Now in its third year, Yeshivat Magen Abraham is charting a new path in the field of high school education in Brooklyn’s Syrian community. Through innovative methods and strategies, they prepare the community’s youth for religious and financial success.
Lurking just beyond the walls of today’s yeshivah high schools are two enormous obstacles that the graduates will have to surmount: a ruthlessly competitive job 
market and a pervasive secular culture that even the most insular communities cannot avoid. Jewish educators in the 21st century face unprecedented challenges in equipping their charges with the skills they need to succeed spiritually and financially as they move on to adulthood.
In September, 2008, Yeshivat Magen Abraham opened its doors to the Syrian community’s 9th graders, offering a rich, comprehensive and rigorous curriculum alongside an exciting array of supplementary programs to prepare them for a 
successful future. Currently, the yeshivah serves a student body of 50 young men, all from the Syrian community, providing them with the highest level of Torah and general education, as well as firsthand exposure to the business and professional world that they will inhabit in just a few short years.
Real-Life Learning
Yeshivat Magen Abraham’s religious studies program includes intensive study of Gemara, Humash, Navi, Mishna and Halacha, with a strong emphasis on the 
practical application of the material. Real-life lessons are extracted from the Biblical texts, and the Talmud study is geared toward arriving at the practical halachic conclusions. The students are thus taught not only how to learn Torah, but also how to live Torah, applying the timeless values and precepts of our tradition to life in 21st-century America. Classes are taught by a dynamic team of devoted, charismatic rabbis—menahel Rabbi Yosef Churba, Rabbi Duvi Bensoussan, Rabbi Avraham Rubin and Rabbi Mayer Chemtob—all of whom are committed to giving each student the individual attention he needs to succeed and realize his potential to its very fullest. 
Exciting incentive programs are in place to encourage extra learning outside the formal classes.
Magen Abraham’s general studies program is run by Principal Baruch Heller, who brings with him over 30 years of experience as a public school principal. All the teachers have earned master’s degrees in their fields, and are committed to 
maintaining the very highest academic standards and preparing their students for outstanding achievement on the regents exams and acceptance into the finest colleges. The material is taught at the highest educational standard, and many courses are taught on college level, allowing students to earn college credits. Innovative methods, employing the latest cutting edge technology, are used to make the material clear and ensure maximum comprehension and retention. Faculty members are devoted to guaranteeing the success of each and every student, and are prepared to give any student the extra time and attention he might need to excel. 
Students are frequently tested on the material, and the teachers work closely with them to ensure high scores.
Yeshivat Magen Abraham also gives students a head start in college by exposing them to college life while in high school. Three times a week, 10th and 11th graders take an accredited business course at Brooklyn College, taught by the college’s professors. The experience equips the boys with confidence, self-esteem and ambition, that directly translates into greater academic achievement. Advanced placement courses at the yeshivah offer students as many as 26 college credits, so that they can complete college sooner to get started on an exciting, fulfilling and successful career.
The menahel, Rabbi Yosef Churba, describes the school environment as serious and mature, one which engenders ambition and achievement. The yeshivah adheres to a zero tolerance policy with regard to smoking and drugs, and strictly forbids any conduct that might distract students from their academic goals.
At the same time, Rabbi Churba says the school provides its students with a warm, homey environment. “We’re like a little family,” he says, “with everyone looking out for each other. Every student knows he has somebody taking care of him, someone to turn to with any kind of problem.”
Hands-On Business Training
Students are also treated to occasional trips to Manhattan offices, where they see firsthand how to run a successful enterprise. Additionally, accomplished Jewish businessmen and professionals visit the yeshivah to speak to the students about their businesses and careers. Mr. Richard Sutton delivered a three-hour presentation about Lollytogs, explaining in detail how a successful business is run, and Mr. Douglas Haber invited Magen Abraham’s students into his Innovative Design showroom and spoke to them about his enterprise. These events give the boys a true picture of what awaits them in the business world, and the skills they will need to succeed, such as creative and bold thinking, writing and communications skills, and technological know-how.
According to Rabbi Churba, these experiences have a profound effect upon the students. “They come out of these presentations feeling mature and committed to working hard. Seeing what it takes to succeed, they are filled with excitement and ambition, ready to work diligently so they can realize their aspirations.” He says that the students return to school from these outings driven to maximize their high school years to be prepared to meet the challenges of the market.
Synthesizing Torah and Career
Another unique, innovative feature of Magen Abraham’s program is a series of Torah lectures by laymen in the community. Mr. Sam Gindi, David Escava and Martin Haddad delivered high-level classes on a range of Torah subjects, demonstrating to the students that excellence in Torah and professional success are not mutually exclusive.
“Because these speakers aren’t rabbis,” Rabbi Churba observed. “The students can relate to them in a special way. They see that Torah greatness is not only for rabbis—it’s for everyone.”
These exemplars of the Torah-career synthesis embody the message of Yeshivat Magen Abraham—rising to the challenge of combining Torah commitment with financial success.
The yeshivah also offers an intensive athletic program, including a junior varsity basketball team that competes in the Long Island yeshivah league, and daily access to the athletic facilities at the Sephardic Community Center.
“The new realities of the workforce are such that young men need a strong general studies background to succeed,” Rabbi Churba noted. “Our stu
dents make the most of their high school years to prepare for a successful future, to develop the skills they will need to succeed wherever they go in life, whichever path they pursue.”
Yeshivat Magen Abraham invites the community to an open house at the school, 723 Avenue Z, on November 17 at 8:30 pm. For more information about the school or the open house, or to request an application for the 2011/2012 academic year, please contact Yeshivat Magen Abraham at (718) 627-6200.
Magen Abraham is in need of a building, due to the growth of their student body. They are out growing the building they are currently in and are calling on the community to contribute to their building fund. To donate please call Rabbi Churba at (347) 231-3838 or email him at yeshivatma@gmail.com.
Yeshivat Magen Abraham would like to thank the following special people who have been helping them grow and reach higher levels of education: Ken Cayre, Michael Jemal, Richard Adjmi, Toby and Eli Cohen, Sol Jemal, Elliote J. Beyda, Richard
