New Greenfield campus — and wellness — showcased at Yeshiva Schools event

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

Alocal day school’s focus on a “wellness culture” is leading to its second mental health and wellness-focused livestream in as many years.

Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh will host a fundraiser titled “Wholly Chinuch: Building A Home for Wellness” on Monday, Jan. 30, at the future site of Yeshiva Schools’ boys school in Greenfield.

The dinner for donors and fundraiser team leaders — which features live entertainment from Tali Yess and a conversation with Orthodox wellness expert Rabbi Shimon Russell — will be followed by a livestream from the Greenfield Avenue campus, according to Masha Shollar, the school’s director of institutional advancement.

This is the second year Yeshiva Schools has kicked off a fundraiser with a livestream but its third year raising money for the Elaine Hashimi Wellness Division, Shollar said. That department, which Yeshiva Schools leadership said is unique among Orthodox Jewish day schools, provides a broad range of programs, from teen mentoring to free therapy.

Last year’s livestream engaged a New York studio team, but this year will focus on Yeshiva Schools’ soon-to-open, new facilities, according to Shollar. It will be broadcast live through media sponsor Chabad Online and, afterward, be posted for wider viewing on YouTube, she said.

Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum, who heads Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh, said the Elaine Hashimi Wellness Division isn’t just special among Orthodox communities.

“I think it’s pretty unique to any day school in that it’s integrated,” Rosenblum told the Chronicle.

Rosenblum said there is the work of the wellness division — such as counseling and training —but that also has led to a “wellness culture” at the school.

He is excited for “Wholly Chinuch.”

“We’re bringing in Rabbi Shimon Russell; he’s a well-known expert in the field and wrote a book called ‘Raising A Loving Family,’” Rosenblum said. “And hopefully we’ll raise some money to support our mission.”

The boys school Greenfield campus, which will be one of the stars of the Jan. 30 fundraiser, is under renovation, Rosenblum said, and should be ready for an August opening to kick off the 2023-’24 school year. PJC

Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.