CHOOSE TO SHINE

There are superheroes living quietly among us right here in Marine Park. I do not refer to cartoon characters, nor those with extraordinary physical prowess. These superheroes cannot leap tall buildings, nor run faster than a speeding bullet. Their superpowers are far more valuable, more meaningful, and much more inspirational in my opinion. Allow me to explain.

Several years ago I had the good fortune to encounter an amazing young woman.  Her name is Chana, and she reached out to me on behalf of a remarkable organization located in Pinsk, Belarus. It is called Yad Yisroel, and it alone has taken on the responsibility for rebuilding the infrastructure of Jewish life in Belarus in post-communist Russia. They have refurbished the Bais Aharon synagogue of Karlin, which is now the only functional religious shul for hundreds of miles around.

These young people come from varied backgrounds, but none of their childhoods were ideal. From abusive parents to absent parents, to no parents at all, precious boys and girls have found refuge under the Yad Yisroel umbrella. They are welcomed with open arms, clean and modern housing, a top notch education in both secular and religious instruction, and most of all, love and acceptance.

Chana did not ask me for money. Rather, she is placing several young women with local families for a year or four. Yad Yisroel facilitates trips abroad for students to further their Jewish education. It is hoped that this will allow expanded opportunities for education, growing in faith, and even getting a Jewish shidduch.

I wondered what it takes to invite a teenager to live in one’s home. I was also curious about what it is like to leave one’s home country, friends, parents, and live with a stranger, especially with potential language barriers.  Chana arranged interviews with people who have completed the program.  I first spoke with a delightful graduate named Nechama C. She is now 24 and living here in Marine Park.  What she told me was eye-opening, to say the least.

First, she does not wish to be thought of as some charity case.  Her parents are alive and well, and supportive of her newfound passion for Yiddishkeit.  They had always known they were Jewish but never had the opportunities that their daughter received at Yad Yisroel.  It was poignant when Nechama described how the Rabbi spoke with her grandmother in Yiddish, who was moved to tears when hearing the language of her own childhood.  While Nechama does miss her parents, she calls them every night to keep them abreast of her daily life. She is now working and hoping to find her shidduch. (Should you know a sincere, kind boy in his mid-20s who will see her for the superhero she is rather than the background from which she came, I encourage you to contact me. Seriously.)

I then spoke with a mother who had brought two girls into her home for the entire four-year term. She said they became part of the family. They are expected to help in the house as much as her kids do, but they are not treated as hired help. They join the family for vacations and simchas. She felt honored to become the adult figure in these girls’ lives. The bonds formed are without limit. There is no expectation that a host family will fund their guests’ clothing, phone, vacation, or the like. They spend most of their days at school or work. Food and housing are all that Yad Yisroel asks.  If a family has an extra room, what else does it take – an extra piece of chicken?

Housing a girl or two for whatever time a family can offer is literally saving souls.  Without Yad Yisroel, there would be no chance to experience Torah. One who saves a soul is compared to one who saves the entire world. For the price of an extra piece of chicken and pure love, the rewards are priceless and eternal.

We currently have four girls left to place for the coming school year. Kindly contact me for more information at pinchosshine@gmail.com