Volozhin Yeshiva

The Volozhin Yeshiva, also known as Etz Chaim Yeshiva, was a prestigious Lithuanian yeshiva (talmudical college) located in the town of Volozhin, Russia, (now Valozhyn, Belarus). It was founded by Rabbi Chaim Itzkovitz, a student of the famed Vilna Gaon, and trained several generations of scholars, rabbis, and leaders. Completed in 1806, it was the first modern yeshiva to be established and became known as the "mother of all yeshivas," it serving as a model for all later yeshivas which opened in Lithuania.

The institution reached its zenith under the leadership of Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, who became the rosh yeshiva (dean) in 1854. In 1892, demands of the Russian authorities to introduce secular studies forced the yeshiva to close. It reopened on a smaller scale in 1899 and functioned until 1939 when World War II broke out. During the war German soldiers used the building as a stable and it was subsequently converted into a canteen and deli. The site was returned to the Jewish community of Belarus in 1989. The building is considered a cultural and architectural landmark and in 1998, the Volozhin Yeshiva was registered on the State List of Historical and Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Belarus.