Op-Ed: Inspirational moment in Crown Heights

Last week at a Chof Cheshvan Lchaim-Farbrengen, I had the privilege of sitting with Rabbi Ephraim Piekarski, a well known Chosid and Tamid Chochom here in Crown Heights. We had a very nice pleasant warm Chasidisher Farbrengen, Baalei-Batim style.

After a few Lchaim’s Rabbi Piekarski announced that he’s on a high, he is very inspired by what he witnessed in the last few hours.

He described his walk from his house to the location of the Lchaim on sterling street, he walked by Empire Boulervard from Kingston Avenue towards Brooklyn Avenue, and he stopped to peek into the newly established Yagdil Torah Heichal Halimud, created by Rabbi Levi Braud. What he saw was really beautiful, he saw a Shiur being given by a young man just out of Kolel, at the Shiur there were about 8-9 participants, and all around the hall, there were about another 10 yungelait busy learning Torah on their own.

As he continued on that block, a few doors down, he walked by the new Nosson’s Shul, established by the classmates of the late Nosson Deitch Z”L, lead by Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Willhelm and his brother Yossi, from where a beautiful Niggun was blasting out onto the street, he peeked in and he saw a group of some 45 young men participating in a Farbrengen in honor of Chof Cheshvan.

Continuing on that block, he walks past another few houses, and through a storefront window, he sees a group of about 40 young men, participating in a Shiur being given in the Besht Shul, established by Rabbi Yehoshua Werde and lead by Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson.

He said; my heart warmed at these sites, look what’s going on in Crown Heights, young men are stepping up to the plate and they have succeeded to create a revolution in Crown Heights, all the above mentioned Shuls are less than one year old, and what a success story.

It was truly a moment of inspiration.

To top it off, I had the opportunity to visit the Ohel Nosson Shul on Shabbos for a Kiddush, and I stayed on for Mincha and Maariv, oh, how pleasing it was to see a Shul with over 50 young men davening, and watching the young Gabbai gently admonish a man or two, both who had some grey hair, to refrain from talking in middle of davening. This was followed by a great Tanya Shiur that was delivered by a young Bochur during Shalosh Seudos time, which was attended by the entire crowd.

I am inspired as I am impressed.

We Crown Heightsers are all used to whine and complain about anything and everything, but in the meantime a new generation sprung into action, and they are changing the neighborhood forever, and for the good.

I can’t imagine what great Nachas this brings to the Rebbe, and I can’t think of anything better that will help bring Moshiach sooner, when we’ll be able to watch the Rebbe shep this Nachas.

So, welcome Shluchim, when you visit Crown Heights for the Kinnus, in addition to coming home to 770 and the Ohel, and in addition to all the high points that you will experience during the Kinnus, just so that you get the cherry on top of all the other great moments, have a peek into these 20 new Shuls that have sprung up in last several years, join their Farbrengens, meet the young men, see what the future holds for us, and be inspired as I and Rabbi Piekarski were over the past weekend.

Have a wonderful time in Crown Heights,
Yosef Katzman