New Jersey Jewish News
Monmouth County Feature
New yeshiva program gives students running start on business careers
Hillel Yeshiva High School in Ocean Township is investing in the future.
As part of an ongoing effort to prepare senior class students for college-level study of finance, the school is offering a class called “Money and Investing.” The 
course is the first step in the creation of the new Business Academy at Hillel Yeshiva, which will be up and running in the next academic year, according to Clifford Wasser, the yeshiva‘s director of development.
“Many of our students end up in the business world,” said Wasser. “We wanted to make our curriculum touch on real-life career paths.”
The six-week investment class began on March 20 and is taught by Sylvan Goldwert, a wealth management adviser
and vice president of the Goldwert Group, which is affiliated with Merrill Lynch in Red Bank.
Fifty-eight students are enrolled in the investment class, for which Goldwert developed the coursework. “We’ve talked about finding a job, spending less than you earn and investing the amount you saved, the principles of compound interest, stocks and bonds, and the rate of return, among other topics,” said Goldwert. “It’s been intense, but the idea is to teach these students the proper way to build financial wealth and security.”
The conclusion of the six-week course — which may run through an entire semester when it becomes part of the academy curriculum — will mark the beginning of the Hillel Investment Club, which will offer participants additional opportunities to learn about the world of finance.
The club may have 500 participants, consisting of students, parents, and alumni, within a five-year time frame, according to Goldwert.
The business academy will offer courses in finance, accounting, business communications, and entrepreneurship, as well as workshops on starting a small business. All will have decidedly Jewish overtones; talmudic laws and lessons of the Torah will be aligned with the contents of courses on business ethics, truth in advertising, and market prices, Goldwert said.
“The phrase ‘buyer beware’ is very much a part of the business world,” said Goldwert, an Ocean Township resident. “But the seller need not take an unfair advantage.”
The academy’s vision also includes a four-year scholarship to a collegiate business school, and approximately 15 yeshiva students will have a chance to obtain apprentice positions, internships, and summer jobs with area business and investment concerns. Some of these programs may be in place by this summer, Wasser added.
In addition, the academy may include a school-based, student-run business that will offer students a chance to apply what they have learned, according to Rabbi Ralph Tawil, principal of Hillel Yeshiva High School.
Operation of the new business academy will require the services of two staff members and a program manager, and the yeshiva is trying to attract donors who will back the project with substantial financial support, Wasser said. Approximately $200,000 will be needed to launch the academy program, he said.
The concept of creating the business academy was introduced about two years ago, said Tawil. The idea was discussed with school trustees, staff, parents, and other Jewish community members. Creating business awareness among members of the school’s senior class received overwhelming support from all parties, Tawil said.
Since then, many parents of yeshiva students have offered to participate in the academy as volunteer guest lecturers, he added. In addition, Goldwert, who also volunteers his services as class instructor, plans to recruit personnel from Merrill Lynch to conduct workshops on such topics as mutual funds and portfolio management.
The lessons the academy plans to teach are sorely needed in today’s competitive society, Goldwert said.
“Learning about creating and building wealth in an ethical manner is an important resource that high school students can obtain before they enter the college classroom,” said Goldwert. “It makes tremendous sense to include this in the high school curriculum; when these young people are ready to start investing, they will be way ahead and will know what pathways are dependable — and what pathways should be avoided at all costs.”
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