ian Students
n At Yeshiva
LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER
poking around the Greenfield
Road and 1-696 corridor and
meeting the many Russians
who are employed by area
shops.
They are taught separately
from the other Yeshiva Gedolah
students, focusing on improv-
ing their English, Hebrew and
Talmud. For informal study,
Sender and Gershon join the
other young men. Eventually,
they will be mainstreamed into
regular classes.
Reb Chaim Daskal, a moti-
vational instructor hired by the
yeshiva, spends mornings with
Sender and Gershon teaching
religious studies.
However, he, like the other
rabbis of the school, has become
a friend and surrogate parent
of sorts. Sender and Gershon
approach Reb Daskal with
questions about culture and
freedom in addition to text and
accompany him on mini field-
trips.
"Language isn't so much the
barrier; it's about gathering an
understanding," Reb Daskal
said. "I'm not teaching a text;
Pm teaching an emotion. There
are a lot of questions of 'why?"
He added that both students
are progressing well.
Gershon Pliss and Sender Levin study at Yeshiva Gedolah.
14
ender Levin and Gershon Pliss
begged their parents to attend
Yeshiva Gedolah.
It wasn't an easy decision for
either family.
They both live in Riga,
Latvia, and Yeshiva Gedolah is
tucked away on Greenfield
Road in Oak Park, Mich. Both
are only children.
But in the end their families
consented, and just prior to
Rosh Hashanah the two ninth-
grade boys stepped off the
plane.
Sender and Gershon are part
of a program developed by Rab-
bi Moshe Eiseman of Baltimore.
He arranges placement of Jew-
ish young adults of the former
Soviet Union in yeshivot
throughout the United States.
About 65 students are current-
ly involved.
The yeshivot pick up the tab
— including tuition, room and
board, food, clothing, books,
health insurance, phone calls,
faxes, spending money and
plane fare — and hope the stu-
dents will return to their home-
lands, upon graduation, and
help teach others. There is no
formal agreement or expecta-
tion, though.
Rabbi Yechiel Blitz, principal
of Yeshiva Gedolah, estimates
the cost for each boy will run in
excess of $10,000 per year. Jew-
ish Federation has assisted
with some costs and local fam-
ilies have partially sponsored
the students.
"We feel a broad responsibil-
ity for our brothers in the for-
mer Soviet Union," Rabbi Blitz
said. "We are planting seeds to
embark upon a higher quality
of Judaism in the former Sovi-
et Union.
"The opportunity of being
able to intensify a heritage de-
prived for so many years is
something we look forward to.
And the community seems to
have a great respect for this
mission."
Sender and Gershon appear
to be adjusting well. They have
been invited out for almost
every Shabbat and holiday.
Gershon became a bar mitz-
vah recently. Both boys enjoy
"We are planting
seeds to embark on
a higher quality of
Judaism."
Rabbi Yechiel Blitz
`Their formal Jewish educa-
tion in the former Soviet Union
was not much, only smatter-
ings. They have picked it up
very quickly," Rabbi Blitz said.
Both Sender and Gershon ex-
cel at math. They say they like
everything they are learning,
but especially religious studies.
"I miss my family, but it's get-
ting better. My family is happy
for me and proud of me, but
they miss me, too," Sender
said.❑