Launching Landow Excellence: Real Stories. Lasting Impact.
If you had the opportunity to save a Jewish child from the trains to Auschwitz… would you?
If you had the opportunity to save a Jewish child from the trains to Auschwitz… would you?
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That was the question behind the tears of HaGaon HaGadol Rav Moshe Shapiro zt”l.
When Rav Yehuda (Hudy) Kornfeld was asked to lead a school for unaffiliated Israeli families in South Florida, he turned to Rav Moshe for guidance. What he received wasn’t advice—it was an urgent and holy mandate.
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“There are trainloads upon trainloads of Israeli children living in America heading straight for Auschwitz. You must stop them.”
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He wasn’t referring to the gas chambers of the old country.
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He was describing something quieter—far more dangerous in its silence: the spiritual annihilation of a generation.
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Millions of Jewish children growing up in America with no Torah, no connection, and unaware of their heritage.
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That moment wasn’t just the beginning of a school.
It was the beginning of a movement.
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Thousands of children—saved from the trains.
The Jewish Academy began in a small shopping center. A limited space. No windows. No playground. Just 25 children.
Many came from newly immigrated families—financially struggling, spiritually adrift. Other schools turned them away.
We opened the doors wide.
And those 25 students?
They became 450.
Today, many are learning in post-high school yeshivos and seminaries in Eretz Yisroel. They didn’t just learn to read Alef-Beis—
They found their place in Klal Yisroel.
Now, this mission enters a new chapter.
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Under the leadership of Rabbi Chaim Albert, grandson of the legendary Mel Landow z”l—a man who built mosdos haTorah in South Florida when no one else would—this movement is reaching even higher.
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Through clear hashgachah, and miracles only Hashem could orchestrate, the school has acquired a new, state-of-the-art campus—a makom that reflects the greatness of its mission and the future it is building.
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Mel Landow gave everything he had to save Torah in Miami.
His grandson now carries that legacy forward.
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In his zechus, the school is being renamed:
The Landow School of Excellence
This is not a rebranding.
It is a recommitment:
To the shlichus.
To the hatzalah of Yiddishe neshamos.
To building a future rooted in Torah and truth.
We are growing:
From 200 students to 1,000.
From a rented storefront to a state-of-the-art campus.
From a school for children… to a movement for families.
Ask Rabbi Albert, and he'll tell you:
“This is just the beginning.
We’ll fill this school—and then open another nine.”
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Today, we activate the Launching Landow Campaign.
This is not just a campaign.
It’s a movement.
Not just about dollars—it’s about faith.
Not just about expansion—it’s about rescue.
Not just about growth—it’s about salvation.
We are building the only full K–12 kiruv school in Florida.
We are giving children Torah, dignity, identity, and a future rooted in Torah U’Mitzvos.
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The Trains Haven’t Stopped. They’ve Just Changed Tracks.
Rav Moshe saw it clearly.
The trains may not look the same—but they’re still moving.
Every single day, more Jewish children are swept away.
Through disconnection.
Through silence.
Through forgetfulness.
And so we ask you again:
If you had the opportunity to save a child from the train—would you?
Because today, you do.
Let’s answer Rav Moshe’s tears.
Let’s stop the train.
Let’s save another child.
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A Blessing Fulfilled: The Landow Legacy Comes Full Circle
In 1972, South Florida’s Jewish community was rocked by a surprise: Mel Landow’s name was suddenly on a yeshiva.
He didn’t grow up religious. His children weren’t in yeshiva. But when Mel Landow saw a
Jewish school on the verge of collapse, something stirred. And he couldn’t walk away.
"I’ll sell my house if I have to. I’m going to build a new yeshiva.” And he meant it.
Mel didn’t just write a check—he made a statement. He poured his energy, his resources, and his reputation into building something unexpected from someone not raised in that world, but who recognized its eternal value.
The result wasn’t just another school—it was a landmark. A bold, beautiful campus in the heart of Miami Beach that became a beacon for Jewish education across the country.
As Rabbi Sholom Lipskar, founding principal of the yeshiva, later described:
“The Landow Yeshiva Center was the first gorgeous, beautiful building that Chabad
built in America. From that point on, Shluchim looked at it as a paradigm.”
The Lubavitcher Rebbe developed a close and meaningful relationship with Mel Landow. After one of their meetings, the Rebbe privately remarked:
“I met a person last night that Hashem gave merits even I don’t have… He will open
the spigots through which 100,000 Jewish children will return to their source.“
That blessing began to unfold—starting with Mel’s own family.
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One of those children was Rabbi Chaim Albert—Mel’s grandson. Inspired by his grandfather’s actions and the Rebbe’s vision, Rabbi Albert founded The Jewish Academy to ensure that every Jewish child—regardless of background—has access to a meaningful Torah education.
For the past 12 years, the school operated out of a local shopping center. Despite its limitations, it became a haven for over 500 students—many of whom were taken out of public schools or had never received a Jewish education before.
Now, with the $15 million acquisition of a state-of-the-art campus from Nova Southeastern University—including modern classrooms, science labs, athletic fields, and art studios—the school enters a new era as: The Landow School of Excellence
This transformation is more than a name change. It’s a fulfillment of vision, prophecy, and
purpose.
“My grandfather did something no one expected—and it changed our family and
our community,” said Rabbi Albert. “We’re proud to carry that legacy forward. With
G-d’s help, we’ll fill this campus to capacity and then open another nine! Fulfilling
the Rebbe’s blessing that ‘many institutions will bear his name.”
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To fuel this next chapter, the school is launching the Landow Campaign—a $1.5 million
community initiative to upgrade the new campus, expand programming, and provide
scholarships to families who would otherwise not receive a Jewish education. The Rebbe once told Mel Landow, “When two Jews meet, it is for the purpose of helping a third.”
Your gift honors that vision—and helps ensure that hundreds more Jewish children will receive the education they deserve, for generations to come.
To support the Landow Campaign, please visit charidy.com/tja
To learn more about the school and schedule a tour, please visit tjaonline.com