Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh relisted by Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch

Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh is once again affiliated with Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of Chabad-Lubavitch.

The school was delisted by the organization earlier this year and, as a result, lost its affiliation with Chabad of Western Pennsylvania.

According to an Aug. 6 announcement, Yeshiva Schools will retain its existing “board-operated governance structure with added oversight to ensure that it remains dedicated to fulfilling its mission of operating a dual curriculum Jewish day school rooted in the fundamental tenets of Chabad-Lubavitch.”

Get The Jewish Chronicle Weekly Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

The roots of the tension between the Yeshiva Schools and the Lubavitch Center go back to 2019, when the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh requested a governance audit of the school.

At its conclusion, auditors recommended Yeshiva Schools decouple from the Lubavitch Center.

In July 2020, the organizations signed a Perpetual Cooperation Agreement, which was amended in 2021 to address several issues not in the original agreement, such as the ownership of Sefer Torahs and religious books, insurance, security, janitorial service, building maintenance, operation of the mikvah and the sale of a dormitory.

Later the same year, Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum was appointed Yeshiva’s new CEO and head of school, succeeding Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld. Rosenfeld remains the head shaliach of Chabad of Western Pennsylvania and the rabbi of the Lubavitch Center.

As the two organizations worked to implement their Perpetual Cooperation Agreement disagreements arose that were brought to a rabbinic arbitrator, according to Chaim Oster, Yeshiva’s board president. Most of those issues were resolved, but several remained, including a bequest valued at $560,000.

When the arbitrator resigned in 2023, Yeshiva Schools wanted the remaining matters to be decided by a secular court while the Lubavitch Center believed Jewish law required the matters to be brought before a beis din, or Jewish court.

Ultimately, Merkos listed Yeshiva’s unwillingness to appear before a beis din as the reason it delisted the school. Yeshiva filed for injunctive relief in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, alleging that that the Perpetual Cooperation Agreement and its addendum are in full effect and sought to specify: the sale of 2142 Wightman from the Lubavitch Center to Yeshiva Schools for $300,000; certain donations should be given to Yeshiva by the Lubavitch Center; and that Lubavitch congregants must vacate the building at the time previously agreed upon when school/camp is in session.

Despite Yeshiva’s delisting, the organizations continued to negotiate and eventually reached an agreement on all matters related to the original Perpetual Cooperation Agreement, which led to Yeshiva rejoining Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch.

“Yeshiva,” Oster said, “worked tirelessly over the past several years to resolve our disputes with Lubavitch Center with the aim of alleviating the financial and operational challenges they created.”

He said Yeshiva’s leaders are “thrilled” to put the disputes behind them.

“We can now sharpen our focus on providing a world class, dual curriculum education for Chabad families,” Oster said.

Rosenfeld said that with the help of a mediator, Lubavitch Center and Yeshiva “successfully addressed several points of dispute and are encouraged by the progress made.”

Yeshiva Schools’ commitment to remove all matters from secular court and resolve every issue not finalized by the mediator in a beis din led to its reinstatement as a Chabad institution.

“We look forward to continuing to work together in good faith to resolve the remaining matters in a manner that upholds the values of Chabad,” he added.

Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh was founded in 1943 under the auspices of Tomchei Tmimim. It later became affiliated with Merkos L’Inyonie Chinuch, which provides professional guidance and services to existing Chabad schools. It also assists in the establishment of new schools and provides professional training for educators. Additionally, it maintains a directory of all Chabad educational institutions in the English-speaking world. PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghewishchronicle.org.