HAFTR to break ground on Torah and Athletic Center

Posted

By Mayer Fertig

Issue of August 29, 2008

HAFTR will break ground on a new Torah and Athletic Center on Central Avenue on Sunday, September 7 at 9:30 a.m.

The building is to go up on the site of the old home of The Nassau Herald and, more recently, The Jewish Star. HAFTR purchased the property several years ago; shortly before the newspaper building was destroyed by fire.

Plans call for a Beit Midrash large enough to accommodate HAFTR’s entire Middle School as well as a full-sized gymnasium that will split in two for practices, and double as an auditorium. An additional practice gym means that the building will be able to host three athletic practices at once.

It will also hold three schools, though not all at the same time, according to HAFTR co-president Michael Schreiber. “It will be the first facility of HAFTR which will bring the different divisions of Machon HaTorah, and the rest of the HAFTR divisions, into one building, which is a very nice thing,” he said.

“We just need more space,” said Head of School Rabbi David Leibtag. “The school is growing - the Middle School particularly. We’ve outgrown our beit midrash so there’s no space for all the boys to daven together, which requires the older boys to be in spaces outside the middle school. This will allow all the boys to be together.” There are currently about 150 students in the Middle School.

The new beit midrash is good news for the high schools, too.

“The high schools, for sure, have been longing for a brand new beit midrash,” said Schreiber. “Having a beautiful beit midrash is as important as having a beautiful gym.”

Gatherings of the entire school are held at Congregation Beth Sholom. That is expected to change when the new building opens.

“The way the gym is set up we’ll have opportunities for everyone to be together,” Rabbi Leibtag said. The gym is also expected to accommodate as many 500 spectators for home games.

Schreiber noted that the school has tried twice before to put up a new gym but he’s confident that the third time will be the charm.

“Steve Wallach, he’s our building chairman, has done an unbelievable job in getting us to the point where we are today, and we have full faith and confidence that we’ll see the project through.”

“It will happen,” he said.

Schreiber stressed that the ambitious new project is very much a team effort, with significant involvement by co-president Scott Sulzberger and the chairman of the board, Avi Lauer. “This is not a one man show,” he said.

Rabbi Zev Friedman, Rosh Yeshiva of Machon HaTorah said the new building “will be a centerpiece for Torah in the Five Towns area.”