Donors of Newly Purchased Yeshiva Buildings Thanked at Event

By COLlive reporter
Photos: Shalom Burkis/COLlive

An event was held Sunday afternoon at the newly purchased building at 755 Eastern Parkway to thank the donors and activists who recently coordinated the purchase to benefit the 770 Yeshiva.

During a fundraising campaign for the Yeshiva last summer, a group of donors were informed that the building next door to the dormitory at 749 Eastern Parkway had recently gone up for sale. Working quickly, they contacted the seller about purchasing the property.

The former school building and the next door dormitory of the 770 Yeshiva were both purchased to benefit the Yeshiva and are planned for a much larger combined campus in the future.

Donors and supporters gathered in one of the new buildings and were thanked by the members of the Igud Talmidei Hakvutzah who were instrumental in organizing the purchase and bringing it to fruition.

Rabbi Mendel Yusevitz was the MC for the program, and praised all the activists who have been volunteering their time, energy and funds to look after and care for the bochurim of Tomchei Teimimim, providing a listening ear and worrying for their needs while they are far from home and the care of their parents.

“Everybody that makes it their business and has the zechus of helping them, are shaping the future chasidishe homes in Klal Yisroel,” he said.

Rabbi Yosef Braun, member of the Crown Heights Beis Din, said that the building has special significance, located across the street from the Mikdash Me’at-770, and will one day serve as a place where bochurim can not only sit and learn, but also to eat and sleep and have all their needs cared for.

Rabbi Braun praised the group as a team of people who truly care about the bochurim, and provide for them the one thing they don’t have when away from home – the care of their father and mother. “Even though there are good hanhalos, and Madrichim and Mashpiim, they still don’t have their fathers and mothers here. Today, the bochurim have a group who are concerned in the place of a parent,” he said.

Rabbi Braun spoke about R’ Moshe Yeruslavski, a guest from Israel, who years ago would take upon himself to look after the guests who arrived in Crown Heights each year. The Rebbe once mentioned R’ Yeruslavski, that he was a guest himself, yet he cared for the orchim. And today as well, there are those who “have stood up to the task and really made it their responsibility – and it is our zechus and opportunity to help them in this task,” Rabbi Braun said.

R’ Yudi Grunberg, one of the three principal donors along with R’ Meir Kabakov and R’ Meir Bukchin, told that the raising of the funds for the building had taken place in the span of only 24 hours, thanks to the help of various donors. R’ Meir Kabakov described the many obstacles they had faced while working on the purchase, which had thank G-d, miraculously been resolved.

He thanked donors R’ Yankel Spritzer, R’ Yossi Popack, R’ Dovid Smetana and others who had stepped up and helped during the critical time.

Rabbi Chaim Zalmanov, who directs the Igud Talmidei Hakvutzah, presented a video of the work of the Igud, which currently consists of 6 smaller dormitories in the neighborhood. The newly rebuilt dormitory on Eastern Parkway will expand their activities and provide accommodations for many more students.

Each of the donors was presented with a plaque, a token of appreciation for their generosity to the 770 Yeshiva.

Rabbi Yusevitz concluded with paraphrasing the words of the Rebbe on the immense value received when one invests in Tomchei Temimim.

“It is a proven investment, ever since the Frierdiker Rebbe has founded Tomchei Temimim, it has proven to grow, and every dollar invested will not only be maximized in where it is being used by the bochurim, but it will be repaid, and double and triple itself in value, and will produce fruits upon fruits, forever,” he said. “Every dollar put into Tomchei Temimim will grow – in one year, in ten years, in 100 years, and forever – it will still be growing.

The event concluded with a tour of the renovations being done at the Yeshiva dormitory, which will be ready in the next few months to accommodate bochurim who are studying in 770 Yeshiva. Future plans include the combining of the two buildings of 749 and 755 into one large campus which will serve the bochurim with sleeping accommodations, a beautiful Mikvah, learning space, a kitchen and more.