I came to Israel in September 2009 to learn in Yeshivat Shvilei Hatorah. I was very excited to be attending Shvilei Hatorah because I knew that not only would I have the opportunity to learn Torah and see the country but I would also have the ability to volunteer in the community with a chessed project of my choice. I chose to volunteer as a Big Brother for ATZUM because I truly sympathized with the suffering of victims of terror and I felt a strong responsibility to help ease the hardship in any way possible. Also, having never had any younger siblings of my own, I wanted the chance to be a positive influence for someone in need of one.
I was matched up with A, who was twelve years old at the time. His home was just a short walk from my yeshiva, so I could very conveniently walk over every Thursday afternoon. When I met A he seemed like a very nice, though somewhat shy, boy who was very well mannered. I was very unsure what to expect but I settled in to my role as a Big Brother very quickly since A was very warm and expressed great interest in whatever we were doing. Upon his request, we would frequently read over and discuss the weekly Parasha or other Jewish texts together. A, who does not have a particularly religious background, consistently amazed me with his eagerness to learn and challenging questions. Our readings frequently led us to conversations about the state of the world, politics in Israel and even life in general. I have been meeting with A for almost a year and half now and he never fails to impress me with his maturity and open-mindedness. We have developed a very strong relationship, one that I have no doubt will continue even beyond my volunteering with ATZUM.
Last June, I attended A’s bar mitzvah celebration at his home. At one point in the evening he thanked me for learning with him and told me that until we had started doing the Parasha together, he never realized how much depth there is to the Torah. That comment made me realize that I truly had managed to accomplish the goal that I had set out to accomplish with ATZUM. I had found a way to help someone and be a postive influence. However, I never imagined before that I would be able to learn so much from A. Despite all the hardships his family had been through, he never wanted anything more than to continue to learn and to grow. That has been a source of inspiration for me that I’m sure will last.
