Young Shluchim Meet their MyShliach Mentors During The Kinus
Young Shluchim who participate in MyShliach’s Ach Sheli “big brother” program, met their mentors for a unique program in Oholei Torah during the Kinus.
MyShliach’s Ach Sheli pairs young Shluchim around the globe with Bochurim who give of their time once a week to learn, Schmooze and farbreng with the boys, helping them maintain and strengthen Yiddish and Chassidishe values in their remote places of Shlichus. There are currently over 350 boys and girls in the program.
As participants from around the globe traveled to Crown Heights for the Kinus Hashluchim they were offered a chance to meet their long-distance chavrusah’s face-to-face.
“The energy was fantastic,” said Rabbi Yeruchem Engel, Ach Sheli coordinator. “The program has seen tremendous growth over the past year. For most of the boys here, they were meeting their mentor in person for the first time.”
Many of the “big brothers” themselves had participated in the program as young boys growing up on Shlichus, and they want to be able to share the same chayus and connection they felt with the newest generation of young Shluchim.
“It was amazing to see the excitement on the kids’ faces,” Moshe Aryeh Engel, a Bochur in Oholei Torah Zal who participates in MyShliach, said. “It would be even more amazing if we could do this more often!
As a bochur thinking about joining Ach Sheli, Yechezkel Pinson shared his thoughts. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to join the program and be a mentor. I doubted I would have the time to spend, but after seeing the joy in the zal with the chavrusos reuniting and learning together, I’m sure this is something I want to be a part of.”
Besides the boys coming to meet their Chavrusah, Some boys also came to meet and Learn with their virtual Yeshivas Erev class and Rebbi and learned in a classroom setting for the first time.
“It’s one thing for boys to learn over Zoom nightly and connect; it’s a whole other ballgame when the boys can come together as a class and learn with their Rebbi in person. It is something special and important,” said Rabbi Yossi Elberg, the Yeshivas Erev program coordinator at Merkos 302.
