"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."
