Hebrew Institute of Boro Park
Closed Jewish day school in Brooklyn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Hebrew Institute of Boro Park (HIBP, also known as Yeshivas Etz Chaim/Etz Hayim) is a defunct private school[clarification needed]in New York City. It was the first Jewish day school in Borough Park, Brooklyn.
| Hebrew Institute of Boro Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
United States | |
| Information | |
| Other name | Yeshivas Etz Chaim/Etz Hayim |
| School type | Jewish day school |
| Established | 1916 |
| Status | Defunct |
| Closed | [when?] |
Principal | Rabbi Akiva Wadler (final principal) |
| Enrollment | c. 200 (1970) |
History
Founded in 1916,[1] the school was the first yeshiva (Jewish day school) in Borough Park.[2] It was located at 5000 13th Avenue.[3]
Enrollment
During its heyday, the school had three parallel classes through grade 6, and two parallel classes for grades 7 and 8.[4] The loss of a class was partly due to those parents who subsequently sent their sons to (public) junior high school. It went from having approximately 600 students during the mid-1960s to an estimated 200 students by 1970.
Principals
Other yeshivas
By the time the yeshiva closed,[when?] the area was becoming more Hasidic. However, the area still featured two other long-time non-Hasidic schools; Shulamith School for Girls, a girls' school[8] and another boys' school, Yeshiva Toras Emes Kaminetz, which was seven blocks away.[9] Both these schools later moved to Flatbush.
Shulamith was two buildings, one of them partially using the nearby Young Israel of Boro Park, the other directly across YIBP. Both of these buildings were sold to Viznitz Yeshiva.[10]
Foundation
Etz Chaim's building was sold and the proceeds were used to establish the Yeshiva Etz Chaim Foundation to support religious education. (Retired) Judge Jerome Hornblass was an early administrator.[11]
An alumni reunion[12] was held in 1997 for the graduates of the school which "was located in a beautiful building on 13th Avenue between 50 and 51st Streets."[11] That building has since been demolished; several stores and a bank are now on that block.
Notable students
- Zachary Baumel (1960–1982) – American-Israeli soldier
- Martin Yarmush (born 1952) – American biomedical scientist and engineer
- Spencer Ross (born 1940) – sports broadcaster
- Alan Dershowitz (born 1938) – attorney
- Dovid Katz (born 1956) – Yiddish scholar