Remembering Rav Shlomo Zalman Singer, the founding rosh yeshivah of Passaic Torah Institute (PTI)

The Background

Whenever my wife and I visit the United States, we try our best to visit our cousins, Rabbi Boruch and Rivka Bodenheim in Passaic, New Jersey. Rabbi Bodenheim was, until very recently, the assistant rosh yeshivah of Passaic Torah Institute (PTI), working alongside his father-in-law, Rav Shlomo Zalman Singer, the founding rosh yeshivah.

Rav Singer recently passed away at the age of 91 (his shloshim falls out on the 13th of Teves). Rabbi Bodenheim shared memories from his many years teaching Torah at his father-in-law’s side.

Rav Shlomo Zalman Singer was a legend in Passaic. He came to the city in 1966, when he was hired to serve as the chazzan at Adas Israel. He also ran the local Talmud Torah and Hebrew school. Passaic was then home to many Jews, but only a handful were Orthodox, so Rabbi Singer established NCSY for the public school kids.

Rav Meir Stern established his yeshivah in Passaic in 1973. Rabbi Singer knew him from BMG and went out of his way to attend his shiurim for the next 25 years. He then taught those shiurim to anyone capable of understanding them. Rabbi Singer retired from chazzanus in 1996 and opened Passaic Torah Institute (PTI), which offered a wide range of shiurim geared to working men.

Rabbi Singer spread Yiddishkeit in Passaic for close to six decades, influencing thousands of people. Close to 300 people currently learn at PTI at least once a week.

What follows is the reminiscence of my cousin, Rabbi Boruch Bodenheim, who is Rabbi Singer’s son-in-law.