In 1973 Rabbi Shneur Kotler, rosh yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha, Rabbi Nosson Meir Wachtfogel, mashgiach ruchani of Beth Medrash Govoha, and Rabbi Dov Lesser supported the idea of opening a community kollel in Passaic. These Gedolim chose Rabbi Chaim Davis, founder of the Toronto Community Kollel, and Rabbi Wiesenfeld, then a rosh mesivta (head) of Beth Hatalmud Rabbinical College,[4] to head the new institution. In mid-1973, however, Rabbi Wiesenfeld became seriously ill and was replaced by Rabbi Meir Stern.[5] Rabbi Wiesenfeld died at age 49 on 24 September 1981.[6]
The Yeshiva Gedola of Passaic opened with 10 unmarried students in the yeshiva section and 10 married students in the kollel section. By the mid-1980s enrollment had reached nearly 100 students.[1]
In 1989 the yeshiva relocated to its own campus, including a beth midrash (study hall), dining room and dormitories.[1]
The growing yeshiva, together with the installation of an eruv and a mikveh, turned Passaic into a more desirable location for Orthodox Jewish families. Passaic's close proximity to New York also appealed to breadwinners who commuted to New York daily.[1][3] Beginning in the mid-1980s, more and more Orthodox families began moving to Passaic. As of 2006, the Jewish community had mushroomed to 1300 families in a two-square-mile area, with a net gain of 80 families per year, making it the second fastest-growing Jewish community behind Lakewood, New Jersey.[3]