Yaakov Bender

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Rabbi
Yaakov Bender
Rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah
Incumbent
Assumed office
1979
Personal life
Born1950 (age 74–75)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Spouse
Bryna Diskind
​
(m. 1972)​
Religious life
Religion Judaism
Denomination Haredi
Semikhah Mirrer Yeshiva Central Institute

Yaakov Bender (born 1950) is an American Haredi rabbi who is the rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway, New York. He acts as a speaker, writer and adviser on Jewish education.

Contents

Life and career

Bender was born in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. [1] His parents, Rabbi Dovid and Basia Bender, were pioneering educators on the American Jewish scene. [2] His father was the head of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas in Brooklyn, New York. [3] His paternal grandfather, Rabbi Avraham Bender, traveled in the 1930s within the United States to raise funds for yeshivas in New York such as Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and Israel. [4] [5]

Bender started studying at the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia in 1965. [3] He served as the branch leader of the Pirchei Youth Movement of Agudath Israel of America. He then studied at the Mirrer Yeshiva Central Institute, where he received semikhah in 1971. In 1973, he founded the Flatbush branch of Hatzalah, and was a member of the Central Board of Hatzalah for 20 years. [1]

He was appointed as a seventh-grade rebbi (Hebrew teacher) at Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway in 1978, and six months later he was promoted to principal. [6]

He is a member of the Vaad Roshei Yeshiva - the governing rabbinic board - of Torah Umesorah. [7] In 1997 he was recognized as an outstanding Jewish educator by The Covenant Foundation. [1]

Opinions

Bender encouraged people to get the COVID-19 vaccine, saying "We haven't lived through enough?" [8]

Following a 2018 New York Times article criticizing Haredi yeshiva education, Bender attacked the newspaper, calling the piece a "terrible and unfair attack" on yeshivos. He defended his students, stating their academic scores surpassed the New York average and their environment was superior to public schools due to the absence of drug use, crime, and disrespect. [9]

Personal life

Bender's father died in 1965, when he was 15. [3] In 1972, he married Bryna Diskind, an educator. [1]

Works

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Yaakov Bender". The Covenant Foundation. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  2. ↑ Gliksman, Devorah (2009). A Tale of Two Worlds. Artscroll. ISBN   9781422608883.
  3. 1 2 3 Bender, Yaakov (February 8, 2017). "Do We Care Enough?". Mishpacha Magazine . Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  4. ↑ Brand, Eliezer (February 3, 2021). "The Crown Has Fallen // Rav Yitzchok Scheiner, zt"l". Ami Magazine . Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  5. ↑ Yehuda Geberer [@JSoundbites] (November 16, 2019). "Rabbi Yaakov Bender of Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway is the grandson of Rabbi Avraham Bender who was an important fundraiser for RIETS in the 30's and 40's. Great job by @aryelesh" (Tweet). Retrieved October 28, 2025– via Twitter.
  6. ↑ Bensoussan, Barbara (January 14, 2018). "Pairing Torah with Chesed Grew Yeshiva Darchei Torah into a World-Class Yeshiva" (PDF). Heartfelt. Yeshiva Darchei Torah: 15. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Meet our Staff". Torah Umesorah . Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Orthodox Rabbis Encourage the COVID Vaccine Ahead of Rosh Hashanah". The Jewish Exponent . September 3, 2021.
  9. ↑ Bleich, Yochanan (December 5, 2018). "ראש הישיבה במתקפה על ה'ניו יורק טיימס'" [Rosh Yeshiva Attacks The New York Times]. Kikar HaShabbat (in Hebrew). Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  10. ↑ Michaelson, Jay (April 5, 2019). "The Best New Haggadot And The Best Of All Time". The Forward . Retrieved October 29, 2025.
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