No Free Lunch: What’s Really Going On in 1414?
In recent days, WhatsApp groups have been buzzing with rumors, photos, and videos surrounding major changes to the dining hall at 1414 President Street. Amid swirling speculation and concern, Chabad Info went to uncover what’s behind the sudden enforcement measures, new dining policies, and what it all means for Bochurim learning—or not learning—in the Yeshiva • Full Article
By Chabadinfo Reporter
In recent days, WhatsApp groups have been flooded with images, videos, and reports about changes taking place in the dining room of the central Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva, located in the dormitory building at 1414 President Street.
A Chabad.info reporter looked into the matter, spoke with members of the yeshiva’s administration, and presents the facts:
For many years, there have been ongoing claims that the situation in the central yeshiva—especially for the “Kvutza” students—is marked by a lack of structure and accountability, with little authority exercised by the administration. One recurring complaint has been the shortage of Hanhallah Ruchni, directly impacting students’ learning and conduct.
To address this, at the start of the year (5785), the administration added 13 new Hanhalah members—more than doubling the original team of 12 responsible for hundreds of students. In addition, over 130 new seats were added, including in the newly expanded (Shabbos women’s) section, to enable more comfortable learning.
While these were proactive “do good” steps, the yeshiva also began implementing “turn from bad” measures. The first such step was revoking the student visas of around 20 students who weren’t participating in Seder, were working, or displayed inappropriate behavior. This was done in coordination with Yeshivos in Israel, who insisted that students not actively learning should not be granted student visas.
To enforce standards, the yeshiva has taken another step: students who are not officially enrolled—whether because they were not accepted or were removed—are no longer allowed to eat in the dining room. This applies equally to non-students who live locally, guests and visiting married men, many of whom had been eating there regularly.
The administration says it’s not the yeshiva’s responsibility to provide meals for guests or those who aren’t paying tuition. The new dining room policy will be enforced by staff at the entrance, ensuring that only eligible students are allowed in.
As for rumors that security staff are being funded by a government grant—sources clarified that while the yeshiva did receive funding for security cameras (which were not yet installed), that has no connection to the current dining room changes.
The administration added that more positive developments are underway and will be publicized soon.
Lastly, they expressed regret over attempts to politicize the matter by framing it as a “Meshichist vs. anti-Meshichist” issue. The new policy applies to all non-registered people, regardless of ideology or past affiliations, and centers solely on whether they are participating in the yeshiva’s learning schedule.
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The same argument can be made why those who jump turnstiles at the subway should be allowed to ride without paying the fare. This makes perfect sense! Why does the Yeshiva have to shoulder the costs of feeding those who aren’t even students?! It would probably not be worth the time and effort, but if they wanted to institute a system to charge for each meal (for all non students) it would be absolutely within their right.
for a yeshiva that claims to be not political, its very interesting that the number of meshichist bochurim (and yeshivos) not being accepted [at the beginning of the year] is WAY higher then [those that call themselves] antis.
also if “only” 20 bochurim were removed why the need for such drastic measures?
and why did they only wake up now in sivan?