40 Years of Miami Yeshiva

By Mina Gordon – Melbourne, Australia
First published in the N’shei Chabad Newsletter

On the tenth day of Cheshvan 5734 (1973), the Rebbe himself sent Rabbi Yehuda Leib Schapiro to be Rosh Yeshivah for the newly established Yeshivah Gedolah in Miami Beach, Florida. A group of 11 bochurim was sent by the Rebbe as Shluchim to the Yeshivah Gedolah.

[This was the first Lubavitcher yeshivah gedolah ever established by the Rebbe in the U.S. and it was the first yeshivah gedolah ever to be established in the city of Miami. The Rebbe made it clear that this yeshivah gedolah was established also for the balabatim of the community.]

My husband Yosef Yitzchok was one of these boys and he has entertained and inspired us with many stories from the good old days. One of the most memorable involved mivtza Tefillin.

The bochurim heard that the local public high school had a very large percentage of Jewish students, so they went there one Friday afternoon with a table and a few pairs of Tefillin and set themselves up outside the school’s front gate just before dismissal time.

As kids started coming through the gate, they were surprised but receptive to the bochurim and their request. Soon there was a long line of high school students waiting to put on Tefillin, many for the first time. The bochurim returned the next Friday afternoon and the next. For a few weeks all seemed to be going well until the principal came outside and saw what was going on.

“Stop!” he cried. “You can’t do this here! It’s unconstitutional!”

“We’re sorry, but we aren’t doing anything wrong. These are Tefillin and Jewish men and boys are meant to put them on every weekday. We are only helping your Jewish students to fulfill their religious duty.”
“Nonsense, I’m Jewish myself, and nobody does this anymore, and besides, this is religious coercion! There will be no mixing of religion and state in my public school!”

“I’d like to point out that we are not on the grounds of your school, but outside the gate. This is a free country, with freedom of religion. Don’t your students have the right to practice their religion here?”

The principal looked furious. “If you don’t leave immediately, I’ll call the police!” He turned abruptly and stalked off.

The bochurim chose to ignore his threat. After all, they were Shluchim of the Rebbe, they weren’t doing anything wrong, they were doing the Rebbe’s mivtza, and anyway— they assured each other– the principal was certainly bluffing. They did, however, move to a spot a bit further down the street, so they couldn’t be accused of blocking the school gate or impeding school traffic. When the principal complained again, they moved across the street altogether. Once settled, they were so busy helping boys who were eager to put on Tefillin that they didn’t notice the police officer until he yelled, “STOP RIGHT NOW AND LEAVE THIS AREA IMMEDIATELY!”

The bochurim were sure that justice and the Aibershter were on their side, so they refused, saying: “We are not breaking any laws. We are on public property. We are enabling Jewish boys to do a Mitzvah. We are not forcing anything on anybody…”

The police officer was not impressed. “If you don’t vacate immediately, I will have to arrest you!”

The bochurim figured that the Satan must be really desperate to stop them, so they stubbornly ignored the threat, and continued wrapping Tefillin on as many boys as they could as quickly as possible. The officer and his men pulled out handcuffs. “Now you’ll see that we mean business.” The boys found themselves handcuffed and unable to wrap any more Tefillin. “Will you leave now, or do I have to take you down to the police station?”

“Okay, we’ll pack up and go.”

The police unlocked the handcuffs, as the principal looked on, gloating, “That will teach them never to come back again.” Little did he know that the Rebbe’s Shluchim don’t give up so easily. When Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskar heard what had happened, he assured the boys that they should return to their Tefillin post the next Friday, and he would take care of the police.

The next Friday, the gentile Mayor of Miami Beach, Mr. Chuck Hall, came in person to the front of the high school to show his support for religious freedom. He gave each of the bochurim a hearty handshake, and proceeded to show them exactly where to place their table. The high school boys started lining up to put on Tefillin. The Jewish principal watched helplessly as Mayor Hall smiled in approval and pictures were taken on this beautiful, sunny day. Still hoping to establish that he was the one who was upholding democracy and the American way, the principal approached one of the students who had just finished putting on Tefillin.

“Why are you allowing these zealots to do this to you?”

“This is my religion!” answered the boy fervently. “I don’t know how you feel about your religion but I love my religion!”

There was no further opposition.

THIS STORY involves the first eleven bochurim of Yeshivah Gedolah of Greater Miami. Over the next 40 years thousands of bochurim have been part of this yeshiva, and it is still going strong!

IN HONOR OF THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE YESHIVAH GEDOLAH OF GREATER MIAMI, A HISTORIC REUNION AND FARBRENGEN WILL TAKE PLACE ON THURS EVE, 27 CHESHVAN (WEEKEND OF KINUS), BEGINNING AT 9 P.M. AT THE BEIS MEDRASH, 580 CROWN ST BET ALBANY/TROY, GROUND FL.

If you were ever a shliach or talmid of the Yeshivah Gedolah of Greater Miami, this is your chance to remember and be remembered; to inspire others and to be inspired yourself.

There is no charge to participate but your sponsorship is appreciated. You may paypal rebnison@gmail.com, or bring your contribution to the event.

This historic event will be graced by Rosh Yeshivah Harav Hagaon Leib Schapiro and Head Shliach of Florida Rabbi Avraham Korf, and Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskier who was the Rebbe’s Shliach to help create and build the yeshiva, along with other members of hanhalas hayeshivah who were there at the beginning as well as many who worked there throughout the past 40 years.

The most important participants at this historic event are you and your friends! If you were ever a talmid of the Yeshivah Gedolah of Greater Miami, your presence will be appreciated.

For more info: Shluchim.miami@gmail.com

Pictured below: Top row L-R: Dovid Weberman, Yosef Yitzchok Greenberg, Yosef Yitzchok Gordon, Yehoshua Binyomin Rosenfeld, Yosef Yitzchok Itkin, Yosef Yitzchok Simpson, Menachem Mendel Volosov. Bottom row L-R: Yankel Lieberman, Avrohom Moshe Deitsch, Mayor Chuck Hall, Harav Leib Schapiro, Dovid Leib Grossbaum, Menachem Mendel Shusterman, Herschel Dubrowsky. All are standing at a special reception held for the Rosh Yeshivah and the bochurim, at which Mayor Hall welcomed them to the city and recognized the establishment of the yeshivah.