We’re already deep into the Elul zman, and with Rosh Hashanah less than a week away, we can look back gratefully and exhale a sigh of relief as Pele Yoetz’s Yeshivah Placement Department’s intensive efforts begin winding down. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the department’s staff and the clear guidance of Pele Yoetz’s Nasi Hagaon Harav Dovid Levy shlit”a, over one hundred bachurim were accepted into a range of yeshivos around the country, with each bachur placed in a yeshivah that’s the right match for him.
A representative of the Yeshivah Placement Department shares: “This department was operating unofficially for a while before becoming official ten years ago, and every year, the number of bachurim who need help finding and being accepted into the yeshivah that’s right for them increases. The positive feedback we’ve received over many years, and the hundreds of bachurim who’ve flourished in yeshivos where they were placed, surprising both parents and faculty alike, brings many parents and bachurim to seek our help when they reach the challenging stage of selecting a yeshivah for their son. Baruch Hashem, this Elul zman, we were zocheh to facilitate the acceptance of over one hundred bachurim into a range of yeshivos, and we’re not done yet. There are still several open cases, several bachurim who have not found the right place yet, but with siyata diShmaya, we’ll help them through the process too, until they’re happy and settled in an appropriate yeshivah.”
Pele Yoetz’s Yeshivah Placement Department’s comprehensive and consistent efforts to campaign for each individual bachur, with the belief that he is not a ‘case’ but a Yiddishe neshamah who wants to learn, strive and succeed, has enabled them to help thousands of bachurim over the years find the yeshivah that’s best for them. Simultaneously, this approach has earned them not only the trust of parents, but also of Roshei Yeshivos and yeshivah faculty which are more inclined to open their doors to admit new bachurim when they are confident that there is an authority backing the bachur and taking responsibility to escort him through the initial acclimation period.
Indeed, one of the secrets to the Yeshivah Placement Department’s success is its continual commitment to every bachur and the guidance and support that it dispenses long after he’s been officially accepted into the yeshivah.
Each of the one hundred bachurim who began a new yeshivah this zman “benefited from personal attention—even those with extremely complicated backgrounds. We spared no effort to ensure that no bachur would remain without a proper yeshivah framework.”
Now that the vast majority of bachurim have found their places, the Yeshivah Placement Department has begun dealing with the opposite issue, fielding calls from parents who complain about the excessive pressure exerted by yeshivos on bachurim.
“Parents—and bachurim—should bear in mind that not every challenge requires the department’s professional intervention. Most of the time, the challenge is normal, part and parcel of facing new beginnings, as the famous adage goes, ‘Kol haschalos kashos, all beginnings are difficult. First try waiting it out to see if the bachur acclimates on his own, and only if the situation is extreme, contact us.”
However if a parent or mechanech suspects a serious situation, the department urges them to contact them immediately. “If parents or mechanchim acknowledge that a situation is escalating and notice a grave problem that won’t be resolved with time, it’s important to contact us as early as possible instead of waiting for the last minute—because, by then, it’s often too late.”
Regarding such situations, they add, “It’s important to identify problematic situations early on, so a bachur doesn’t reach the point of expulsion or being forced to find a new yeshivah on his own—because, by then, the problem is often too complicated to solve. The secret to success,” they emphasize, “is identifying an issue on time.”
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