Rinas - update from this year?

amother

RosePink

Mon, Feb 19 2024, 6:44 pm

My daughter is there now and is very very happy. I did a ton of research before sending her, because my daughter is the type that could have been targeted. And I mean a ton of research. She BH has seen nothing to concern her, neither have her friends.
All her friends are really happy too. There is a great group of girls. The principal is very flexible and accomodating to the girls. They take the girls on fantastic trips. They have great yomi iyun; they have va'ad with different teachers, so they can get to know them. The office in America is a pleasure to work with.

amother

Celeste ↓

Today at 7:11 am

The principal is exactly the same. No changes. People’s experiences in this seminary will vary greatly. Be very very cautious. Many students absolutely love it. A number of students absolutely hated it. I’ve also met students from other years outside of mine that felt traumatized here. One student who came in with shaky self esteem left not covering her elbows or knees and became super modern in seminary. She was so turned off from Yiddishkeit here. It was not dealt with well. This place has tons of warmth and lots of intensity for some people. There are complicated power dynamics that should not be happening in a seminary. Your daughter may completely love it here, and it’s true they have great trips, they have great food, the girls become a great group of friend and there is much joy and laughter for most girls - just please be cautious. If you are looking into the seminary - Look into how many staff have quit or been fired over the last few years (aim bayit, madrichas, Rabbanim or teachers). There is no space to speak up for students or faculty who try to protect students. Please be careful here.

amother

Mimosa ↓

Today at 7:20 am

amother RosePink wrote:

I agree completely. And they send out newsletters with pictures which are amazing.

amother

↑ Mimosa

Today at 7:22 am

amother Celeste wrote:

How do you know? Do you have a daughter there or are you just saying that based on years past? Every seminary goes through its phases and it isn’t fair to label a seminary based on one year. This year is an amazing year. I’m sorry the year you went wasn’t ideal (or what you thought was ideal).

amother

↑ Celeste

Today at 8:41 am

It is hard to share private or vulnerable experiences on a public forum and be put down by others for them. And- it is also important to speak up to protect others. I am trying to find that balance here. I know first-hand because I was there 2022-2023. I have friends who went 2020-2021, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. I saw first hand in my year what was going on. I heard directly from girls who went other years that had similar experiences. The same theme of experiences were shared by enough students across years both off this platform and within this platform. Read the threads and you will see other voices besides my own sharing concerns. That is called a red flag. As parents, it is important to be aware of red flags and not to ignore them or say they are not true because many students had a good time. There are enough posters on this forum identifying red flags. My only purpose in writing this is to state that parents should be cautious and be careful - as you should anytime you send your child abroad for a year. Consult your Daas Torah before sending here. Not all Daas Torah would say to send here. You can also consult with respected Rav and posek of Har Nof Rabbi O. who is close with HaRav Ezriel Uhrbach about this seminary. He used to teach here and tried to advocate for the students. In previous posts, the head of this website wrote that Rabbi O does not want his names spelled out here so I changed it to Rabbi O to respect his privacy. That being said, if you want to find him, call Rav Ezriel Uhrbach and ask him if the posek of Har Nof Rabbi O is a legitimate Talmud Chachom whose opinions can be relied upon and for contact information. Surely you will then get what you need and if you hold of Hagaon Harav Ezriel Uhrbach (son of Rav Shlomo Zalman Ubrbach) to vouch for Rabbi O then surely one must take into consideration the opinions of this Rav who is a well respected Daas Torah.

Consult your Daas Torah.

With regards to your daughter, that is wonderful that she loves it. I am genuinely so happy for you that your daughters are loving it. That is a bracha to thank Hashem for. May she continue to have the most beautiful successful year.