Yeshiva Darchei Torah receives land donation

Thanks to a donation of land from its neighbors across the street, Yeshiva Darchei Torah, a Far Rockaway school that serves about 2,100 students, could be expanding its campus in the near future.
Benjamin Landa and Ben Philipson, the principals of Woodmere-based SentosaCare, which owns several nursing homes and rehab centers across Long Island, New York City and in Westchester and Schenectady counties — including Brookhaven Rehabilitation & Health Care Center at 250 Beach 17th Street in Far Rockaway — donated a 25,000-square-foot parcel valued at $1.1 million that sits adjacent to the rehab center and opposite the yeshiva.
“Once we determined that the parcel across the street from Brookhaven was not integral to the center’s operation, my partner and I decided that rather than selling the land, we would donate it to Yeshiva Darchei Torah,” said Landa, who not only became acquainted with the yeshiva, but sent his son to study there for a year.
The yeshiva has not yet decided what it will do with the property. Discussion has focused on either a dormitory, gymnasium or additional classrooms. “The land generously donated by Benjamin Landa and Ben Philipson will allow us to significantly enhance the overall environment in which our students learn and develop spiritually, physically and emotionally,” said Rabbi Yaakov Bender, the yeshiva’s principal.
Founded in 1972, Yeshiva Darchei Torah aims to integrate Torah learning with the development of good character traits and ethics. It consists of a preschool, an elementary school, a junior high and a high school, along with a study hall and an institute for advanced learning. Officials said that it is the largest institution of its kind in the tri-state region, with students not only from Far Rockaway and surrounding communities, but from around the country.

The yeshiva also runs the Rabenstein Learning Center, which offers services to children with special learning needs as well as gifted students. It also includes the Weiss Vocational Program whose students take part in religious studies in the morning and then learn trades in the afternoon.
Thanks to effective fundraising campaigns coupled with private donations, the school has built new buildings and renovated older structures that led to a revitalization of the neighborhood. “While the number of students we serve is a critical component of our mission, we are very much aware of the need to maintain a high-quality physical plant,” Bender said.
Giving back to the community is a philosophy that Philipson and Landa both endorse. “Having an opportunity to support a world-class institution that has contributed so much to the lives of so many and to the Far Rockaway community is a unique privilege and an honor,” Landa said.