The phone rings at Shuvu's headquarters in Yerushalayim and
Larissa Litvin lifts the receiver.
"Shuvu, shalom," she begins.
Mrs. Litvin hears the Russian greeting on the other end of
the line.
She then asks in a rapid flow of Russian: "What is your name?
Where do you live? What is your child's name? How old is he?
What grade is he in? How did you hear about Shuvu?"
As she speaks, Litvin's fingers fly across her keyboard as
she fills in the caller's information on a computerized
database. When the conversation comes to a close, she tells
the caller someone from Shuvu will soon be in contact with
him. She hangs up the phone, but before she can catch her
breath, it rings again.
"Shuvu, shalom," she says, and the rapid-fire conversation in
Russian repeats itself.
It's the first week in July, and Litvin -- and Shuvu -- are
especially busy. Litvin operates Shuvu's toll-free
registration hotline, which parents call when they want more
information on enrolling their children into Shuvu schools.
The summer months of June, July and August, when parents are
making final decisions about where to send their children to
school come Sept. 1, are particularly hectic.
"I get about thirty, thirty-five calls a day on average,"
says Litvin, herself a native of Lithuania. "And some days,
especially after we do a lot of advertising, I get even more.
On those days, the phone just rings and rings."
Rabbi Chaim Michoel Guttermann, Shuvu's director in Eretz
Yisroel, explains that Shuvu's emphasis on advertising and
its toll-free number represents a shift in its enrollment
efforts.
"A lot has changed in the last eleven years," he says. "Our
schools have an excellent name in the Russian community, and
our primary focus now is to reach those parents who don't
know that a Shuvu school exists in their community."
An All-important Presence
When Shuvu was in its early years, the enrollment staff
concentrated its efforts on the summer camping program. This
was a fun-filled, pressure-free way for Russian children and
their families to get acquainted with Shuvu, and the camping
experience was often enough to convince parents to send their
children to Shuvu schools.
While today the camps still play a role in Shuvu's enrollment
efforts, Shuvu has already made a name for itself.
"A lot of our enrollment today," says Rabbi Guttermann, "is a
result of word of mouth. What people hear is that Shuvu gives
children a top-level education, a hot lunch and a safe
environment in which to learn, not to mention a connection to
their heritage."
Rabbi Guttermann explains that Shuvu has found that the best
way to give these kinds of parents the "extra push" they need
to enroll their kids into Shuvu schools, is by ensuring that
Shuvu has an ongoing presence in local media, and
specifically by telling potential parents about the Shuvu
kindergarten, elementary school or high school in their
community.
To maintain that all-important presence, Shuvu has launched
an extensive advertising campaign, which includes ads and
articles about Shuvu in local Russian newspapers, and ads in
national newspapers and radio and on Russian TV. Shuvu's toll-
free hotline is prominently featured in all of its ads.
Aside for its own advertising, the Shuvu school network has
generated so much buzz in recent months that reporters
regularly approach Shuvu and express interest in doing
stories on the organization.
Such was the case last May when Russian television did an
extensive story on Shuvu. Larissa Litvin recalls what
happened the day after the program aired.
"We were inundated with calls," she says. "I think I took
about 120. I hardly sat down for a minute."
Parlor Meeting To Play Crucial Role
Although Shuvu's emphasis on advertising marks a departure
from its past enrollment efforts, one thing that won't change
is the campaign's annual summer parlor meeting.
This year it will be held on Monday, July 15, at 7 p.m. at
the home of Rabbi Gedaliah and Rachael Weinberger in
Brooklyn, N.Y. Rav Matisyahu Solomon, mashgiach of
Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, will be delivering divrei
his'orerus.
It was at last summer parlor's meeting that Shuvu founder and
guiding force Rav Avraham Pam, zt"l, made his last
public appearance, traveling to the meeting by ambulance
because he felt it was crucial to show how essential the
parlor meeting is to the constant expansion of Shuvu's
work.
And as in previous years, the parlor meeting will play an
important role in Shuvu's enrollment efforts.
"The parlor meeting," says Rabbi Guttermann, "funds much of
our enrollment activities, and it is critical in the
preparatory work for the new school year. This year, that
includes the opening of dozens of kindergartens, as well as
elementary and high schools around the country."
And though formal enrollment figures for the coming year
won't be available until September, if early figures are any
indication, this year's parlor meeting will be more important
than ever.
Shuvu expects an overall enrollment increase of at least 10
to 15 percent, and in some cities, including Tel Aviv, Ashdod
and Petach Tikva, it is already seeing even larger
increases.
Enrollment is also on the rise in its high schools with
dormitories, especially the Ohelei Brocha Yerushalayim High
School for Girls.
"With the intifadah, many Russian parents have become very
worried about their children," explains Rabbi Guttermann.
"There were many Russian teenagers injured or even killed in
the Dolphinarium attack, and most of their parents didn't
even know where they were at the time."
Rabbi Guttermann concedes that some parents are worried about
sending their daughters to Yerushalayim because it has been
the target of numerous attacks, but he says that the will to
give their children a "Shuvu chinuch" helps them overcome
their fears.
Similarly, even in areas of the country where travel to and
from school has become dangerous, Shuvu has seen increases --
rather than decreases -- in enrollment.
"We have children who have to travel about three-quarters of
an hour from Dimona to our Arad school, and they travel
through Arab villages," says Rabbi Guttermann. "It's
frightening, but sheluchei mitzva einom nizokin, those
engaged in a mitzva won't come to harm."
The Right Decision
Back at Shuvu headquarters, Larissa Litvin is answering yet
another phone call to the toll-free line.
She is taking down information from Ella Cahanovich about her
son Binyamin, whom she would like to enroll in the Shuvu
school in Naharia in the fall.
Although Mrs. Litvin passes on all information to Shuvu
personnel in the appropriate cities and usually does not
speak to the families at length, from time to time she does
hear from them again.
"Every once in a while," she says, "a mother will call me
back and tell me how happy she is that her son or daughter is
learning in a Shuvu school. In most cases, when parents first
call they are nervous about making the switch and have lots
of questions. But once their child is a Shuvu school, it
doesn't take them long to realize that they made the right
decision."
