Machon Shlomo
| Type | Yeshiva |
|---|---|
| Director | Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld |
| Location | Jerusalem, Israel |
| Campus | urban |
Machon Shlomo is an Orthodox yeshiva for men located in Har Nof, Jerusalem, Israel. Its faculty and student body are mostly American. Classes are taught in English.
Students usually come from the United States, Canada, Australia, Russia, and South Africa. Most students were not raised Orthodox. The Rosh Yeshiva is Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld.
Name and History
Machon Shlomo is named after Rabbi Shlomo Rosenberg, a former head of the Orthodox Union (OU) kashrut division. The first Rosh Yeshiva was Rabbi Yaakov Rosenberg (1929-1999), Shlomo's son. Currently, the yeshiva is led by Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld, Rabbi Yaakov Rosenberg's son-in-law.
While operating from a traditional Jewish philosophy Machon Shlomo claims to distinguish itself with an emphasis on blending realities of the modern professional environment with Torah values. The majority of Machon Shlomo's alumni return to the professional working world. This is in contrast to some other yeshivas where a majority of alumni may remain full-time in a Torah learning environment.
Staff
Rosh Yeshiva
Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld serves as Rosh Yeshiva, Chumash teacher, and as the Dean of Machon Shlomo. He holds a BA in Economics and an MA in History from Trinity College in Hartford, CT (1976). He was a Fulbright scholar and studied in Japan before deciding to study in yeshiva.
Rabbi Gershenfeld is also the Rosh Yeshiva of Machon Yaakov and the President and Co-Founder of Meor (www.meor.org).
Other Lecturers
- Rabbi Noach Orlowek also serves as mashgiach (Spiritual Dean of Students) in Yeshivas Torah Or in Jerusalem. He lectures on five continents, mostly in the areas of parenting, teaching, and relationship issues and is the author of several books including Raising Roses Among the Thorns.
- Rabbi Meir Triebitz attended the Juilliard School of Music and holds a degree in mathematical physics from Princeton University. He did a doctoral fellowship at Stanford University and taught mathematical physics at Queens College and SUNY Stonybrook.
- Rabbi Yehoshua Styne graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business and studied at the USC Graduate School of Cinema. He studied under Rav Asher Arieli and Rav Yosef Elefant at the Mir Yeshiva, and received his semicha from Rav Yosef Lerner and Rav Moshe Halbershtam (zt"l) from the Eidah Charedis Rabbinical Court of Jerusalem. He also oversees the Meor Vision summer program at Machon Shlomo.
- Rabbi Yonasan Sigler holds degrees in engineering from Princeton and MIT. He received his semicha from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. He also runs the STEP Program at Machon Shlomo during winter and summer breaks.
Students
The average student comes to Machon Shlomo for one or two years of study. Most students are in their 20s and hold or are in the process of earning academic degrees. Over 90 percent of the alumni of Machon Shlomo are actively involved in careers. Most alumni live in the United States or Israel.