Binyamin Kamenetsky



Binyamin Kamenetsky (July 17, 1923-April 28, 2017) taught in the 1940s at Yeshiva Toras Chaim (East New York). In 1956 he opened Yeshiva Toras Chaim of the South Shore, "the first yeshiva on Long Island." "Seven years later, the two Jewish schools merged and moved to a new campus on William Street in Hewlett."

Torah Academy for Girls (TAG), located in Long Island, was one of the "other Five Towns institutions" he founded.

Early life
Kamenetsky was born in Tzitivyan a Lithuanian community where his father served as rabbi. Although his education began locally in the Telshe Yeshiva, in the United States he attended Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim under the tutelage of Rav Dovid Lebowitz and Yeshivas Ner Yisroel. His first teaching job was at Yeshiva Toras Chaim in East New York. One of his students, Jeffrey Bienenfeld, a second grader man from Cedarhurst, traveled to East New York, Brooklyn, to be taught Jewish lessons by Rabbi Binyomin Kamenetzky at Yeshivas Toras Chaim, which was founded by Rabbi Isaac Schmidman in 1927.

When Rabbi Kamenetzky asked Bienenfeld why he didn’t attend yeshiva in Cedarhurst, the boy replied that there was none. As a result, Rabbi Kamenetzky established Yeshiva of South Shore in 1956 in a small building on Oak Street in Woodmere Shore — the first yeshiva on Long Island. Seven years later, the two Jewish schools merged and moved to a new campus on William Street in Hewlett. Its current enrollment is 700 boys, ranging from pre-school to eighth grade."For several years, he served as the Rav of a minyan that would become the Young Israel of Woodmere, one of the largest Young Israel shuls in the country.

Family
His parents were Yaakov Kamenetsky and Itta Ettil Heller the daughter of Rav Dov Zvi Heller and he was one of their four sons; Binyamin had two sisters. He and his wife, who pre-deceased him, had 3 daughters, 2 sons, "as well as grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren."