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5 Adar 5761 - February 28, 2001 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS

A Time of Thanks: Shuvu's 10th Annual Dinner Marks a Decade of Miracles

by Moshe Schapiro

"Thank you" seemed to be the operative words at the 10th annual Shuvu dinner, held February 11 in Ateres Chaya Hall in Boro Park.

A 19-year-old yeshiva bochur who became frum after learning in a Shuvu school nearly a decade ago thanked Shuvu for helping him and his family return to their heritage. A student at Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway, whose mother immigrated to the United States from Russia, thanked Shuvu for giving his school the opportunity to adopt a Shuvu school in Eretz Yisroel -- and letting him give something back.

But perhaps the most poignant moment was when HaRav Avrohom Pam, venerable rosh yeshiva of Torah Vodaath, expressed his gratitude to Hakodosh Boruch Hu for allowing him to found Shuvu a decade ago.

The dinner's theme was "A Decade of Miracles," and the Russian yeshiva bochur, the student from Darchei Torah, HaRav Pam -- and many others -- shared their personal stories of their encounters with Shuvu, and the miracles that have turned what started out as a devoted effort by a group of askonim to help Russian immigrant children into an international organization that provides a religious education and many other services to more than 10,000 Russian immigrant children throughout Eretz Yisroel.

Completing The Circle

Yossi Kohn, a Shuvu board member who served as Dinner Chairman, opened the program by thanking Shuvu's Director in Israel, Rabbi Chaim Michoel Gutterman, the Assistant Director, Rabbi Avrohom Mordechai Horen, and all of the mechanchim for their outstanding dedication. Heshy Aron, another Shuvu board member who served as Campaign Chairman, read letters of greeting from HaRav Yosef Shalom Eliashiv and HaRav Aharon Leib Steinman, in which they expressed their appreciation to the Shuvu staff for its unstinting efforts.

The audience was then treated to a multimedia presentation highlighting Shuvu's many programs -- its elementary and high schools, summer camps, after-school programs and adult education classes, among others.

Three schools in the United States that have recently agreed to serve as sister schools to Shuvu schools in Eretz Yisroel were honored next. Rabbi Benyomin Kamenetsky accepted the award on behalf of Yeshiva Toras Chaim of South Shore, which has adopted the Shuvu school in Beer Sheva; Rabbi Shmuel Strickland accepted the award on behalf of Rabbi Yaakov Bender of Yeshiva Darchei Torah, which has adopted the Shuvu school in Petach Tikva; and Rabbi Shlomo Mandel accepted the award on behalf of Rabbi Yaakov Krause and Rabbi Beirish Goldenberg of Yeshiva Torath Emeth in Los Angeles, which has adopted the Shuvu school in Chadera.

It was then that the student from Yeshiva Darchei Torah showed just how meaningful the sister-school program has become. His own mother emigrated from Russia to the United States many years earlier and, with the help of members of the religious community, returned to her roots. Today, he is completing the circle by helping a child in the Shuvu Petach Tikva school learn more about his heritage.

The awards were followed by a presentation dedicating three new Shuvu high schools. Rabbi Moshe Silberberg, a Shuvu board member and longtime activist, dedicated the Boys' Mesivta in Ashdod, together with his wife and family. Mr. Max Knopf, Shuvu's Co-Chairman, dedicated the Boys' Mesivta in Ashkelon, together with his wife and family. And Rabbi and Mrs. Shmuel Noach Mermelstein dedicated the Shuvu Girls' High School in Yerushalayim, Ohelei Brocho, in memory of their 16-year-old daughter Brocho Yitta, a"h, who passed away after being injured in a tragic car accident.

`Your Teiireh Kinderlach'

The dedication by the Mermelstein family reminded everyone in attendance of how precious life -- especially young life -- is. Eliezer Feldman, 19, brought home that point even more when he shared his own story.

"My family went to Eretz Yisroel ten years ago and settled in Haifa, where I attended a Shuvu summer camp," Eliezer began. "After the summer, my parents sent me and my brother to Yeshiva Shaarei Torah, the Shuvu school in Haifa. Soon our entire family became frum, and we moved to Bnei Brak."

Eliezer added that today he learns in Yeshiva Ateret Yisrael, where HaRav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi serves as rosh yeshiva.

"This is my story," he concluded, "and the story of thousands of other children in Shuvu."

HaRav Pam, whose entrance into the hall a short time earlier brought the crowd to its feet with a joyous rendition of `Yomim al yemei melech tosif,' was then presented with a scroll signed by almost all of the 10,000 children in the Shuvu school network.

In it the students expressed their thanks to HaRav Pam, who attended the dinner despite his ill health: "How can we thank the Rebbe who has rescued us from spiritual doom and gave us life instead! There is no language other than the language of the heart! We can only say: Rebbe, we thank you, Rebbe, we love you. May we continue giving you nachas ad meah ve'esrim shonoh! Your teiireh kinderlach, the children of Shuvu."

Mr. Abe Biderman, Shuvu's Co-Chairman, then thanked the Rosh Yeshiva for enabling him to be a part of Shuvu. He recalled how it all began with a "chance encounter" in the hallway at the Agudath Israel Convention a decade ago.

"I offered the Rosh Yeshiva to be of help, and he said, `Come with me,'" said Mr. Biderman. "I went along with him, and my life has been changed."

The Novominsker Rebbe, Rosh Agudath Israel, then spoke about the reverence Jews everywhere feel for HaRav Pam.

"This dinner is a catalyst to express what the entire generation feels about him. Not only his talmidim of over fifty years, but all of Klal Yisroel."

The Novominsker Rebbe then described HaRav Pam's accomplishments as the founder and guiding force of Shuvu.

"[The Rosh Yeshiva] has transformed a generation torn from their Jewish roots. May he see his dream culminated with the arrival of Eliyahu and the fulfillment of the verse `Veheishiv leiv ovos al bonim, veleiv bonim al avosom.'"

The Shaliach Tzibbur

As HaRav Pam rose to address the audience, the lights were dimmed so the Rosh Yeshiva would not have to strain his eyes. For the next 40 minutes, with only a small light illuminating his face, HaRav Pam spoke of his hopes for the future of Shuvu and the future of Klal Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel.

He thanked the many askonim who have helped make Shuvu a reality. But first, he expressed his gratitude to Hashem.

"Ribono shel Olom, how do I thank you for the zechus you gave me, the daas to initiate Shuvu? How can I express even a bit of my hakoras hatov for giving me such a zechus -- for giving the entire Shuvu family this zechus -- and the siyata deShmaya all along the way?

HaRav Pam then thanked the organization's many supporters, calling himself only the "shaliach tzibbur."

"Shuvu is a product of teamwork," said HaRav Pam. "We are a family."

HaRav Pam recalled a drosho he heard 50 years earlier from HaRav Zaidel Semiatitsky, son-in-law of HaRav Moshe Schneider of London who passed away at an early age and who was instrumental in bringing children from Morocco and South America to Mir and to London so they could grow into bnei Torah.

HaRav Semiatitsky had described how in parshas Shemos, Hashem commanded Moshe to take his staff and throw it to the ground. When he did, it turned into a snake and Moshe ran away. Then Hashem told him to grab its tail. Moshe followed Hashem's instructions and the snake turned back into a staff.

"`This,' said HaRav Zaidel, `is the story of Bnei Yisroel,'" said HaRav Pam. "Take the kids and throw them to the ground, saying they have no emunah -- then they become poisonous snakes. But if you take these children in your hand, they become the matteh Elokim, the staff used to perform Hashem's miracles."

HaRav Pam concluded his drosho by asking the reason behind this celebration of Shuvu's 10th anniversary.

"It is to draw inspiration from our success so we can proceed with joy and simcha, and so that we see Hashem is with us," said HaRav Pam. "There is so much more to do, and we are not done."

 

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