While billboards at the entrance to Yerushalayim pompously
welcomed the World Congress of Jewish Teachers to one of the
never-ending rounds of meaningless conferences so prevalent
in our sacred Capital today, a group of authentic Torah
educators and menahelim of the Torah Umesorah
educational system in the States, organized by their highly
capable and devoted leader, Rabbi Dovid Bernstein of Monsey,
has been quietly -- behatznei'a leches -- absorbing
the true kedusha emanating from the Ir Hakodesh,
by acquiring knowledge and techniques from local expert
educators that will be of inestimable value when applied in
their institutions upon their return to America.
This company of nearly twenty principals, representing
thousands of talmidim from Seattle to Miami,
acknowledged as the summit of their experiences here in Eretz
Yisroel, a 1/2-hour meeting with HaRav Aharon Leib Steinman,
at which they sought the Gaon's advice on vital issue of
chinuch in America.
Among the topics touched upon were the use of ivrit in
teaching Torah; handling non-religious families of the
students enrolled; and which tefillos and limudim
should be stressed at early ages.
The introduction to HaRav Steinman was arranged by Rabbi
Nochum Matlin of Har Nof, a friend of Rabbi Bernstein's and a
well-known speaker in shuls all over the United States
and Canada, whose association with HaRav Mordechai
Rabinovitch, rosh yeshiva of the prestigious Or
Yisroel yeshiva of Petach Tikvah, enabled him, through HaRav
Rabinovitch, to effect admission to HaRav Steinman. HaRav
Rabinovitch himself attended the meeting, and was
instrumental in clarifying various points for HaRav Steinman
when the communication became difficult owing to language
problems. The meeting was conducted in both Hebrew and
Yiddish.
Upon the principals' return home, they will be reporting
be'eizer Hashem, the results of their efforts and
meetings here to the gedolei Yisroel in America.
