Wilkes Barre Yeshiva Celebrates 18

On Sunday evening, September 18, over two hundred friends, community members and alumni joined the Bais Menachem Youth Development Program for its 18th Anniversary Gala Dinner celebration in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

The evening paid tribute to the visionary leadership of Mr. Jeff Sirota, the devoted community service of Mr. Marshall Kornblatt and the shining example set by Alumnus Mendy Baitz.

Among the many highlights of the evening were the heartfelt words spoken by director, Rabbi Uri Perlman, and by each of the honorees. Perlman described Bais Menachem’s transformation over eighteen years from being a program looked skeptically upon by most, to a highly sought-after yeshiva whose methods and approach are being recognized and incorporated by yeshivas worldwide. “Bais Menachem is not a school for forty students, rather Bais Menachem is custom built for each student, providing what they need to become who they need to become.”

The night’s honorees each told a story of heartfelt warmth and meaning which left attendees moved. Rabbi Mendy Baitz shared his transformational personal journey with Bais Menachem, emphasizing how his mashpia, Rabbi Pinny Levitin, “taught me how to learn and how to enjoy learning.”

Community Service Awardee, Marshall Kornblatt’s heartfelt words emphasized the bonds of friendship and unity which run through every segment, demographic and affiliation of the community.

Leadership Honoree, Jeff Sirota, left the crowd speechless as he related the story of his Lubavitcher roots, telling of his own grandfather, Sam Sirota, who at the age of 13, the oldest of his siblings, left his family is Russia and came alone to America.

As a teenager in the 1970’s accompanying his grandfather to Eastern Parkway, Mr. Sirota discovered that all of his aunts, uncles and cousins were esteemed Lubavitcher Chassidim, the Sirota family. Thus the seeds were sown. “Eighteen years later, Uri comes back to town and I was immediately drawn to him and his mission without hesitation, without prejudice and without the awkwardness that many non-Chassidic Jews feel in the company of Chabad.”

As wonderful as the evening was, it was just the beginning. Bais Menachem’s 18th Anniversary celebration marks the beginning of a year referred to in Jewish tradition as “Chai,” a year of Life. Life is synonymous with growth, and it is therefore that Bais Menachem is embarking on several expansion projects in celebration of this milestone. These include a building campaign to move into a brand new 19,000 square foot facility and a widening of its doors to serve all those who need what this unique yeshiva has to offer.

You may learn more about Bais Menachem & participate in Bais Menachem’s Chai Year by clicking www.baismenachem.com/donate.