Op-Ed: Thoughts at 40,000 Feet

Sitting on a plane to Melbourne, following a whirlwind 24 hours that had me driving to NY from Montreal Canada, boarding an LA bound plane on to my present location- some 40,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean- at 2:14 AM Sydney time. I look back at the last months and contemplate the journey here, a crazy, but incredible road. My internal clock is all off, so excuse the rambling tone.

Just a few months ago, my wife and I (and our one child) joined my mother on a visit to my father in Otisville. As I tried to keep my son entertained, I overheard my parents discussing different legal issues and possible methods to help my father get the justice he deserves. I heard one central theme to their discussion: the lack of funds to pursue basic avenues. This came as a bit of a shock to me and after we left I asked my mother about it. It turns out that while the money to cover the basic costs of the appeal where being actively collected there was barely enough for that and at times, even those payments where late. I didn’t have to ask why this was happening, since I knew good and well why. As someone living and breathing this story for the last 3 years (from about 3 months after my wedding) I knew the immensity of the support from the greater frum world, both with tefillos and money.. I knew firsthand the generosity of so many of the Frum “Givirim” who had given substantial support even in these tough economic times. As someone who received a crash course in fund-raising at the school of “hard knocks” I’m intimately familiar with how hard it is to ask for money from someone whos already given generously.

I also know how long 3 years is, how those 3 years grind on a person’s resolve, how things get more and more frustrating with each passing day that he is locked away and denied being with the people he loves. But I also see what 3 years of living and breathing true Emunah and Bitachon in Hashem can do. I see firsthand how it raises a person above any situation and allows him to leave behind the darkest of places. I have seen how true Emunah allows a person to be calm and happy even in the most difficult circumstances.

But I know Hashem wants us to make a Keili and the one thing my parents are rich with, lawyers don’t accept as pay.

Growing up in Postville was a fascinating and amazing experience, with the much-discussed diversity within the Frum community reflected in the overall community as well. Many reporters would come and report about this unlikely town that was blooming in the most unlikely place. Most “reports” gave a platform to those who saw all new comers as a threat and so they choose to focus on the “tensions”, whether real or perceived. A few, however did give a equal platform and showed how, at the end if the day, if you remove all the external differences, everyone in Postville wanted the same thing: , a nice place to raise their families and live in peace and quiet.

One such documentary was made by Iowa Pubic Television and I remember being fascinated as a kid by a phrase they kept using. I had seen it before as it appears on most US currency, but had never paid it any attention or thought to much about it. (One reason for my oversight may have been the fact that its in Latin and I had no clue what it meant)

“E PLURIBUS UNIM” – “Out of Many, One” (From many people, one community From many communities, one nation From many nations, one universe ) I guess the point is that when a bunch of singular people each with their own Mishugas and hangups come together and unite that is what forms something amazing and unstoppable.

With that thought in mind I sat down with a few friends to figure out what we could do to overcome these challenges. From my experience fund-raising and interacting with people throughout the country about my fathers case a few things became apparent. The first was that few people really understood what happened in Postville. Sure, everyone knew the headlines, but regarding what really took place behind closed doors and in court I felt there was a lack of knowledge (unless you are a avid reader of the Yated, Thank you Pinny and Debby you guys are amazing)- there wasn’t a lack of opinions rather of facts. The other thing that I noticed was that people wanted to get involved but were not sure how or if the little that they could do would actually make a difference. So I had a crazy idea. Drawing on the idea of E PLURIBUS UNIM I wondered: if we gave everyone both the education on the facts as well as the opportunity to get involved in a small way that WOULD make a difference how would people react?

My gut told me that the reaction would be a good one. The idea that today is Sholom Across America/Canada/Australia (/IYH many more places) was born and with the help of a few close friends quickly became a reality.

Being that this was a bit of a ambitious idea we decided to first “test” the idea in Crown Heights.

Words cannot describe my feeling s after seeing how people reacted in Crown Heights. To have over 70 eighth graders without having to be asked twice, give up their summer evenings when they could be having fun and instead throw themselves Lev Ve’Nefesh into something that I know from experience is one of the most intimidating and uncomfortable things to do. (To the parents of those kids I hope you are as proud of them as I was amazed and touched. I have not had the opportunity to say this and definitely not personally but I owe you a big thank you.) Listening to the boys come back and tell stories of how people welcomed them into their homes with words of encouragement and support was a experience I will never forget. To have a graduating class from Bais Rivkah on on their “once in a lifetime” graduation trip take a break from their fun and without anyone asking stop and raise money. To have people who have their own financial hardships email, Facebook, twitter us asking how they can help and where they can give money to.

The chizuk, hope, strength and belief that witnessing and being part of such a experience gives not just me (and all those who are giving countless hours to make this project work) but a entire family and I hope to all Klall Yisroel who are watching is beyond words.

BH following up the Hatzlacha of Crown Heights we asked (begged) to come to Montreal Canada before the summer. In the midst of planning and setting up the needed ground work in Montreal we received a Facebook message from a Bochur who learnt in Postville and had grown close to my father. He wanted to know if I could help him arrange a Asifa for tehilim in Melbourne to coincide with the Oral arguments that will take place in St Luis on Wednesday. I readily agreed and we started working on it, the only condition was that it be a Asifa arranged in conjunction with all the different communities in Melbourne. Although this was just a week prior to the proposed event we found many local askonim who threw themselves into making this a reality, and so when I got a call Motzoi Shabbos/Sunday morning asking me if I would fly down to join, I could not refuse.

So I find myself 24 hours later flying through the night 40,000 feet over the pacific Ocean and for the first time in a few months I have time to reflect on the whirlwind of nonstop motion that was the last few months.

I guess the main thing I have learned in the past month is that we really are E PLURIBUS UNIM. We are so many, every community has their own Minhagim and within each community there are even more differences, everyone has their “pekel” that makes them truly unique and that’s not a bad thing, we are all meant to be individuals each serving Hashem in our own way. But what we can forget is that we are UNIM, we are ONE, we are all part of the same family and when we come together and unite we are able to look past the petty differences and accomplish amazing things. Think of how much we can accomplish, how many of the “issues” that face the Frum world at large we could solve if we stopped focusing on the PLURIBUS and went back to the UNIM. If we would approach everything with the same achdus and common resolve as we have our efforts to help my father we would without a doubt bring about the ultimate good, the coming of moshiach.

I will keep you all posted of my adventures in Australia both in writing as well as in video go to Sholomacrossamerica.com and tag along as Australia joins in and shows the world that there really is only ONE. One people One Torah and One Land.

Good Night and Good Morning,
Meir Simcha Rubashkin