Thousands of bnei Torah attended the annual Lev
L'Achim conference, billed as the "Tenth Anniversary
Conference," which focused on enrolling secular children at
chareidi schools.
The opening speaker was Lev L'Achim Board Member HaRav Meir
Klugman, who noted that according to the Central Bureau of
Statistics, chareidi schools constitute 28 percent of all
school children in Israel.
He was followed by HaRav Yisroel Ganz, one of the roshei
yeshiva of Yeshivas Kol Torah, who discussed fundamental
principles of outreach work. He recalled hearing from Maran
HaRav Shach zt"l that while the yetzer hora
used to lie in the Haskoloh, now it has taken the form of
"living the good life," thus today our task is to introduce
Jews to the beauty in the Torah. Next HaRav Boruch Meidan
added further ideas on how to approach kiruv work.
In the second part of the conference, HaRav Yitzchok
Zilberstein shlita, the rov of Bnei Brak's Ramat
Elchonon neighborhood, fielded a long list of questions posed
by avreichim which he had discussed during the past
few weeks with his father-in-law HaRav Eliashiv
shlita, and with his brother-in-law HaRav Chaim
Kanievsky shlita.
Afterwards Lev L'Achim Director Rabbi Eliezer Sorotzkin
welcomed maranan verabonon as they stepped onto the
dais. Speeches were given by HaRav Shmuel Halevi Wosner, the
moro de'asra and gavad of Bnei Brak's Zichron
Meir neighborhood, HaRav Nosson Tzvi Finkel, rosh yeshiva of
Yeshivas Mir, the Admor of Novominsk, who came especially
from America to participate in the conference and to
represent the rabbonim of the US, HaRav Yehuda Ades, rosh
yeshiva of Yeshivat Kol Yaakov, and HaRav Yehuda Leib
Shteinman, who delivered the closing address.
HaRav Dovid Cohen, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chevron, read a
letter sent by HaRav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, and HaRav Yosef
Yisraelson read a letter sent by HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv
shlita.
The letter from Maran HaRav Eliashiv read: "May Hashem's
blessing accompany the bnei Torah gathering for the
sake of Heaven for the strengthening and upholding of the
avodas hakodesh of Lev L'Achim, which is dedicated to
disseminating Torah, educating Jewish children and bring
rechokim closer to the light of Torah and mitzvas.
"Therefore your merit of zikui horabim as our
representatives working in the framework of Lev L'Achim to
increase kovod Shomayim and to increase the legions
for meleches hakodesh includes the merit of Torah and
gemilus chassodim and also that of placing religion on
a pedestal.
"He Who Rewards All Good Deeds can be trusted to pay just
reward to all those who take part in and encourage others to
take part in this great mitzvah, and may their Torah learning
be preserved and may they be blessed with living offspring
and all their basic needs in abundance, with health and
sublime light."
