R' Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz (1886-1948) wasn't just a talented educator, a capable school principal, an accomplished organizer and a doer. Above all else, he was a visionary. He saw America as a land of opportunity in a spiritual sense, at a time when most could perceive only materialistic opportunity and a threat to the spiritual. He therefore structured the Yeshiva to reflect his unique philosophy and built a curriculum that had been seldom seen in the annals of the Yeshiva world. At the same time, he reached out and engaged a cadre of dedicated laymen who would form the financial backbone of the Yeshiva activities as well as managing it as the Board of Directors. These amazing people threw all their energies into realizing the vision of building Torah in the United States. Chief among this group was regional director for the IRS named Harry Herskowitz. Harry literally dedicated his life for the success of Torah Vodaath, and helped it sustain and flourish in those early years. His legacy remained in his family and with the other laymen that he influenced with the vision of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath.

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