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Would someone know the background of how/why the school got the name ישיבת אור תורה?

Was it just a nice name? Did any of the founders have some affinity to Yeshivas Ohr Torah of Teveria which was founded in 1900 and was fairly well-known in the first half of the 20th century?

See Morgen Journal Aug. 22, 1943 p. 14

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and Morgen Journal Jan. 28, 1944 p. 16

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  • Why not just ask them manhattanday.org/about-mds/contact
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 16:34
  • I have considered that and might at some point. This was not my first line of attack, as the people who work for them now don't necessarily have knowledge of what went on 80 years ago. I have often found that such institutions are so preoccupied with the high-priority tasks of fund-raising and survival that they don't know about their own history. I have informally asked some people connected with the school in recent decades and they didn't know the answer. Was checking here to see if someone saw evidence in print or possibly was connected to an old-timer who would possess the knowledge.
    – EraserX
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 16:43
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    Is this question on topic? It seems to be asking about Jewish history (i.e. history of the Jewish people, as opposed to history of Judaism).
    – Tamir Evan
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 17:29
  • I was carefully considering whether to post this on Mi Yodeya and looked at the same link you just posted and thought that my question was somewhat similar to this on-topic example question: judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/7915
    – EraserX
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 17:38
  • Since the "official" name of MDS is Yeshiva Ohr Torah Community School, Inc. it seems unlikely that no-one at MDS would be able to provide information about the origin of the name.
    – Edward B
    Commented Jul 5 at 14:18

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Like it lists in the poster you show, the school was founded by Rabbi, Dr. Jacob Hoffman. He was a prominent Orthodox Rabbi in Germany prior to the Holocaust with some interesting ideas about the importance of Jewish unity. This link to his biography will help you to understand what the school was about.

Jacob Hoffman

Like his bio describes, he followed the path established through the Hildesheimer Rabbinical School in Berlin which followed the teachings of Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer. Essentially that western Orthodox Jews should not fear the western secular society and education because they are guided by the light of Torah ישיבת אור תורה primarily.

This second link is about the school itself: Manhattan Day School

It is worth noting that one of the alumni of the Hildesheimer Rabbinical School in Berlin was the Lubavitcher Rebbe. It was only through the Hildesheimer School that he was able to obtain written credentials for his education in order to attend university. Up until that time, the Rebbe had been homeschooled.

In that context, it should be recognized the influence that this school had on the views of the Rebbe in regard to both Israel, modern technology, secular education and outreach to the non-Orthodox Jewish community.

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  • Thanks for the helpful and interesting link re: Jacob Hoffman who was one of the founders. re: the MDS web site and wikipedia pages - I had already seen those when I first posted this question. The original question still remains as to the background of the "Ohr Torah" naming.
    – EraserX
    Commented Jul 5 at 14:35
  • "Essentially that western Orthodox Jews should not fear the western secular society and education because they are guided by the light of Torah ישיבת אור תורה primarily."
    – יהושע ק
    Commented Jul 5 at 15:18
  • This is a very plausible and sensible explanation, but I still sense that it's conjecture. I would appreciate info on whether anyone has heard or read such an explanation originating from someone actually connected with the founding of the school.
    – EraserX
    Commented Jul 5 at 15:33

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