New Inwood yeshiva offers extras

By Sergey Kadinsky

“We want our guys to be physically fit,” said rosh yeshiva Rabbi Dovid Rhodes. “Mind, body, and soul.”

Located inside an Inwood storefront, Yeshiva Yesod Yosef will accept its first class of 20 students this August. In partnership with Excelsior College, an accredited online school based in Albany, the yeshiva will offer a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, alongside studies in Gemorah and halacha.

“Young people need direction,” said Rhodes. “Sometimes they go to Israel to study, but how will they make a parnassa (livelihood)? With this financial crisis, parents can’t afford to take care of their grown kids.”

As an alternative to private college and more expensive local yeshivas, the cost of education at Yesod Yosef, including books, tuition and degree, is expected to top out at $17,000. Married students will be exempt from yeshiva tuition, while paying for the costs of the college degree.

Working alongside Rhodes, the mashgiach of the yeshiva, Rabbi Tzvi Zylberberg, comes from a background in counseling, leading workshops in high schools for Sholom Task Force.

“The cost of private college and going to Israel are expensive,” said Rhodes. “We provide a sense of direction, with a structured approach.”

The full-time program holds classes five days a week, with two Torah classes, a lunch break with physical exercise, and secular subjects in the evenings, taught by visiting professors.

“You can get your BA in one and a half years,” said Rhodes. “With this under your belt, you have the maturity to go to Israel, college, or graduate school.”

Prior to opening the storefront yeshiva, Rhodes led the Yeshiva of Great Neck, and a synagogue in Merrick. Prior to this, he operated a Jewish outreach center in South Bend, Indiana. Keeping a small student body serves to promote close relationships, with plenty of career counseling and spiritual guidance.

“I am not interested in a big yeshiva, where a kid is just a number,” said Rhodes. “We talk over their issues, goals, and aspirations.”

Prior to the yeshiva’s founding, the storefront operated as a personal training center for Orthodox men. The awning remains unchanged.

“There’s a lot of work, you have to know the material,” said Rhodes. “Since it’s only a year and a half, it’s very condensed.”

For more information on Yeshiva Yesod Yosef, contact Rabbi Rhodes at 718-327-2644 or visit www.yesodyosef.org