Long Island unites B'lev Echad — Locals committed to global learning initiative

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of Feb. 20, 2009 / 26 Shevat 5769

Thousands of Long Island residents, including many students, will participate in a worldwide siyum on Rosh Chodesh Adar, Feb. 24, marking the first yahrtzeit of the victims of the massacre at Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav.

Through the efforts of B’Lev Echad, an apolitical grass-roots organization run by volunteers, more than 35,000 participants have been recruited to learn Torah and perform mitzvot in memory of the eight young men who were murdered. As the B’Lev Echad campaign nears its final days, its momentum is steadily increasing, with additional participants signing up every day.

People from all over the world have joined; they hail from Hong Kong, Jerusalem, London, Paris, Warsaw and Jewish communities across North America. Several local yeshivot have embraced B’Lev Echad’s learning program and its 8 for 8 mitzvah campaign, which began on Monday. Participants are encouraged to focus on a specific mitzvah dedicated to one of the victims on the eight days leading up to the siyum and yahrtzeit.

At the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls, a B’Lev Echad committee has been formed — 32 students, eight from each grade — under the guidance of Rabbi Yosef Zakutinksy, the director of programming. SKA students have been assigned to learn Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), with the chapters divided up among the four grades.

“A much larger focus in our school is on the 8 for 8 mitzvah campaign, where every day a mitzvah or middah (attribute) will really be emphasized for students through multi-media activities,” explained Rabbi Zakutinsky, who is working on the project with Mrs. Elisheva Kaminetsky, the director of religious guidance, and Mrs. Yafa Storch, the assistant director of student programming. “The mitzvah campaign will be kicked off at davening every single morning and there will be programs scheduled at intervals throughout the day.”

For the mitzvah of Hakarat Hatov (recognizing the good), SKA planned to show a related video from aish.com in all their Hebrew classes. Students were also able to be makir tov (show appreciation) to soldiers in Israel through a letter writing campaign.

“There will be stationary in the hallways all day for students to write letters to anyone that want to be makir tov to,” Rabbi Zakutinsky added.

Another mitzvah is tzedaka (charity), which students have been working on prior to the start of the campaign. For the last several weeks, SKA has held a canned food drive, which will culminate during the 8 for 8 week when the cans will be packed up for mishloach manot, and the B’Lev Echad committee will sell other foods for tzedaka.

To honor the last day’s mitzvah, ahavat yisroel (love for fellow Jews), the entire school will be learning their chapter of Pirkei Avot, together with their mothers, who have been invited to SKA to join their daughters in being part of the commemoration.

“We are also giving out a folder to students to collect all the information that we will be giving them during the week,” said Rabbi Zakutinksy. “It will be really special.”

At Shalhevet High School, each girl in the school’s inaugural class is responsible for learning one chapter in Tanach.

“Our school is lucky because we were assigned Sefer Hoshea (Book of Hosea) which is the first sefer in Trei Asar (The Dozen Prophets),” said Andrea Schulman, director of student activities. “Because we have 14 students in our 9th grade, Hoshea was a great choice since it has 14 perakim (chapters).”

The students had the option to learn the perek on any level they felt comfortable, but were encouraged to do so with a chavruta (learning partner), be it a teacher, friend or parent.

“The girls are very enthusiastic and realize how important this is,” Schulman added.

The Hebrew Academy of Long Beach is responsible for learning the entire Chamisha Chumshei Torah (Five Books of Moses). HALB created a special e-mail account through which to explain the program to parents and enable students to sign up to learn a specific perek.

“It is an opt-in program for anybody who wants to participate and we are encouraging every kid to sign up,” said Rabbi Jeremy Feder, HALB’s director of programs. “A lot of kids, in all grades, expressed interest in it. It’s amazing to see the kids really step up to want to learn. “

The learning is being done primarily by the older students, with fourth and fifth graders covering Bereishit (Genesis) and Shemot (Exodus), and sixth, seventh, and eighth graders studying Vayikra (Leviticus), Bamidbar (Numbers) and Devarim (Deuteronomy). During the week of the mitzvah campaign, HALB plans to learn a few pesukim (verses) of each Chumash (book) over the school’s loudspeaker system.

Other participating yeshivot on Long Island include DRS, HAFTR, HANC, North Shore and Rambam Mesivta. Other local institutions that have signed up are Cong. Ohr Torah, Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv, Young Israel of Great Neck, Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst and Young Israel of West Hempstead.

Many participants plan to watch the siyum on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 12:00 p.m. EST, when it will be broadcast live from the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva in Jerusalem together with a celebratory dedication of eight sifrei Torah. The siyum can also be viewed at any time later in the day on the organization’s web site, www.blevechad.com.