About Us
About Us
Yeshiva Bais Menachem (affectionately known as the RAP) started in 1998, when Rabbi Gershon Avtzon saw the need to open a Yeshiva that would uniquely cater to Bochurim. After some years of working and learning with American Bochurim staying in Eretz Yisroel that were looking for a different Yeshiva environment, he launched the Yeshiva.
The Yeshiva is built on the foundation of חנוך לנער על פי דרכו, educating each child according to his own needs and personality. Caring and working on the growth of each Bochur with warmth, understanding, and a non-judgmental approach. Over the years the Yeshiva has had much success in helping Bochurim find their true self and embracing Yiddishkeit fully from a point of happiness and desire.
The Yeshiva has produced hundreds of talmidim that went on to be Chassidim and Mekusharim to the Rebbe.
About Rabbi Avtzon
Rabbi Avtzon was born in Detroit, Michigan coming from a long line of Shluchim who performed their shlichus to the point of literal mesiras nefesh, a trait which he has wholeheartedly adapted throughout his own life’s work. His father was sent to Siberia in the 30’s for teaching Torah as a chosid of the Previous Rebbe (Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson) and his Great-great-grandfather was R’ Binyomin Kletzker, chosid of the Alter Rebbeh.
Rabbi Avtzon attended high school in Telz-Chicago, Beis medrash/Shlichus in Miami and L.A., and got his smicha in New York (770) in 1980, and remarkably, Da’ayanos a year later at the age of 24 1/2. Over the years he has worked with bochurim in mivtzoim and education in Miami, LA, and New York, until moving to Israel in 1982 at his marriage.
Aside from excelling in learning, and writing scholarly periodicals, he always concerned himself with the welfare of students and those struggling in their development; always offering them warmth, inspiration, and incentive. After being the learning director in 3 camps and running the Lubavitch Yeshiva in 1980 in CGI New York, he realized a dire need to make a new program in the summer and spearheaded the profound Morristown Summer Program, the first of its kind.
In addition, Rabbi Avtzon, along with Rav Marlow provided research and expertise to the Halochos and minhagim for the well-known kosher cookbook “Spice and Spirit”. In typical yet understated fashion, the Rabbi always looks for what is really needed and how to get it done the best possible way. When it came to helping his fellow Jew Rabbi Avtzon has always had the understanding, feeling and ability to relate to every level of Jew and Jewish youth as well as the know how to connect and truly, positively, and constructively affect them.
Over the years, the Rabbi worked to mekarev both litvishe and chassidishe bochurim and yungeleit to Lubavitch and chassidus. He had a Collel Hachassidus and B”H was zoche to bring over 250 such people to Chabad. In 1990, after working in Kiruv with young men from many types of religious backgrounds, the Rebbe’s secretary, Rabbi Hadokov, informed him directly that the Rebbe wanted Rabbi Avtzon to begin focusing on American bochurim in Israel, while continuing the work he had been doing until then. In the words of the Rebbe, from now on he should concern himself with “vos tutzich mit uzereh kinder; avoo zehen zei” in two years time and thus fill the demand in a role that required great effort and expertise to implement.
Two years later to the date, he got called to begin and has been going strong ever since. From 1998, the Rabbi has been mostly occupied with the aforementioned shlichus, running a school known as The RAP (an abbreviation for Rabbi Avtzon’s Program). B”H to this day the Rabbi has brought back well over 250 young men to Yidishkeit.
