A large inauguration ceremony was held for the new campus of the Derech Shalom yeshiva in Givat Yearim, attended by rabbis, public figures, parents, alumni and friends. The event marked the opening of a new dormitory and treatment complex, built to high architectural and professional standards, under the slogan “A family with a soul.”
The day began with a festive reception, a buffet, ribbon-cutting and mezuzah installations. Yeshiva head Rabbi Eliezer Frenkel described Derech Shalom as the first and oldest institution of its kind in youth treatment and education, cited the educational writings of the late Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe, and urged parents to remain active partners in their children’s education. He thanked CEO Rabbi Benzion Nusboim for turning a long-held dream into a reality and ended with a heartfelt Shehecheyanu blessing.
Dormitory director Rabbi Shimshon Avitbul explained that the name Derech Shalom, in the plural, reflects many educational paths tailored to each boy. Former Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi David Lau addressed the students directly, praised the investment in the new complex, stressed the importance of professional care within a yeshiva framework, and later spent an hour speaking privately with the boys about their goals and concerns. Rabbi Zecharia Grinold, one of the founders, said he could not believe what the institution had become.
Other speakers included MK Rabbi Michael Malkieli, MK Moshe Abutbul, Motty Babchik and Histadrut HaLeumit chairman Yoav Shimchi, who all praised the school’s work. Nusboim said the walls are not just a physical building but “a complete educational and therapeutic path,” and compared each boy’s growth to a quarry becoming a gem. After the speeches, guests toured the new facilities, including spacious bedrooms, personal study stations, modern bathrooms, shared areas, a pet corner and an upgraded therapeutic horse farm with ducks, peacocks, parrots, goats and sheep. The evening ended with a festive meal, fathers and sons study session, devotional singing and dancing late into the night. The organizers thanked production company head Pinchas Lebkovitz for running the event successfully.
