It is Thursday night in the 12am hour. We just finished a beautiful Chanuka mesiba followed by maariv and then parsha n'chulent and then maariv and then eating and schmoozing. The post 10:30 crowd have finished chilling with their chulent. Now it is only Rabbi Neydavoud and his chavrusa who are still learning and Rabbi Stern who is still working. It is quiet. The hour is late and I am very tired - but it would be almost criminal for me not to write this appropriate expression of thanks (in the Chanukah holiday of thanks) to so many people as we just concluded the biggest 24 hour fundraiser in LINK's history - our Charidy campaign. There is so much that could be said.
- Perhaps the most significant thing is that I do not believe that one shiur was canceled for this fundraiser. The avreichim kept on learning and it was just another jam packed day of Torah. On the very same day of the event there were probably about ten classes, eight minyanim, special chanuka shiurim and yet....
- ...464 people came to support. Who were they?
- An African American convert who plunged into Yiddishkeit through our portals
- A Passaic lawyer who learned at LINK as an avreich in his early days
- An LA native who many years ago moved to the Shomron and feels connected to a LINK Rabbis
- A large group of Rabbi Stern Groupies
- A French- Morrocan chevra of Rabbi Lebhar French shiur attendees
- A South African chevra that connects with Rabbi Becker
- A Persian doctor who closes the beis medrash every night with his incredible hasmada
- A 90 year old man who remembers Rabbi Lau's father in his home town of Pietrekovand for the 1st time in about 7 decades came to learn in the beis medrash THIS week
- A
former
YULA student who lives in NY but gives generously because he loves what LINK is doing
- Many Talmidim of our Avreichim who feel such hakaras hatov
- Leading Rabbanim in Los Angeles who feel that LINK is invaluable
- A beloved couple celebrating their 61st anniversary who gave the 1st 50,000 dollars to start LINK
The many faces of the LINK supporter reflect acheinu kol beis Yisrael and LINK's long reach. People feel at home here. It is just beautiful to see and reflect upon how much has been achieved. Mah Ashiv LaHashem. May the best be yet to come.
3.
On Tuesday, the sushi, pizza, popcorn and camaraderie were flowing - a call center probably made over a thousand calls throughout the day and sent out the emails, whatsapps and texts. Who were these people?
- Mrs. Sarah Amar , Mr. Alex D'hersin and Lorne Maltenfort
- o It is hard to explain how deeply committed and what level of professionalism they have achieved. (If one wants to understand the many in the hands of the few - simply look at Mrs.Amar's inbox)
- Rabbi Lebhar and Rabbi Stern
- the Avreichim (Rabbis Kraft, Thaler, Neydavoud, Rubin, Gruen, Rashti and Becker)
- the YPLA'ers (Aaron Betesh, David Tal),
- the Working Professionals who took from their valuable schedule and just called,called and called.
- o Zach Plotzker, Ben and Niva Taylor, Elliot Cavalier, Len Cutler, Sarah Thaler, Zev Amster, Mitch Karpp, Julie Iskowitz, Miriam Almog, Yaakov Tendler,
- the Lebhar bros
- the too numerous amount of people who just kept on spreading the word
Ein anachnu maspikim l'hodos.We cannot properly express our gratitude. May we spend the money frugally and wisely and may LINK be faithful to its mission of connecting so many Jew to the beauty and wonder of deep Torah Study. May we merit to reach higher and further!
A final thought: Israel is once again feeling like a lamb among wolves. The incredible world hypocrisy is matched only by our President's duplicity. Big things are happening in the world and it is hard to know where this will land. The notion that we are relying on President-Elect Trump to protect Israel is so unfathomable were it not that it's true - or at least that is how it appears. But we know better: for we cannot rely on fickle Man. The way out is too cling harder, stronger and deeper to the source of all life - Toraseinu Hakedosha. May we continue to receive the manifest protection of Hashem.
