Chicago Mesivta Celebrates 30 Years on Site of Future Campus
A special pre-Yom Kippur farbrengen at the Mesivta in Chicago brought together community members and bochurim for an evening of niggunim and inspiration led by singer Benny Friedman.
by COLlive Editor · COLliveThere was a special feeling in the air on the corner of Pratt and California Avenues in Chicago.
As many participants attested, the bochurim brought a unique energy to the evening. Their niggunim and pure simchah helped transform the gathering into a true farbrengen.
The farbrengen was led by dean Rabbi Moshe B. Perlstein and Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Eliyahu Nosson Silberberg, with musical accompaniment led by Benny Friedman.
“It was a beautiful event,” said participant Effy Cohen. “The divrei hisorerus, the singing, and Torah atmosphere all came together to help us get into the frame of mind for Yom Kippur.”
The evening carried an additional significance, as it took place as the Mesivta marks 30 years of chinuch.
The site of the farbrengen will soon be transformed into a new, three-story, 33,000-square-foot campus, designed to bring the Mesivta’s classrooms, offices, and student spaces together under one roof for the first time in three decades.
The design has been developed with extensive input from Menahel Rabbi Sholom Ber Halberstam and the Mesivta’s leadership, with each space designed around the needs of the bochurim.
The new campus will include a Main Beis Midrash seating 240, a dedicated Shiur Alef wing, nine purpose-built classrooms, five mentoring offices, and three student commons designed to provide spaces for bochurim to connect between sedarim.
The campus will also feature a “Mivtzoim Launchpad,” from which bochurim impact the entire community.
The $18 million project has already secured more than $7 million in commitments. Construction is planned to begin this winter, with the new campus expected to open in fall 2028.
“As we celebrate 30 years, our goal was to create an opportunity for the men of our community to come together for inspiration, niggunim, and hisorerus as we prepare for Yom Kippur,” says associate dean Rabbi Shmuel Wineberg. “For many, the most inspiring part was mingling with the bochurim, whose heartfelt singing contributed so much to the atmosphere.”
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