Netiv is the Thursday chesed break: “Every Thursday, Netiv gives us an extended break throughout the afternoon to do Chesed, which I find to be both meaningful and enjoyable.”
Entering his year in Israel, Ganchrow made two large goals for himself: “I am trying to be the best Ben Torah I can be by improving my Torah learning and working on my Middos. Also, I’m trying to take advantage of every moment, as the year goes by fast.”
As for the adjustment to an entirely new life, Ganchrow admits that the beginning was especially tough: “Going from a laid-back senior year at high school to engaging in grueling days of learning was very difficult.” Moreover, the small number of TABC students in Netiv contributed to his rocky start in Yeshivah.
Nonetheless, Ganchrow overcame this challenging initial period. He cited one reason why he was able to settle in so quickly was TABC’s excellent preparation. In particular, TABC’s Masmidim class did a wonderful job with “showing him what a shiur in Yeshivah looks like.” Furthermore, he credits TABC’s Hebrew Department for “helping [him] talk to Israelis.
Lastly, Jacob Lerer, TABC alumnus (‘19) and Shraga student, allowed me to delve into his life as a Yeshiva student. Lerer has found his Yeshiva experience so far to be “awesome” and “nothing like [he] expected.”
His main goal going into his year in Israel was to get closer to God. The great environment filled with “supportive friends and rebbeim” has made it easier for him to accomplish this feat. Also, Shraga has given Lerer a new perspective on religiosity: that physical life is simply a way of serving God.
Lerer loves knowing that he is making real progress, but he does mention that it is essential to pace yourself: “Since we are covering so much ground, sleep can easily slip away.”
Additionally, Lerer likes that, despite Shraga focusing most of its attention towards Gemara, he can find opportunities throughout the day to incorporate philosophy, chasidus, and hashkafa into his learning. One way he accomplishes this is through “deep talks with rebbeim and friends.” Lerer also enjoys the gym Shraga provides, often working out or playing ball during free time.
Because his family moved to Israel as he began Yeshiva, Lerer faces a less-imposing adjustment period than most. Since he has his family nearby, he can speak to them throughout the day, do his laundry there, and return home for Shabbos. However, it took Lerer about a month and a half to “intertwine” himself with the learning schedules at Shraga.
Unlike Baron and Haberman, Lerer finds the style of learning at Shraga to be eerily similar to that of TABC. Thus, he felt he was well-prepared by his former high school, noting that the TABC students are “top of the line” at Shraga.
While some former TABC students face challenges in the unfamiliar environment of a full-time, year-long Yeshiva, ultimately they all are inspired by the learning and growth they can achieve there. TABC should take pride in how it is able to prepare these students.