The Secret Behind the Journey

by Dovid Zaklikowski for Hasidic Archives

Shlomo Simcha Sufrin likes to say that when the high school he attended bumped him up two grades, “I discovered the world before my brain was able to process it.” He recalled seeing the world beyond his school and home and feeling confused, wanting to be a part of it.

The teachers saw him as rebellious. He simply saw himself as someone who wanted to understand things. His father, Rabbi Mordechai Tzvi Sufrin, a longtime London educator, panicked about his son’s behavior. He wrote to the Rebbe, who told him to discuss it with “knowledgeable friends.” 

Rabbi Sufrin went to speak to Mr. Bobby Vogel, a London precious stone dealer, who advised him to send his son to the yeshivah that Rabbi Asher Freund, known as Reb Asher, who had established a yeshivah for struggling teens, where many found understanding and acceptance. With a little bit of Breslov, the wit of Kotzk, and the classic Jerusalemite cynicism, many teens found their place at Reb Asher’s yeshivah. Rabbi Sufrin could not bring himself, though, to remove his son from a Chabad institution and place him in Reb Asher’s.

Things continued to deteriorate for Shlomo, his attitude remaining rebellious, and six months later Rabbi Sufrin wrote to the Rebbe again. The Rebbe told his aide, “I don’t understand — we already discussed this.” Rabbi Sufrin explained that the “knowledgeable friend” had advised sending Shlomo to Reb Asher’s school, but he could not bring himself to remove his son from a Chabad institution.

One night, the Sufrins had a knock on their door. Opening it, they were surprised by the visit of distinguished guests: Rabbi Yitzchok and Rebbetzin Rivkah Hertz, who said they were taking a stroll and had thought of stopping by.

While Rebbetzin Hertz schmoozed with Mrs. Sufrin, Rabbi Hertz, the respected rosh yeshivah of the Chabad yeshivah, talked with Rabbi Sufrin. During the conversation, he asked Rabbi Sufrin about his son Shlomo. Rabbi Sufrin said that he was struggling with him. Rabbi Hertz asked what advice Shlomo’s father had received. Rabbi Sufrin told him the entire story.

On hearing it, Rabbi Hertz began to explain the philosophy of Reb Asher and how he placed great emphasis on faith in Hashem. “Send him there,” Rabbi Hertz said. “There he will receive the foundations of faith, and Chasidus will come later.”

The London educator was taken aback, but Rabbi Hertz never revealed to him that the Rebbe, in a private audience, had spent an hour discussing Shlomo, Reb Asher, and why it was appropriate for the teen to go to the Jerusalem school. With the Rebbe’s backing, he felt comfortable saying, “I give you my word that it is a good idea for you to send him there.”

After the conversation, Rabbi Sufrin told Shlomo that he was taking him to Reb Asher’s yeshivah. “Stay for a month,” the father said. “If you don’t like it, you can come home.”

It was a fascinating time for the teenager. He saw the care that Reb Asher had for others and the acceptance he had for his struggles. “He sized you up in a minute,” Shlomo said later. “He figured out your process of thinking, got to your core right away, and he didn’t mince his words.”

It took decades for Shlomo — now the famed Chasidic singer Shlomo Simcha — to learn that the Rebbe was the one behind his going to Reb Asher’s school. It was at a wedding he was singing at in Lakewood, New Jersey, which Rabbi Hertz was attending as the grandfather of the groom. That night, Rabbi Hertz revealed to him all the details in conversation.

Shlomo was shocked to learn that in 1980, at the height of the Rebbe’s activism, he had taken the time to deal with a troubled teen. “It just completed everything,” he said of his journey from Chabad to Reb Asher. “It really completed everything for me; the Rebbe did care.”

Click here for the PDF of the entire chapter on Mr. Bobby Vogel, Rabbi Hertz and Shlomo Simchah. 

An excerpt from the forthcoming book by Hasidic Archives: More Than Gems: The Life and Legacy of Bobby Vogel. To share stories of Mr. Vogel, please contact info@HasidicArchives.com.

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