By COLlive reporter
Over Pesach, rumors have been spreading via social media that Rabbi Leime Wilhelm, Rosh Yeshiva of the Lubavitch Mesivta/Yeshiva in Detroit, was fired from his position.
Rabbi Wilhem has been a beloved educator starting at the Chabad Yeshiva in Bnei Brak and continuing with the Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva in Rostov, Russia, which later moved to Arad, Israel, after its closure by authorities.
The Toronto born rabbi was hired in 5768 as a Mashpia in the Mesivta of Detroit for bochurim in their early teens. He was since promoted to the position of Rosh Yeshiva, working alongside the menahel Rabbi Levi Kaplan.
Detroit’s Yeshivas Menachem Mendel Lubavitch, for bochurim in their later teens, is led by the Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Gershon Steinmetz. Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Gourarie is the senior Mashpia of both Yeshivos and the Chabad community.
Rabbi Mendel Shemtov and Rabbi Benzion Stein direct both institutions.
A source in the Yeshiva’s administration told COLlive that it is regrettable that wrongful rumors are being spread. “Rabbi Wilhelm is currently teaching in the Yeshiva,” the person stated.
What may have been misconstrued, the source added, is a letter surrounding the negotiations of Rabbi Wilhelm’s contract in light of strained relations with fellow educators.
The letter said that if a contract is not reached for this coming school year, ‘he won’t be able to continue his job there.’
Rabbi Wilhelm was not available for comment.
knows the Rebbes Torah by heart on his fingertips. A chisidisher yid btachlis lubavitch yeshivahs should fight over him.
Nothing to talk about – any normalcy in that mesivta is thanks to leima (and Kaplan). Firing him is everything but inteligent on their part. As I doubt they’ll find anyone half as talented as he is, nigle, chassidus, farbreng. . .. So uninteligent on their part. As for him im sure he’ll get other offers in no time.
Detroit has been educating bochrim for more than 30 years before Laima went there and they did a fine job (look at the gratutes of Detroit for before 5 years ago) and Lainma has been educating bochrim on his own before he came to Detroit and he did a fine job (look at the gratuates of Rostov).
They will both go back to their own ways and continue educating bochrim the way they did before
Well this definitely brought to thousands of people’s attention the fact that someone was rumored to be fired and other unnecessary info.
What a shame. He was such a good mashpia. I wonder if that mesivta will continue to be so successful without him. I can’t understand why they would fire him.
leimo, we stan with you