The new campus of the Darchi Shalom yeshiva was inaugurated in Givat Ye'arim, near the Jerusalem hills, at a large event attended by rabbis, public figures, parents, alumni, friends and hundreds of guests. The celebration marked the opening of the expanded yeshiva, along with a new dormitory and therapeutic complex built to very high architectural and professional standards.
The official ceremony began after a festive reception with food, with ribbon-cutting and mezuzah installations. Yeshiva head Rabbi Eliyahu Frenkel praised the institution’s long history as the first of its kind in youth treatment and education, cited the educational ideas of the late Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe, and urged parents to remain active partners in their children’s upbringing. He thanked CEO Rabbi Ben-Zion Nosboum for turning a long-held dream into a facility tailored to each boy, and concluded with an emotional Shehecheyanu blessing.
Dormitory director Rabbi Shimshon Avitbul explained the plural name Darchi Shalom as a reflection of many educational paths for different boys. Chief guest former Israeli Chief Rabbi David Lau spoke warmly to the students about their inner strength and praised the professional support offered within a yeshiva framework, then spent an extended one-on-one conversation with them. Rabbi Zekharia Greenwald, one of the founders, said he could not believe what he was seeing, while MK Michael Malkieli, MK Moshe Abutbul, Motty Babchik and Histadrut Leumit chairman Yoav Shimhi also offered congratulations.
Nosboum said the new walls represent a complete educational and therapeutic approach, comparing the project to a mountain transformed from thorns into a gem. Guests then toured the complex, including spacious modern rooms, personal study stations, mountain views, and upgraded therapy facilities such as a pet area and horse farm with ducks, peacocks, parrots, goats and sheep. The evening ended with an abundant seudat mitzvah, father-and-son learning under the sign, 'Luli Toratecha Sha'ashu'ai,' singing, and exuberant dancing into the night.
