Darchei Binah seminary ?????

amother

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 9:07 pm

I went to darchei Binah in the late 90's (so hard to say where it is today) but had a wonderful experience. they understood where the girls were hashkafically and really tried to help us grow at our own pace. I loved that Rebbitzen Kurland's tznius class was a textual course-you could actually read yourself what the rabbanim say about tznius-what is halacha, what is minhag etc. as opposed to other sems where they tell you rules and that's that.

amother

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 11:06 pm

I was also there in the late '90s and hated it.

amother

Fri, Feb 08 2013, 12:35 am

I was there about 7 or 8 years ago and loved it. It was a wonderful place with fantastic teachers, great classes, and I had a really wonderful chevra. Some of my best friends today are still from DB. When I was there, there was no vibe at all about it being a 'not good' place. My year was a particularly large one, with a huge shana bet. I'm a big fan of DB, and it's really sad for me to see so many people bashing it.

amother

Fri, Feb 08 2013, 12:52 am

I will try to remember to ask dd to get a phone number for you.
She is having a wonderful year.Of course there are some classes she loves/likes &/dislikes. No misrepresentation . As my kids call is "Bais Yaakov Light" . She knew that it was the least "bais Yaakovy". She actually applied to a more middle road sem & decided this is for her. My other girls who went there also did not feel any misrepresentation. No one pushed kollel, just the value of learning. Some of my girls & their friends liked it more than others. Sem is a whole experience; which dorm you end up in, which teachers you take, the group as a whole each year, the friends that you make.... My dd's stayed one year, two years , went other places yr 2, 1.5 yrs. They would all choose DB again.

amother

Fri, Feb 08 2013, 12:59 am

Yea my sister and her friend were there. The friend kept a connection to some top ppl who worked there for a bit. But when they found out her husband was working, they tried to convince her out of it, and then WALKED OUT ON HER when she went to visit one time and was not able to be convinced out of it....

I am not accusing anyone of not telling the truth as they perceived and experienced it, but I went to DB (a long, long, time ago Wink

) and just can't imagine something like what was described above as happening. My husband and I were set up by a big DB person after I was back in the States and no one ever thought my husband was learning full time after marriage! I had been set up by another DB person before that with another guy who also was planning on being a professional...I know that I was never looked down by any of my teachers and actually almost none of the girls who went to seminary with me married guys who were learning full time (or a long time). We had a wide variety of girls and although Kollel was definitely presented by most as a positive option, I don't remember it ever being pushed at us as THE way (and I went to BY for high school, so trust me, I am NOT a fan of anything being pushed down my throat!!!). Honestly, almost any non-modern seminary in Israel is going to look at Kollel positively - DB is not a modern seminary in their Hashkafa (although girls can come from more modern backgrounds), but neither are they a Bais Yaakov - it is MUCH more open minded than a Bais Yaakov and if you don't think so, you never went to Bais Yaakov! Some of us left seminary a bit idealistic (and unrealistic Very Happy

) but yes, 6 months back in the states cured most of us as reality set in. I think it's okay to go through that stage, just don't let your daughter date during that time, wait until she gets grounded again. And if some girls decide they do want Kollel and stick with that, so what's the problem? I would hope that some girls after spending time in the holy land are inspired to live like that and if she's a girl that can cut back on gashniyus and not have $2000 shaitels then kol hakavod to her! There really are much worse things that a girl can decide to do than marrying a guy who learns and if people don't think so then they're living a very innocent and blissful life.

Obviously, DB may have changed since I went there but I don't believe that it's considered so right wing in Bais Yaakov circles/high schools and it never was. To someone coming from a more modern background, it may or may not be a good fit - if the girl wants to go a bit more right-wing, it's a good fit but if that's not the hashkafa that works for her, there are lots of amazing seminaries that are very frum but non-yeshivish (in my days that would have been MMY, don't know all the names now.)

amother

Sat, Feb 09 2013, 6:38 pm

For an academic intellectual girl who was initially looking at DB, where would your alternative be? Michlalah? Not from a BY background, but the more frummer girl in her MO school.

LisaS

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 4:35 am

I went to Michlala 15 years ago and the classes were excellent. We were able to choose most of our classes, and there were more good classes than hours in the week to take them. The girls were wonderful, but as others expressed, there were too many of us to really feel at home. That may have changed over the years. I would still choose the one year of unparalleled learning, since all the rest of my schooling was in warm, homey environments.

amother

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 4:41 am

amother wrote:

I'm so happy some one responded to this, I wanted to but just didn't have time. I think something got lost in translation with this story because I cannot think of a single staff member who had the kollel only mindset, it's just not that kind of school. I actually have seen DB staff members at different events recently and any of them that have heard my husband is now in school are so happy to hear that he is maintaing a learning seder and working on earning a real parnassah for the family. I just think that you can't post a story like that anonymously that's a friend of a friend that you heard...that could do real damage and it just can't be accurate I'm sorry to say.

I'm happy people have stepped forward to defend DB...it's not perfect but it's a great option. It was the ONLY school for me and I hope it stays around for a while

amother

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 6:20 am

No, nothing got lost in translation. Both she and her husband had the same thing happen, and plenty of staff there believe in kollel only. I have plenty of things happen to me personally which would turn ppl's stomach, but that's not my job. Seems from this thread some had great experiences and some had stinky experiences, which seems to be the truth.
It wasn't a friend of a friend. It was a friend of my sister. And they also invited my sister to speak at something (don't want to clarify so it won't give things away) and once it was clear she was in the working crowd she was sort of dismissed as well.
Once the principal himself accused me of doing damage by posting the truth on a message board, and when I wrote to the moderator of the message board that that happened and my post should be removed the moderator refused and told me that he had heard the complaint or complaints of the like from many other people, and if the school did not want these things publicized, maybe they should not have DONE them. I am truly happy for those who had a great year but there is another side for some. If people only want to hear the positive, then say that. But I think saying how I truly saw the year isnt considered "posting a story like that". Would the stories that happened to me personally be any less of a "story"? Because of have plenty of them too, and of a close relative who was there, AND of someone who themselves subbed there a number of times and couldn't believe what they saw.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 6:25 am

To the OP, the website is now working, just to let you know.

amother

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 6:27 am

It's working but at least on my computer it flips out after a minute or two, back to google.

BTW I am the amother one on top of shabbat. If anyone seriously does want me to expand on things that happened, l'toelet, I don't mind to do it via pm. I am not doing it publicly here. And I am also not responding to further prove the fact that serious damage while others enjoyed it. I am well aware some enjoyed it, and I have thoughts as to why that is as well. But I am not getting into further arguments about my feelings and thoughts not being true or justified. I had enough of that while I was there to last me quite a while. So I will not be responding to such posts that question my experience.

amother

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 7:49 am

My sis is in Darchei Bina Sem (THIS YEAR) and is loving it.

The Kurlands are warm, open and inviting. She is learning a lot and has great friends.

BTW, for the record, my sis is planning on going to college next year in the US, and the administration isn't trying to brainwash her out of it.

amother

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 8:09 am

OP here:
For me too, website is up momentarily but then 'flips out' back to Google after a minute.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 8:11 am

amother wrote:

OP here:
For me too, website is up momentarily but then 'flips out' back to Google after a minute.

I emailed them and they said they are looking into it.

slushiemom

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 3:19 pm

amother wrote:

Yet. My year, that started with MAJOR guilt trips after Pesach.

amother

Cerise

Sun, May 17 2015, 12:24 am

Posting anonymously because seminary information is way too personally identifiable to associate with my account. (approximate age is easy to guess, all I'd need to do is slip a tiny bit about location and it would be 100% possible to know who I am) (not to mention my opinions narrow things down a lot)

I went to michlalah. It has clearly actively tried to improve the warmth aspect. I formed personal connections with teachers that I still maintain, as did my friends. On the flip side, it's less intellectual than its former reputation, although still miles ahead of most seminaries unfortunately. =(

Michlalah is a bit of a charedi-factory but less extreme about it than darchei binah... Partly because you have a lot more choice which classes to attend.

I think if I relived my life I'd choose a more left wing seminary. Charedi hashkafah wasn't for me. But maybe I needed michlalah to be exposed to in more in depth to get it out if my system, who knows.

amother

Mustard

Fri, Feb 01 2019, 9:53 am

Bumping this to find out information about the school since this was from 2013.

PinkFridge

Fri, Feb 01 2019, 10:14 am

amother wrote:

Bumping this to find out information about the school since this was from 2013.

Maybe start a new thread. And do you have any particular questions?

amother

Beige

Fri, Feb 01 2019, 10:26 am

I went in 2011-12 and had the best year. I learned so much and I developed a true love of israel. I still keep in touch with one Rebbi- he is a wellspring of advice and has helped me tremendously, as have other teachers and rebbeim when I was single and dating and needed advice.
I made some lifelong friends.
I really had an awesome year and a half.

amother

Bisque

Fri, Feb 01 2019, 3:35 pm

My daughter got it. It's seems like everyone she knows that got in is from oot. The girls ha e a WhatsApp chat already, bit they haven't committed yet.

DB sent out their acceptance letter way before the BY seminaries, which is causing us aggravation.