When a child is in pain, you don’t spare any cost. When the house is on fire, you don’t worry about the price of fire extinguishers. When a Yeshiva is changing the world, you don’t cut corners.
At Achei Temimim we are making our second fundraiser. We are doubling our target goal and inviting the larger community to join us in our incredible work.
We would like to provide a glimpse into our operational costs in an effort to both provide financial transparency, and to give some sense of the support that the Yeshiva requires to continue producing miracles.
Beyond the standard costs of running a Yeshiva, which include salaries, rent, dining program, and utilities, Achei Tmimim has a few unique costs. Over the past 5 years, we have learned and developed effective methods of using extra curricular activities to enhance and complete a bochur’s experience. The costs can vary from bochur to bochur, many of whom require additional support or specialized growth plans. We also have to take the future of the Yeshiva into account as we look towards expanding our space to accommodate the growing student body and a dorm in which our bochurim may live comfortably.
Achei Tmimim offers monthly trips that not only make the experience more enjoyable, but also provides an invaluable opportunity for the bochurim to bond with both staff members and each other. Throughout the year, there are a carousel of programs and workshops that help the boys grow spiritually, mentally and emotionally. The Menahel Rabbi Levi Tzukernik, usually accompanied by Shiur Aleph Mashpia Rabbi Yehuda Fenton, farbreing with the Bochurim for hours, accompanied with the requisite snacks and farbeisen that keeps the boys fed. These essential features cost the Yeshiva an average of $85,000.
Although we are at a record 75 bochurim, we are still catering to each individual bochur, and their individual needs can often be accompanied by costs that parents can’t or won’t cover. There are almost a dozen bochurim each year for whom the Yeshiva arranges and covers essential therapy. Some boys cannot afford basic Yeshiva needs like the cost of clothing, seforim, or Mikvah, and we help them maintain their dignity and participate in the Yeshiva without worry. Their physical needs are also being addressed, as the Yeshiva helps cover many boys’ gym memberships, medical costs, and dietary limitations. The average cost of these programs is $15,000 a year.
As our Yeshiva grows, there is also a desperate need for expansion. Though we have accepted more Bochurim than ever before we are still bursting at the seams. There is literally no room left in our Zal, and the Yeshiva has rented several apartments at added expense to provide the boys with places to sleep. For context, while we will be able to accept 75 students next year as well, we will also be forced to send out at least 100 painful rejection letters.
We are working towards building our future in two significant ways. First, we are looking towards the purchase of a building that will have enough space for an expanded Zal and a large dormitory. While this dream may be years away, there are investments that can be made now that would make that far more likely. More immediately, we are looking to maintain and build out our incredibly talented staff by raising the salaries across the board. In the Yeshivas current financial state, staff members are not being paid enough to make Achei their full focus, requiring nearly all of them to work in other Yeshivos in order to make ends meet. Towards this end, we are looking to invest $100,000 in increasing the salary of all of our staff, while converting several part time teachers to full time.
While our doubled goal of $200,000 barely scratches the surface of our needs, it will provide us with the essential breathing room required to make next year a year of continued growth for our Yeshiva. Please give what you can and share with those you know in helping participate in this essential mission.
