Midrash Harav Ursharga Yazd- summer 2014

The First Religious School

One of Rabbi Orsharga’s initiatives was founding a religious school in Yazd. His students who had completed advanced religious studies later became religious leaders in other Iranian cities, particularly around Yazd, such as Kerman, Sirjan, and Rafsanjan. Since Rabbi Orsharga, Yazd became a hub for religious scholars, earning it the nickname “Little Jerusalem” by some. The rabbi passed away in 1794.

Schools Spread throughout the Province

The graduates of Rabbi Orsharga’s school in Yazd who later migrated to Kerman, continued the tradition, education, and teaching method they had learned in Yazd’s religious school to establish religious schools elsewhere across the province. One of such schools was managed by Mullah Musa Khabisi. The classes were held in his house. After him, the school’s management passed on to his son, Mullah Zion.

The Introduction of Alliance School to Yazd

Apparently, two or three years after the establishment of the Alliance school in Yazd (in 1920), two agents of this institution went to Kerman. However, due to the small population and the opposition of the city’s Mullah, Mullah Eliyahu, who was a traditionalist, they were dissuaded from establishing an Alliance school. Finally, in 1947, a primary school called Ganj-e Danesh was established in the Jewish neighborhood under the management of the late Mr. Kherghiyal Zerubaboli by the Otzer Hatora cultural institution. This school continued to operate until 1979. The students of this school continued their education in public high schools after graduation. The school also had a kindergarten and a small clinic that was supported by the Joint Organization.