Volozhin Yeshiva

Volozhin Yeshiva
	Photograph of the Volozhin yeshiva
Other name	Yeshivas Etz Ḥayyim
Active	1803–1939
Founder	Ḥayyim of Volozhin
Religious affiliation	Judaism
Rosh yeshiva	Ḥayyim of Volozhin; Isaac of Volozhin; Eliezer Isaac Fried; Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin; Raphael Shapira; Jacob Shapira; Ḥayyim Wulkin;
Location	Volozhin, Vilna Governorate; (now Minsk Region), Russian Empire; (now Belarus); 54°05′28″N 26°31′40″E / 54.0910°N 26.5279°E

Yeshivas Etz Ḥayyim (Hebrew: ישיבת עץ חיים), commonly called the Volozhin Yeshiva (Yiddish: וואלאזשינער ישיבה, romanized: Volozhiner Yeshiva), was a prestigious Lithuanian yeshiva located in the town of Volozhin, Russian Empire (now Valozhyn, Belarus). It was founded around 1803 by Rabbi Ḥayyim Volozhiner, a student of the famed Vilna Gaon,^[1] and trained several generations of scholars, rabbis, and leaders. It is considered the first modern yeshiva, and served as a model for later Misnagedic educational institutions.^[3]

The institution reached its zenith under the leadership of Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, who became rosh yeshiva in 1854.^[3] In 1892, demands of the Russian authorities to increase secular studies forced the yeshiva to close. It re-opened on a smaller scale in 1899 and functioned until the outbreak of World War II in 1939. During the War German soldiers used the building as a stable, and it was subsequently converted into a canteen and deli.^[2] The site was returned to the Jewish community of Belarus in 1989.^[2] It is considered a cultural and architectural landmark,^[2] and in 1998, the Volozhin Yeshiva was registered on the State List of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Belarus.^[4]

^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference yivo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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^ "Jews of Belarus Move to Save Their Past". East European Jewish Heritage Project. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011.

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[4] "Jews of Belarus Move to Save Their Past". East European Jewish Heritage Project. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011.

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