Aleph Institue Students Visit Correctional Facility

Davis Correctional Facility, MD, was recently included in the Aleph Institute’s Nationwide Summer Prison Visitation Program. Volunteer Rabbinical students representing the Aleph Institute in Miami, Florida are currently spending six weeks visiting 5,000 Jewish inmates in 450 prisons in 45 states.

Among these students are Yisroel Silverstein, 19, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and Reuven Brody, also 19, from Miami, Florida. The two students visited with Jewish inmates at the Davis Correctional Facility on July 5. They are much like any two guys their age who are deep into a prolonged road trip. They will often complete each other’s sentences, and they will sometimes look to the other when talking to confirm that they are getting the story correct.

They began their prison tour in Alabama on June 24 and have worked their way to Oklahoma, where they are currently making their way around the state. Their tour will conclude in Oklahoma City on July 10. They estimate that they will visit a total of 18 facilities by the time they return home.

Each of their stops have been arranged ahead of time. During their visits, they will usually check-in at the front gate and are then escorted to meet with a prisoner in the Chapel. Yisroel explains that the first thing they do is say the main prayer of the day and help the inmate don the Tefillin. Tefillin are two small black boxes with black straps attached to them; Jewish men are required to place one box on their head and tie the other one on their arm each weekday morning. After they have performed this important ritual they say a short prayer.

Following prayer, the two students and inmate then speak in general about Judaism. Yisroel says that some of the prisoners have a hard time understanding Jewish subjects, so they share some of the basic teachings.

They note that the inmates they visited at the Davis Facility were more advanced than most, so they had a more “intense” conversation. They tell stories, and always try to share something encouraging.

“You’re never going to know how much we appreciate the visit,” is a quote that they almost always hear before they leave. Some of the prisoners receive this type of visit only once a year.

“From our point of view, it’s very hard to build this relationship for an hour and a half, and then not know if we’re ever going to see them again,” Yisroel says.

Reuven adds that these types of visits are very emotional, and they can get very close to the inmate in the relatively short time they spend sharing their beliefs.

“We also learn a lot from the prisoners,” Reuven continues. “Many of them have very interesting stories to tell us.”

“We’ve been to Angola, the biggest prison in America,” Yisroel adds. “We had to tie the Tefillin on through the bars because the prisoner we met was in solitary confinement for murdering a couple of people.” Obviously moved by the experience, Yisroel explains that the prisoner was serving a thirty-year sentence, and the few people he saw were the guards or other prison staff. “So I’m putting on the Tefillin through the bars and the emotions…. its just mind boggling,” he concludes, too overwhelmed for words.

“Another prisoner’s mother died while he was in prison, and they let him know he was Jewish, right there in prison,” Yisroel states. “So he actually started practicing there in prison,” he adds. “Of course, it was very limited, the knowledge that was available, or what they could do. Sometimes they can’t light the candles because, you know, it’s a fire hazard.”

This example is just one that the pair use to explain how a number of prisoners, especially those who are serving a life sentence, find a totally new way of living. Most fine a routine to keep them busy.

Religion helps them focus on the good things while avoiding the bad. Many will search for a Rabbi after their release to help them with their return to society.

“At the end of our three weeks of prison visitations, we really look at things in life with a different perspective. We look more for the good things in life. Something may seem wrong, but there is some good behind everything, from our perspective,” the pair explain.

“After this we are going to Russia to help kids with their Judaism,” Yisroel states. “All that most of these kids know is that their mother was Jewish, so they are too, but they don’t know much more than that. We have a camp for a month, where we observe Shabbat and eat Kosher for a month. The kids really enjoy this.” The pair will then return to school at the end of their summer.

The two share that all of their work helps strengthen their own faith, and teaches them how to apply what they learn. They make it plain that they do not feel endangered when they enter the prisons, and they are treated with respect. They also have great respect for the inmates.

“Who are we to judge,” Reuven asks rhetorically. “To us, they are another human being, and we all help out each other.”

A press release from the Aleph Institute explains that Corrections is much more than warehousing criminals, or the removal of symptoms without treating the causes. Successful rehabilitation is the result of compelling positive change in an inmate’s personal life.

The Aleph Institute’s 25 year old visitation program encourages inmates to seek understanding about righting their wrongs. Visiting students offer hope and inspiration for the forgotten people behind bars to realize that their lives can be turned around for good. Visitation time with the inmates lets them know that they are not alone and that someone cares about them. Quite possibly, it’s the most important interaction they’ll ever have.