JEWISH HOME LA

On May 24th, Yeshivas Ohev Shalom (YOS) held their seventh annual learn-a-thon to raise funds to subsidize all of their extra-curricular programs. The inspirational evening began with a delicious dinner, followed by learning, tehillim, and ma’ariv. The bochurim worked diligently for three weeks to solicit sponsors, and together they raised over $15,000. The sponsors submitted hundreds of names of people who needed a refuah sheleimah, a shidduch, or for an iluy neshama; these people benefited from the zechuyos that were generated that evening.

YOS concluded the school year with a three-day retreat to San Diego. The yeshiva spent two nights at the Welk Resort in the remote mountains near Escondido, California. The activities included bowling, basketball, volleyball, swimming, and fishing. The highlights of the trip were the tubing and speed boating at Carlsbad Lagoon, and the Go Kart racing and arcades at Speedzone.

The Yeshiva conducted beautiful minyanim at the resort, including a shachris minyan on Rosh Chodesh Sivan filled with singing and ruach. They read from YOS’s Torah twice, on Monday and Tuesday, at the resort.

Guests at the resort joined YOS for their minyanim three times a day. They were extremely impressed and inspired by the beautiful davening and the learning that followed shacharis each morning. “It was amazing! I’ve been coming to this resort for twenty years and I never had a minyan,” said one elated guest from Woodland Hills. It was a tremendous kiddush Hashem.

Rabbi Chaim Tropper, the Yeshiva’s menahel, explained to the bochurim before they embarked on the retreat, “You all deserve an amazing vacation with luxurious five-star relaxation after a tremendous year of hard work and success in your Torah and secular studies.”

The students appreciated this treat. “I’ve never been to such a beautiful hotel!” said Ovadia Cohen about the stunning resort. “The food was so plentiful and delicious,” said Uriel Gurvitz, about the lavish meals and abundant snacks throughout the retreat.

Over the three days, the students really had an opportunity to spend time together. “It was a great way to end an amazing four-year high school experience”, said Zalman Tropper, who will be graduating from the yeshiva and will continue his studies next year in Yeshivas Toras Chaim in Miami.

YOS completed their seventh successful year on June 8th. They have enrolled over 70 students over the past seven years, 24 of them who have graduated and continued on to higher education in yeshivos and universities throughout the world. YOS is a tremendous asset to the Los Angeles community with their dual-track Torah studies program and their innovative online secular program. They were the first yeshiva in the country to offer a full-scale online secular program which utilizes the state subsidized charter school program. This creative academic model has given them the opportunity to provide a high-level high school program with very affordable tuition.

Yeshivas Ohev Shalom places a strong emphasis on extra-curricular activities throughout the school year to promote achdus amongst the students and to enhance the close-knit kesher between the rabbeim and their talmidim. The fun-filled trips, sports activities, rosh chodesh breakfasts, melava malkas, and Chanukah and Purim chaggigos are all part of YOS’s mission to help their students blossom into HAPPY bnei Torah.