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Oholei Torah Celebrates 55th Annual Dinner

Educational Institute Oholei Torah, the flagship school of Chabad-Lubavitch, celebrated their 55th annual dinner this past Sunday at their Eastern Parkway Campus, in Brooklyn, NY.

For the unprecedented occasion, guests from across America came together to rally in support of Oholei Torah and the vital services it provides children and Talmudic students from Chabad-Lubavitch communities around the globe.

Mr. Simon Jacobson was bestowed the honor of Man of the Year together with a close circle of his friends and associates who gave their support to further the cause and goals of the school.

The evening began with a private meeting of the honorees and prominent members of Crown Heights, and continued with a smorgasbord and banquet in the Gutnick Ballroom.

The sit-down affair, chaired by Yerachmeal Jacobson, began with the reading of a letter of the Rebbe by Rabbi Eliezer Teitelbaum, which was then followed by a sicha from Purim of the year 1974. The Sparks Boys Choir performed, bringing many smiles of nachas to the guests. Mr. Max Leifer was honored with the Attorney of the Year award, introduced by Rabbi Eliezer Gold and presented by Rabbi Sholom Rosenfeld.

The Man of the Year Award was presented to Simon Jacobson by Rabbi Nosson Blumes and words of encouragement were given by Rabbi Joseph Rosenfeld. A most heartwarming video presentation was shown, produced by Yankee Teitelbaum, in which Jacobson expressed the importance of supporting Oholei Torah and the tremendous work its staff does with children. He thanked his associates of his J. Group for their continued support.

One by one, over 20 members of the exclusive J. Group were called up to the podium, where each received an award – a globe of the world – for their commitment to Oholei Torah. The moment when they stood holding their globes was one in which many of the honorees said they felt the magnitude of their partnership with Oholei Torah. Honorees said they felt fortunate to be bettering the world through their support of Oholei Torah, the school from which many Shluchim around the world have graduated.

”The gala evening showed a new side to the famous partners of Yissachar and Zevulun,” Jacobson said, “for we had supporters from all walks of life, who left the event inspired and in awe of the accomplishments and important work of Oholei Torah.” It was also a tremendous Kiddush Lubavitch, Jacobson added, to show that a local Crown Heights institution could garner such wide support and host such an elegant event in Crown Heights.

Rabbi Blumes spoke to the guests on behalf of the Oholei Torah administration, thanking all of the honorees and encouraging them to continue their support. “There is a saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’” Rabbi Blumes said in his address, “but in Oholei Torah we say ‘it takes a child to raise a village,’ for each student in Oholei Torah has the potential to become a Shliach in the Rebbe’s army of Shluchim.”

The evening’s guest speaker was Mr. Mark Isaacson, who delivered an eloquent message of humility and told of his personal connections with the Rebbe. He captured the crowd, as many of those in attendance were mesmerized by his profound message.

A teacher’s award was presented to Morah Chanie Charitinow by Rebbetzin Esther Teitelbaum and Mrs. Faige Winner-Hertzel. Dinner was served, catered by Ben Kohen of Kohen Caterers, following which the guests enjoyed the boys’ choir and were entertained by a concert from Mendy Jacobson.

Tammy Poletchak of Aristocratic Design masterfully designed the dinner’s décor, and the evening’s festivities were captured by photographer Mendel Meyers.

As the guests mingled, one woman expressed her thanks and gratitude to Rabbi Blumes, the dinner’s coordinator, and said, “Rabbi, it had troubled me – the future of our people and what will be – but after being at your event and seeing the work that you are accomplishing, I am relieved and I know Oholei Torah and Chabad will carry the future of Am Yisroel.”

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23 Comments

  • Then we wonder

    I guess we honor our old Talmidim so our Talmidim today can look up to them as a Dugma Chaya.

  • to al u readers

    BORUCH HASHEM there are people ready to do good, and help our mosdos
    let’s all concetrate on the positive

  • friend

    simi ur the best u opened your heart and your wallet to oholei torah and for that u deserve all the honor

  • Levi

    Yes, pretty sad, isn’t it. But they bring in the big bucks needed to run the Yeshivah. Money talks, again.

  • Levi garelik

    Its about time someone like simon jacobson who put together close to a million dollars in a singlr night for the oholei torah dinner.may there be a lot more like him.

  • To Then we wonder

    What in the world is your problem? Do you support your childrens teachers? I’m assuming not…so at least be grateful to those who do…

    Anyway, why the bitterness? I can’t help but notice that a lot of these very chasidishe type people are very bitter about life.

  • c.h member

    couldnt say it better we have to thank simon jacobson and all the honorey~s for all thier help to our mosad was a amazing dinner

  • to # 1

    some of you sound so upset that oholei torah had a beautiful dinner which the rebbe personally sent a letter every year for!
    they always honored people from all walks of life, that is what chabad is we welcome all with or without a beard! if you dont like the person they are honoring dont go do the dinner, but that is not a reason to bash the rebbes mosad and the people that work in it!!

  • teacher

    was nice to hear from the mc of the night thanking the principals and the teachers the true hero s of oholei torah and thanks to noson blumes besr dinner ever

  • kol hakavod

    Real Honor goes to Yossel Rosenfeld, he has is placing good people in the mossad getting them involved and helping them grow to help him run the yeshiva., i know OT will have a solid future.
    Really a mossad that carrys the Rebbe’s Name

  • From the Rebbe-s Letter

    The Dinner is a time to Honor those who suport the Mossad with money. Plain and simple. Look in the Rebbe’s letter that was read at the dinner

    “The Dinner is an opportunity to every one of the participants, even those who until now have been ”far away“ to rectify, if nessacary, what they have omiited to do for Oholei Torah”

    letter from 5734

  • a little over the top

    WOW is definitely right although it seems like an extravagant amount of money was spent that could have been used to pay some teachers…

  • moti pleasea post again

    We have the Ohalei Torah choir singing I don’t know what… wearing yellow shirts??? Not like it used to be with eli lipsker with kids that were dressed like they can go immediately for dollars to the Rebbe.

    Then we have pictures of yungerliet with trimmed beards dressed like idiots.

    And we are bragging? That what? That this who we are?

    Does anyone see where we are heading? Don’t tell me they give tzedakah… or that I am jealous… or that I should get a job…

    I have kids in Ohalei Torah is this what I should look forward to? We are loosing direction and we are going down fast. Someone must get control. We are heading for a disaster.

    Did you see the video? How the guy was saying that we need to bring up doctors and lawyers to pay for the shluchim that are out there? What in the world is going on here?

    We must not allow this to happen.

  • To all the cynics

    Anyone that grew up at the feet of the Rebbe remembers the millionaires club and the annual yechides the Rebbe gave them.

    Was the Rebbe endorsing them as role models for our children or acknowledging people that at a minimum these were putting their hard earned money behind worthy causes?

    Grow up already!

  • Grateful Parent

    Dear Nay Sayers:

    WOW you all have no idea do you? Mr. Jacobson is an amazing man! How would our school run with out donors? Do they all have to have a beard to want to do a SERIOUS MITZVAH? Rabbi Rosenfeld works very hard to make it all happen so that your kids can go to school for little to no money. As a paying parent I can only hope my kids grow up to go on to be Dr.s, Lawyers, educated people who know how to earn a living and stop relying on the government to front their bills. What about Menasheh and Ephriam. One sat and learned and the other went out to work to support his brother. My husband has a Masters, he has a full beard, he is a chossid of the Rebbe. He works so we can send our kids to Ohelei Torah. We bought dinner tickets at $500 but he could not go due to work. The dinner was beautiful. Thank you to all the planners. Thank you to all the donors who help keep our, The Rebbe’s School up and running. Ohelei Torah was the only school that would take my dear sweet son when we were looking due to his medical condition that requires a feeding tube. THANK YOU OHELEI TORAH.

  • hendel au

    nice to see the only picture posted of the close knit melamdim of the middle division. they look happy. (nice tie shlomy).

  • bad username

    Simi. I don’t know you but you seem to be well liked and trying to do good. Lose some weight if you want to continue.

    N Blumes. Seems like your active and doing a good job.

    So we’ve got fundraisers and fund givers. Now all we need is a usable education.