 Photograph of the Volozhin yeshiva | |
Other name | Yeshivas Etz Ḥayyim |
|---|---|
| Active | 1803[1][2]–1939 |
| Founder | Ḥayyim of Volozhin |
Religious affiliation | Judaism |
| Rosh yeshiva |
|
| Location | , , 54°05′28″N 26°31′40″E / 54.0910°N 26.5279°E |
Yeshivas Etz Ḥayyim (Hebrew: ישיבת עץ חיים), commonly called the Volozhin Yeshiva (Yiddish: וואלאזשינער ישיבה, romanized: Volozhiner Yeshiva), was a prestigious Lithuanian yeshiva located in the town of Volozhin in the Russian Empire (now Valozhyn, Belarus). It was founded around 1803 by Rabbi Ḥayyim Volozhiner, a student of the famed Vilna Gaon,[1] and trained several generations of scholars, rabbis, and leaders. It is considered the first modern yeshiva, and served as a model for later Misnagedic educational institutions.[3]
The institution reached its zenith under the leadership of Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, who became rosh yeshiva in 1854.[3] In 1892, demands of the Russian authorities to increase secular studies forced the yeshiva to close. It re-opened on a smaller scale in 1899 and functioned until the outbreak of World War II in 1939. During the War German soldiers used the building as a stable, and it was subsequently converted into a canteen and deli.[2] The site was returned to the Jewish community of Belarus in 1989.[2] It is considered a cultural and architectural landmark,[2] and in 1998, the Volozhin Yeshiva was registered on the State List of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Belarus.[4]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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wmfwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
helmreichwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Jews of Belarus Move to Save Their Past". East European Jewish Heritage Project. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011.