Yeshiva College and Hirsch Lyons to merge

In a watershed moment for Johannesburg’s Jewish community, two of its most prominent Torah schools – Yeshiva College and Hirsch Lyons – have announced an historic merger, set to take effect in January 2026.

This comes just weeks after the shock announcement of the closure of King David Victory Park, a 60-year-old school that has been a cornerstone of Jewish education in Johannesburg. Together, these developments signal changes afoot for Jewish education in South Africa. They reflect the realities of a smaller community having to adapt, consolidate, and make bold decisions in order to secure the brightest future.

The Yeshiva College-Hirsch Lyons merger, shared in a letter to all stakeholders on 15 September, follows months of quiet discussion and careful planning. Leaders from both schools described it as a bold step to strengthen Torah values, build unity, and provide greater opportunities for students while safeguarding the legacies of the institutions.

Over the past few years, waves of emigration have affected all sectors of the Jewish community, and Hirsch Lyons’ enrolment has decreased significantly. This, together with the increased financial burden on families, led the school’s leadership to pursue alternative strategies to keep the “Hirsch Lyons neshoma alive”, according to Izzy Goldfein, fundraising co-ordinator of the Hirsch Lyons Foundation.

“Our focus is to ensure that the ethos is preserved and infused into the school without diminishing the unique approach that we have had to education,” he said. His late father, Rabbi Azriel Chaim Goldfein, and his mother, Clarice Goldfein, founded Hirsch Lyons 40 years ago in 1985. During its peak in the early 2000s, it had close to 400 students across all campuses.

Goldfein said that while it has been a difficult reality to accept, staff, parents, and students have been “incredibly understanding, supportive, and full of admiration” for the decision.

The announcement framed the merger as carrying forward the vision of two giants of South African Torah life – the late Rabbi Avraham Tanzer and Rabbi Azriel Chaim Goldfein – who were lifelong friends from their yeshiva days in America before founding separate institutions in Johannesburg.

The history between the two families is deeply woven into the fabric of Johannesburg Jewry. Rebbetzin Marcia Tanzer and Clarice Goldfein were classmates in the first graduating class of Beis Yaakov of Baltimore, while their husbands were learning partners in the fabled Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland.

Rabbi Tanzer was brought to Johannesburg to lead Yeshiva College, and when the need arose for a post-matric yeshiva, he turned to his longtime friend, Rabbi Goldfein, who together with his wife made the move to South Africa. Eventually the two parted ways, with Yeshiva College remaining a school and the Yeshiva Gedolah developing independently. This latest merger, many have said, feels like a closing of the circle.

The rebbetzins this week welcomed the move, calling it a natural continuation of their late husbands’ dreams.

“I can still picture them pouring over the Maharal sefer they had bought for one dollar, straining to decipher its difficult passages in the tiny print,” Goldfein said. “I’m indeed excited to work together with my dearest friend, Rebbetzin Marcia, and all who have worked and joined in making this extraordinary endeavour a reality.”

Tanzer expressed joy at the renewed partnership. “Rav Azriel and my husband were best of friends during their yeshiva years. When my husband aspired to build a Yeshiva Gedola in Johannesburg, he knew that Rav Azriel was the perfect person to do it. He was thrilled when Rabbi and Rebbetzin Goldfein agreed to come to South Africa. He also knew that it was right for Rav Azriel to branch out on his own though he was naturally disappointed. Our strong friendship made it possible to maintain our association. We are delighted with the great contribution that the Goldfeins made to South African Judaism. We are also thrilled that they will reunite with us once again.”

To bolster this vision, the schools announced the creation of the Tanzer-Goldfein Torah Educational Fund, which will support Torah projects into the future.

Under the agreement, Hirsch Lyons Boys’ High School will move to the Yeshiva College campus in Glenhazel. Rabbi Eli Goldfein and Rabbi Akiva Furman will join the Yeshiva College team, working alongside menahel (principal) Rabbi Meir Zaiden. The integration is designed to enrich the Torah environment without expanding class sizes, ensuring personal attention for each student.

The Hirsch Lyons Girls’ High School, under the leadership of Morah Dina Goldfein, will remain on its own campus, but operate under the Yeshiva College umbrella alongside the Yeshiva College Girls’ High School led by Rebbetzin Natalie Altman.

Academically, the schools will pool their expertise, with Rabbi Steven Krawitz of Hirsch Lyons and Rob Long of Yeshiva College jointly strengthening the academic offering. Meanwhile, Hirsch Lyons will continue to run its Torah Early Learning Centre and primary school, with plans to move to a new Glenhazel campus. Many of its graduates are expected to feed into Yeshiva College’s high schools.

Unlike the mixed emotions that have surfaced following the King David Victory Park closure, this merger has been broadly welcomed by parents and donors. One Yeshiva College parent, who has had sons at both Hirsch Lyons and Yeshiva College, said the move made sense, pointing out that it was “long overdue”.

“There are way fewer kids involved, probably less than 40 in the boys’ high school, and almost all live in Glenhazel, so the commute will actually be easier. Also, it’s just the boys’ high school, and many are from the same families, so in reality, not so many families are affected. Very few children ever left Yeshiva College to go to Hirsch Lyons and are now being forced to come back, which was very different from the King David situation. If it had been the girls’ high school or the primary school, with more people affected, there might have been more reaction, but to be honest, I don’t think so. Hirsch Lyons and Yeshiva College are quite similar in outlook, and many families already have children at both.”

Avrom Krengel, the chairperson of the Yeshiva College Foundation, described the merger as “an exciting and encouraging development”. The current structure of about seven Torah schools in Johannesburg had become unsustainable, he said, with too many schools and too few pupils in each to maintain high standards.

“Consolidation makes the provision of excellent Torah and general studies education more viable. Yeshiva College, with about 800 pupils, has economies of scale to remain sustainable, and bringing Hirsch Lyons into this framework ensures a stronger base of students and resources.

“When you don’t have the numbers, you can’t keep going,” Krengel said. “As a community, we have to put pupils and sustainability ahead of nostalgia.”

Said David Rabinowitz, the chairperson of the board of Yeshiva College, “In a small community, unity isn’t optional. By working together and pooling our resources, we ensure that every child benefits. This partnership is about more than efficiency, it’s about building on the dreams of our founders, growing Torah on our campus, and giving our children the strength of a united community.”

While change often brings uncertainty, the move is being presented as a forward-looking choice, a way of turning present challenges into future strength. It’s as much about preserving legacies as it is about reimagining what’s possible for South African Jewry in the years to come.