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Category Archives: TorahMates
Oorah – An Open Purim Miracle!
Purim this year was incredible. The kids had a great time. mishloach manos deliveries, costumes, everything was perfect. I didn’t think things could get any better. Until we got to Oorah’s Purim seudah.
They say seeing is believing. I don’t think any one description can really describe the Purim wonderland that was Oorah’s Purim seudah. As we entered the parking lot of Lake Terrace hall we were met by the sight of children being driven around in a horse drawn wagon! What fun! Had that been all we would have left happy. But in the lobby of the hall we were greeted by . . .cotton candy . . . popcorn . . . scores of hamentashen in every flavor . . .enough wine to make any man happy . . .and joy . . . pure joy . . . of hundreds of beautiful jewish souls who had never experienced the beauty of Purim before yesterday.
The gourmet meal that we were treated to truly did rival the feast of king Achashverosh! And the entertainment! What can be better than getting to watch a magic show in between each course! Shlomo Hadarshan kept the adults laughing with his steady stream of jokes and impersonations. But the real treat was sitting with many of the families that we help and seeing the fruits of Oorah’s labor. This was Oorah’s own “nes Purim”. One that we are proud to proclaim is an open miracle that we want to share with everyone. Knowing as only we know what our families struggle with on a daily basis as they advance in their Yiddishkeit, made seeing them joyously celebrate the Yom Tov of Purim even more meaningful. I felt like I was really experience the triumph of Purim – because seeing so many tinokos shenishbiu come together under one roof, the roof of Oorah, and all for one reason – for if not for Oorah, there would never have been the uplifting seudah that there was. Rav Chaim Mintz, the reason that Oorah is, spoke poignantly and blessed all that was there with the ability to continue growing and striving to reach greater heights . a blessing that can be applied to all those attended. May our Oorah families continue coming closer to their roots . . . and may we have the strength to continue being there for them every step of the way.
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Christian receives a pair of tefillin
Jamie was so turned off from Judaism that she named her first son Christian. The daughter of a Jewish father from Syria and a Jewish mother from Russia, Jamie had converted to Christianity and married a native American. She and Daniel lived in Carson City, Nevada. Her one son, Christian, did have a Hebrew name too, Yisrael.
But Jamie couldn’t escape her Jewish history for long. Daniel began to do his own research and came to the decision that Judaism was the truth. He hosts a Friday night meal in his home for all the neighbors, mostly non-Jews. Daniel leads a brief prayer session after the food, music and dancing.
Not long ago, Daniel contacted Oorah to help bring his wife and son, the real Jews in the family, back to the fold. His teenaged son, Christian/Yisrael, learns with a TorahMate and we just sent him his first pair of tefillin!
Posted in Jewish Education, TorahMates
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Mother to mother
Dear Mr. and Mrs. F,
I am the mother of two boys who your son met three years ago at Oorah’s TheZone camp. Your son has had such a positive impact on my sons’ lives. I cannot thank him enough for all that he has done for my two sons.
My youngest, Joshua, was paired up with S as a TorahMate to learn over the summer. Hashem knew what He was doing when He make that connection. S did not think he reached Joshua but boy did he… Joshua came home from camp a different boy. He asked to attend a day school that November and has not looked back since.
My oldest son left the public school system just last year after completing his eighth grade and started his ninth grade year at a yeshiva in Baltimore.
S has become a part of my family, he attended my oldest’s bar mitzvah, he came to my wedding. I was a single mother when S met my boys. He has been to our home for many a Shabbos and I just wanted you to know how great I think he is. You have a very special son. I wish him nothing but health, happiness and to keep following in the path closer to Hashem.
All the best,
R
Posted in Jewish Education, TheZone Camp, TorahMates
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Thanks for the Hurricane Hosting
A TorahMate from Long Island gave us a special donation yesterday. His brother graciously hosted his family during Hurricane Sandy and he wanted to give him a gift to say thank you. But he knew that his brother would never accept money from him… so he gave TorahMates a donation in his brother’s honor instead!
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Memories of a beautiful Shabbos
Today’s post comes to us courtesy of Mrs. Nechama Perlstein, tuition coordinator at Oorah.
The Perlstein and Feiner children, friends at first sight
This past Shabbos, my family had the pleasure of hosting the Feiner family. The Feiners first entered the Oorah family when they sent their 10-year-old daughter Lea to camp two summers ago. On Visiting Day, while enjoying TheZone’s many amenities, the Feiners chanced upon the TorahMates booth and allowed themselves to be persuaded to be set up with TorahMates. It’s been an Oorah shidduch ever since.
The Feiners have joined Oorah for various events and even took the big leap this September when they transferred both their children out of public school and put them in yeshiva. Both Jason and Sonia learn regularly and enjoy a beautiful relationship with their TorahMates. In fact, this is what brought the Feiners to Lakewood this past Shabbos.
One of Jason’s TorahMates was making a bar mitzvah and the Feiners, eager to join, did not want to leave their Long Island home on motzai Shabbos, afraid that the long drive would make them late. An email sent around at Oorah found the Feiners at my home a few minutes before Shabbos.
The connection was instantaneous. Over good conversation and even better food (if I do say so myself!) the adults really bonded and the kids hit it off! Lea fell in love with my girls; for Raizy, it was the big sister she is always wishing for. Samuel is right in between my two boys and we literally didn’t see them all Shabbos. They kept themselves entertained; we had to beg them to stop and come eat.
All in all, I have to say that Shabbos was a real success. Mr. Feiner’s thank you was enough to warm us all as we stood outside to load the car and send them off. My kids were in tears when it was time for the Feiners to leave but I promised them that I would make sure that we see them again!
Posted in Jewish Education, Oorah, TheZone Camp, TorahMates
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A happy TorahMate
In a message to his TorahMates coordinator, one happy student writes:
Learning is going great! I was attracted to TorahMates solely for language study, but in fact my language learning has been a bit slow because Raffi and I have so much to talk about. My Jewish learning has really become a big part of my life and I appreciate how my TorahMate partner, who is much more learned than me, is willing to pace our lessons and address my questions. While I sometimes feel that I’m a burden to him, Raffi assures me that he, for some crazy reason, enjoys our learning, too.
Good Shabbos!
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Off to Chai Israel
Dear Rabbi Goldberger and Rabbi Brody,
I would like to thank you and everyone at Oorah for the very generous donation that you have given me to attend Chai Israel. If you had not helped me, I highly doubt that I would be going to Israel for this coming year, an experience that I am really looking forward to. This experience of going to yeshiva will allow me the opportunity to learn, to meet new friends and most importantly, to experience Israel.
Your contribution has been really helpful towards making my trip a reality. Thank you so very much.
The postscript to this letter, written by a Discover U boy whose mom is a TorahMate, is that Rabbi Goldberger got a call from the Rosh Yeshiva of Chai Israel asking him what Discover U had done in two weeks to bring this guy so far. (This will be this young man’s first year in a religious school.) The Rosh Yeshiva wanted to send the student to a more advanced program!
Posted in DiscoverU, Jewish Education, Oorah, TorahMates
Tagged Chai Israel, learn in Israel, post-high school yeshiva, yeshiva in Israel
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It’s way too quiet here… what are those kids up to now?
Laurie is a TorahMate whose sons are Zoniacs (and junior TorahMates of course.) She told us that her boys look forward to learning with their TorahMates every week and are in touch with their counselors as well. As she says, “Camp did amazing things for all the boys and that’s also amazing for my boys to enjoy something more than iPads and TV.”
One morning, her 13-year-old, who switched from public school to yeshiva last year and learned to read Hebrew recently, was being awfully quiet. She went to check up on him and found him davening, tefillin on and all! That was certainly not what she expected to find, but it sure made her proud!
Posted in Jewish Education, TheZone Camp, TorahMates
Tagged davening story, tefillin
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Bisha’ah Tova!
David and Clara were married for ten years without children. Clara has been a TorahMate for about a year now, and David recently signed up for his own learning partner.
And they also recently found out that Clara is expecting!! May we hear good news from them soon!
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What a teen can accomplish
We’re always proud of the accomplishments of the kids we’re involved with, and last night, we were given reason to be extremely proud.
Avi Leibowitz, who was TeenZone’s camper of the summer, celebrated a siyum on Maseches Makkos. Avi began learning on his own before the summer. Understandably, he was ready to give up by the time the summer arrived. But, he said at the siyum, he was inspired to continue learning at TheZone, alone and with his TorahMate.
“What a nachas,” says Rabbi Zucker, TeenZone’s division head, who, along with TeenZone’s mashpia, Rabbi Yossi Mozes, attended the siyum in Lakewood. “Here’s a kid who had every reason to fail, it was just a beautiful sight to see. Here’s a kid who got turned on to learning in camp.”
“It’s such a tremendous simcha,” says Rabbi Mozes. “Those who know Avi understand what a tremendous simcha it was. It all started with Rabbi Zucker who challenged Avi do it.”
“The summer is time off for some people,” Rabbi Zucker said in his speech at the siyum. “But for Avi, it was time on.”
Avi is leaving on Sunday night for a yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael. “If someone would have said to you six months ago that this kid is going to learn in Eretz Yisrael, it’s not what you would have thought. This in itself is a big accomplishment.”
Avi, you truly make us proud! We hope to continue to hear great things from Avi and all our teens.
Posted in Jewish Education, TheZone Camp, TorahMates
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