Over the past four years, while many articles and speeches
have publicized the phenomenon of religious youth "at risk,"
a program called Kesher has developed a unique methodology to
help young men arrest counterproductive behaviors and begin
the work of personal change and growth.
Located on the internationally-known Ohr Somayach campus in
Jerusalem, Kesher offers a varied curriculum of gemora,
halochoh, Tanach, and hashkofoh topics taught by
seasoned rebbeim; drop-in lectures by popular Jerusalem
yeshiva personalities; and a willingness to deal head-on with
personal issues, both in-house and through referrals.
Kesher students also enjoy off-campus dormitory living, no
dress code, and extracurricular activities like a "Sunday
Morning Breakfast Club" at the Kosel, as well as basketball
and other sports.
The results speak for themselves. Among this year's pool of
16 students from the New York area, three have already
entered the Ohr Somayach beis medrash program, and a
fourth is enrolled in Ohr Somayach's semichoh
program.
Conceived and directed by Rabbi Aaron Brody, a former
community rabbi and high school rebbe from Chicago, Kesher
now serves as a resource for similar organizations operating
in New York and other major Jewish centers. Rabbi Brody and
Reb Huna Friedland, Kesher's Director of Counselling, have
visited New York, Baltimore, Chicago, and Toronto to network
and share resources with organizations and community
activists in the field.
"We're really reaching our talmidim and helping them
find their path in Yiddishkeit," says Rabbi Brody of
the four-year-old Kesher program. "Our students are becoming
true bnei Torah, and many have aspirations to help
other kids at risk. A number of them stay with the program as
big brothers, teachers, and chavrusas.
"What's our secret? We create a warm family," adds Rabbi
Brody, who shared Kesher's successful kiruv formula in
a well-received article in The Jewish Observer of
March 2001. "We believe in them. We understand their
struggle. We set firm limits so they're able to live life
responsibly."
Much of the credit for Kesher's effectiveness lies in its
three-pronged approach designed by R' Friedland. Each student
is evaluated according to a personal/psychological profile
and current learning skills, as well as a hashkofoh
profile that reveals where the young man is really
holding.
"One hundred percent of our students believe in Hashem and in
Torah miSinai," Reb Friedland explains. "They all want
a frum home, a religious wife, and stability.
Meanwhile, their behavior can be counterproductive and even
self-destructive. That creates conflict. We ask them to
answer questions like: `Do you believe in Hashgochoh
protis?' `Do you believe Hashem loves you?' `Do you
believe Hashem is angry at you?' We also ask them: `Do you
keep Shabbos?' `Do you daven?' `Do you wear
tefillin?'"
For many young men, the Kesher questionnaire marks the first
time they've ever thought deeply about their beliefs. Reb
Friedland channels this self-awareness into helping students
develop short- and long-term goals for incorporating their
Jewish values into their daily lives.
"This is how I get through to them and work with them on
sensitive issues," he adds. "I say, `Hey, this is what you
want! I didn't make this list up. Here's your opportunity to
take on your life and become who you truly are and who you
truly want to be.'"
By accepting young men aged 18-22, Kesher is one of the few
programs that caters to "older" talmidim. "We'll work
with a guy who's struggling and wants to take on his life, as
opposed to most programs which take in post-high-school-age
kids who aren't yet thinking seriously about change and
growth," notes Rabbi Brody.
Another reason for Kesher's effectiveness lies in the
personalities of its program director and director of
counselling. One immediately warms to the genuine
friendliness and sincerity of Rabbi Brody and Reb Friedland,
who balance their sense of vision for the students' growth
with a love for each young man as an individual. There's a
lot of kibbitzing and laughter in the Kesher classrooms, the
dorms, and the homes of the rebbeim who frequently host
students for Shabbos. The young men blossom in the attention
and affection.
"Our program is highly interactive," says Rabbi Brody. "Every
one of our rebbeim will give a student a hug and involve him
in his life. This is how we help students walk away from the
different sources they use to quiet the rumbling inside,
which resulted from a sense of not belonging or a feeling of
estrangement from Hashem and the Torah community."
Its location in Eretz Yisroel boosts Kesher's effectiveness
even further. The proximity of the Kosel, the warm, extended
Ohr Somayach family, the feel of a Jerusalem Shabbos and
yom tov, and the distance from counterproductive
forces back home gives each young man room to experiment with
his options in a non- pressurized, growth-oriented
environment.
For more information about Kesher, contact the office at P.O.
Box 18103, Jerusalem, Israel; tel. (02) 581- 0315, fax (02)
581-2890.
