The Preservation of YUhsb

On the Corner of 186th street and Amsterdam Avenue stands a powerful historic building. This building belongs to Yeshiva University High School for Boys, a high school with a long meaningful history of developing Jewish leader in America for nearly a century. This very year YUHSB will be celebrating it’s 100th graduating class from this magnificent institution. Over its long prospers history Yeshiva University High School for Boys also know as MTA has faced several challenges both politically and financially. Through this paper the reader will learn about the history of YUHSB and how important it is to ensure the future continuation of the oldest Jewish high school in America.
The Origins of Yeshiva University High School for Boys stems as early as 1886 with the establishment of Yeshiva Eitz Chaim in Miriampol Synagogue on 44 East Broadway in the New Yorks Lower East side. With the lower east side being a common stop for immigrants from Eastern Europe many European Jews lived in tenements all around the area. With these new homes Jews began to look for ways to ensure that there their children were provided with a Jewish education, while at the same time allowing them to thrive in America sciences and philosophy as well. When Yeshiva Eitz Chaim opened its doors it was the first Jewish educational institution that studied both Judaic and secular studies in America. Thirty Years after it’s opening in 1916 Yeshiva University High School opens its doors on Montgomery Street standing as the first Jewish high school in the United States. Shortly afterwards on January 1929 YUHSB moves to it current location in Washington Heights on 2540 Amsterdam Avenue.
When one thinks of Washington heights one generally does not think about a thriving leader in Modern Jewish Education. As one walks outside the borders of Yeshiva University that range from 182th street 186th street on Amsterdam Avenue one is immersed with deep Spanish culture. With the Heights being one the largest communities of immigrants from the Dominican Republic one is exposed to the unique Dominican culture that surrounds them. With bodegas and liquor stores on every corner, evidence of Spanish culture overflows in the streets. The Heights was not always like this however; When YUHSB first moved to its current location over 85 years ago the Heights was predominantly dominated by Irishmen and Jewish immigrants escaping the rise of Nazi Germany. As years passed and the residence of the Heights changed, YUHSB did not move, it stood strong to its location just as it sticks strong to it’s beliefs.
As I approach the historic YUHSB building over I whelmed with the Jewish history that has taken place here. From just out side of the building one can see the large castle like structure that YUHSB resides in. With a large circular doom on its top and big stained glass windows this building give off a felling of prestige as one approaches it. As one opens the heavy front doors of YUSHB one can begin to understand that there is something great behind this gargantuan exterior. Inside the building one can wonder off to Lamport Auditorium where one finds one self in a large room with a six story tall celling and enough seating to sit over a thousand people. This is a place of history; a place where many important speeches have been made that left an ever-lasting impact on those who lessened. I remember the first speech I heard in this room very clearly. The principal of MTA who was Mark Gottelieb at the time gave a speech to all the incoming freshmen. He spoke about the important role in Jewish history we were all about to embark on. He discussed how many of our fathers and grandfathers sat in the same chairs as we are sitting in now years ago. At this moment I knew I have chosen the right school and that I will do everything I can to graduate from this Yeshiva high school. During my years at MTA my connection to school grew and I became more and more fascinated by its unique historical significant. When I gradated in 2014 I was proud to have partaken part in this schools long history and valued what the school had accomplished.

The continuation of YUHSB to this day did not come with out challenge however. With a war with New York regent’s board in the late 1930’s to 1940’s almost resulting in the closing of all Yeshiva high schools in New York and in more recent years a pull from Yeshiva University to close YUHSB because of a large financial blow followed by accusation of sex scandal YUHSB found its way near dismantlement several times over its history. In 1938 after recent change of admission YUHSB that was called TA at the time, was challenged along with 25 other Yeshiva day schools by the New York State board of Regents. The State Board of Regents claimed that all New York schools must follow the public school schedule and teach all secular studies at the same time. This was very problematic for TA and other Jewish schools like it, since they always had Judaic studies in the morning and secular in the evening. Even though TA had a ninety-five percent passing rate for the New York Regents exam the Regents Board still persisted that TA and schools like it conform to New York public school scheduling since they claimed it diverted from American ideology. After along 5-year battle in 1943 TA was able to demonstrate to the New York Board of Education that it not only did not demote American ideology but rather promoted it through out the institution .

In more recent times YUHSB suffered two large financial blows that nearly resulted in the forced it to closure its doors for good. Yeshiva University found its self down nearly 100 million dollars in 2008 after they discovered that their investments in Burney Madoff’s investment funds did not hold any value. This resulted in the school being in financial deficit of 107 million dollars ( Madoff Haunts). If this wasn’t problematic enough for YU to consider closing down some of its institutions shortly afterwards Yeshiva University was sued by two students who attended YUHSB in the 1980’s on the claims that they where sexually abused by a teacher during there time in the institution. The joint sum of the money the students wished to collect from the lawsuit sorrowed over 600 million. In addition to the expense of lawyers YU had to use to fight these accusations the case resulted in a large decline in donors for the University, especially for the high school. It was not until early 2014 when Federal Court tossed out the case that a future for YUHSB became a possibility again.

Many wonder what the future will hold for this institution after all of its recent hardships. This year will be the 100th graduating class from YUHSB and is an exciting time for the school. With 100th years of education complete it is interesting to wonder what the upcoming years will be like for the school. With Anti-Semitism in America starting become more and more evident every day it is scary to think about the large impact it will have on YUHSB and other Jewish high schools like it.. With incidents like what happened in UCLA where a student was denied a position in student government because of her Jewish identity and outrageous claims that Zionist are the reason for higher CUNY tuition by SJP it is scary what is happening in the American educational system at this time. With this said it is important to do everything on can in order to ensure the future of YUHSB not strictly because of its academic accomplishments of which it has many but more importantly for what it stands for as being the oldest Jewish high school in America.