(Courtesy of YU) As eighth graders eagerly await acceptance letters, The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy/Yeshiva University High School for Boys is gearing up for a busy spring recruitment season.
“These are exciting times for MTA,” said Rabbi Yoni Stone, director of admissions. “In just the last couple of weeks we saw our MTA Makor Chaim exchange students return from a month of inspirational learning in Israel and their Israeli counterparts join our yeshiva; our robotics team took honors at their latest competition; we had a packed Lions Den for Senior Night and the Hockey Winter Classic; we had our strongest team yet competing at the national YU Model UN; and our Yeshiva Fellowship Shabbaton spent an uplifting Shabbos with Rav Hershel Schachter.”
Rabbi Michael Taubes, MTA rosh yeshiva and a proud alumnus (’76) said, “Our current talmidim and more recent graduates stand out in various communities not only for their Torah and academic achievements but, even more importantly, for their ‘menschlichkeit’ and refined characters.”
He added, “Our decades of success are based on something no other yeshiva high school can boast: our affiliation with Yeshiva University. This unique connection enables our students to have regular and ongoing interaction with YU’s world class rebbeim, accomplished professors and stellar students, who serve as mentors and ‘big brothers,’ along with the rare chance to be part of a college campus while still in high school.”
Since its establishment in 1916 as the nation’s first high school founded under Jewish auspices, MTA has prepared generations of young men to become scholars, professionals and leaders in their communities.
“MTA is one of the greatest educational creations ever,” said MTA graduate Dr. Jonathan Halpert (‘61), who is also a parent and grandparent of MTA students.
Many communal leaders remember their high school years at MTA fondly. “Every day I benefit from the skills and Torah lessons I gained from my four years at MTA,” said Rabbi Simcha Willig, faculty member at the James Striar School and in the Isaac Breuer College of Hebraic Studies and part of the rabbinic staff at both Congregation Keter Torah and the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach. “The lessons I learned from my remarkable high school teachers and rebbeim are lifelong gifts for which I will be forever grateful.”
MTA’s leadership team is excited for what lies ahead in this spring semester and the 2023-24 school year. The yeshiva is jointly led by Rabbi Shimon Schenker, an award winning educator, veteran administrator and beloved rebbe at MTA for the past 22 years, who assumes the role of menahel, and Rabbi Dov Emerson, principal for general studies, who exemplifies YU’s Torah U’Madda ethos in his dual role as the head of the secular studies department and a 10th grade maggid shiur. Rabbi Schenker and Rabbi Emerson are joined by Rabbi Daniel Konigsberg (‘05), MTA’s dean of student life and a 12th grade maggid shiur, who is responsible for overseeing all extracurricular components of the yeshiva’s well-rounded, multi-faceted high school educational experience, and who will be taking on the position of associate principal.
“There is no place I would rather send my son,” said Tzipora Laub, a current parent and a parent of a recent graduate, “MTA’s rebbeim, faculty and resources are everything we could have hoped for. With this leadership team the yeshiva remains strong and poised for another growth oriented year for our sons.”
Rabbi Schenker, who received the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education, agreed. “There are so many individuals in our yeshiva who work passionately each day to provide an outstanding educational experience for our talmidim, and to provide an environment of individual care and attention designed to inspire each boy. Our rebbeim and teachers, grade deans, guidance team and support staff are all aligned in their commitment to the mission of our yeshiva.”
MTA will be hosting its Annual Family Melave Malka, motzei Shabbos, February 25 at 8:15 p.m.. The event, punctuated by incredible ruach and dancing with Baruch Levine, will also include a special event for accepted students and parents, where attendees can meet with the school’s leadership team.
“This event is truly one of the highlights of our yeshiva calendar because it is an opportunity to share our unparalleled MTA signature ruach with our broader MTA community,” said Rabbi Emerson.
Rabbi Konigsberg added, “While the Family Melave Malka is going to be a night to remember, this program is just the catalyst for many inspiring, meaningful and fun yeshiva-wide events planned for this spring.”
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