A menahel never walks alone.

On his shoulders, on his mind, he carries the responsibility of an establishment, the needs of tens of faculty members, and the worlds of hundreds of students. Before him stand rows of talmidim, and behind each talmid stands a future.

The halls of The Armon Hotel in Stamford, CT hosted hundreds of menahalim this year, each one walking the floors with an entire mosad behind him. Founded four years ago by menahalim, for menahalim, the annual Conference has grown steadily in both reach and program, this year drawing guests from as far as California and Arizona, alongside international participants who flew in especially from Belgium and the UK. Every segment of the program is reviewed by a dedicated committee to ensure that each address is deeply relevant and that the networking is both high-energy and high-impact, befitting a truly chashuva audience.

What sets the Torah Umesorah Menahel Conference apart is not only what happens at the podium — it is what happens in the spaces between. Through intentionally built networking opportunities, Menahalim connect with peers who understand the unique weight they carry, sharing practical solutions to pressing issues in conversations that often become the highlight of the event.

What Every Menahel Should Know

The conference opened with HaRav Moshe Brown shlita and HaRav Lipa Geldwerth shlita in a candid session of divrei chizuk and shailos u’teshuvos, tackling what every menahel quietly wonders but rarely gets to ask. 

The conversation explored what gives Rabbanim genuine confidence in school leadership — and where misunderstandings between Rabbanim and hanhala most commonly arise — offering participants rare, direct access to the daas Torah they rely on most. 

Leadership, Accountability, and the Courage to Say No

Dr. Noam Wasserman led two professional development sessions. His first, Leading Effectively, focused on how leaders can build a culture where accountability and caring coexist. A central theme was embracing critical feedback — actively inviting it from staff and modeling openness to it. His second tackled The Art of Saying “No,” outlining five principled categories for refusal and stressing that decisions should be anchored in policy, values, or mission rather than personal discomfort. Leaders were reminded that discomfort is not a sign of doing something wrong; it’s a sign of doing it honestly.

Lunch at the conference featured a special presentation honoring Rabbi Dovid Bernstein upon his retirement from the Yesud Ma’aloh Principal Fellowship, where he was presented with an album of heartfelt letters from program alumni.

At the Chinuch Panel, Rabbi Nosson Muller, Rabbi Krigsman, and Rabbi Naftali Eisgrau tackled some of the most charged dynamics in school leadership  — from backing your Rebbi and having hard conversations, to honestly reckoning with students who aren’t being reached, navigating difficult parents, and knowing when and how consequences belong. General Studies emerged as a persistent pressure point, with teacher quality and the natural authority gap at the root. 

Shailos U’Teshuvos session with HaRav Elya Brudny,shlita

The Rosh Yeshiva , opened the session by grounding the menahel’s role. This role is something more fundamental than job description. At its core, he explained, the position carries two distinct responsibilities: the menahel is the chief mechanech of the mosad, accountable for every child — and the appointed leader of a faculty, with all the obligations the Rambam outlines in הלכות שכירות. These are not simply practical roles; they are rooted in דיני ממונות, and the two should never be in contradiction. Everything else a menahel does flows from them. 

Leadership in Crisis

Dr. Gavriel Fagin’s late-night session drew on specific cases and practical guidance for navigating some of the most difficult situations a menahel can face — leaving participants better prepared and better informed.

Above all, the Conference offers hadrachah — the opportunity to hear directly from gedolei Yisrael and leading rabbanim. This year, HaRav Elya Brudny shlita, Rav Moshe Brown, and Rav Lipa Geldwerth each addressed the participants, enabling them to walk away with daas Torah, renewed clarity, and strengthened purpose for the work ahead.

An Evening of Vision and Appreciation

A Gala Appreciation Dinner closed the gathering, joined by members of the Torah Umesorah Board.A Gala Appreciation Dinner closed the gathering, joined by members of the Torah Umesorah Board. R’ Chaim Rajchenbach, who three months ago answered the call to serve as Board President alongside R’ Y.L. Fruchthandler, spoke with the quiet weight of someone who understood exactly what he had taken on.
He didn’t begin with a vision statement. He began with a listening tour — fifty-plus conversations with menahalim and heads of mosdos across the country.

“I didn’t just learn about needs,” he told the room. “I gained a window into a world I hadn’t fully seen — and a renewed appreciation for the giants inside it. People of absolute devotion and inspiring intention.”

The message was simple: We are behind you. We won’t stop listening. Our journey is just beginning.

And so every participant left carrying not only the weight of his own mosad — but the strength of an entire community standing beside him.

In Their Own Words

“The focused energy of the Menahalim from across the country and around the world, from all sorts of schools, was a beautiful sight to behold — ‘havei m’kol adom’ was present everywhere you turned.”

“Dr. Wasserman’s sessions were professional and appreciated by all. The networking until late at night was so tachlidik and toichdik. And, of course, the presence of the Gedolei Torah, the Rabbanim, and the Roshei Yeshiva added a certain chashivus that Torah Umesorah is known for. Thank you for making this possible and for all that you do!”

“I came from Toronto to attend this conference. The classes, shiurim, and networking — especially the way the Menahalim were grouped together — were really enjoyable. I learned a lot and made a real kesher with Menahalim from other schools, and I plan to keep in touch to continue learning and sharing, which is really one of the main focuses of this conference. Thank you!”

“Thank you to all the Torah Umesorah staff who work so hard to make this conference happen. It is so refreshing and rejuvenating — to gather with so many like-minded individuals, discuss real and actionable issues, and work together toward something higher.”