HaRav Matisyohu Salomon, mashgiach of Lakewood
Yeshiva in America, addressed a special gathering launching
a new manual on kiruv.
The new user-friendly guide entitled, Bridging the
Gap is written by Rabbi Dovid Abenson of Manchester. It
is the culmination of fifteen years of hands-on experience.
Glasgow Kollel's kiruv activities were the basis for
much of the material.
Rabbi Abenson is also European Director of an advanced
educational system which quickly analyzes and corrects root
causes of learning difficulties of varying degrees,
standards and agents. The system was evolved by Rabbi Zvi
Zobin a British born talmid chochom based in
Yerushalayim who writes regularly for Yated.
Rabbi Abenson expressed his gratitude to Hashem for
reaching this stage. He explained how the new volume
brought together two systems of expertise. Kiruv
rechokim occupies most of the pages. It ends by also
describing his "within the framework" educational system
which assists kerovim and avoids the real danger of
discouragement in academic studies which can cause a
problem of dropouts.
He spoke with admiration of an unnamed father whose teenage
son had reading problems -- something not as rare as we
imagine. The father drove his son up to Manchester one
evening where Rabbi Abenson spent two-and-a-half hours in
assessment. The father drove back with less than two hours
to sleep before work the next day.
HaRav Salomon spoke warm words of encouragement to Rabbi
Abenson, his talmid, whom he has known for the past
twenty years. He emphasized that Rabbi Abenson was truly
able to help people because he had triumphed over many
obstacles in his own life and career. Wishing him every
further success, Rabbi Salomon suggested that training
others to use these methods would be a source of enormous
zechus.
The meeting took place in the succah of Rabbi Boruch
Dunner and was attended by Dayan Westheim, local rabbonim,
family and friends.
