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ure reinforcing their Torah learning, und spending afternoons gaining a vuluable nev F
\.9!
set of skills in the construction business. Vl/elcome to the Lancaster Yeshiva Center, where
yeshiva students are mastering the intricacies of Gemarfl as they master the rudiments
of roofing, anulyzing Tosefos us they unalyze blueprints, und learn in a hands-on way
that you can be a ben Torah snd make an honest living at the same time
-,.
o
Barbara Bensoussan a
tl
e nail1e Lancaster, Pennsylvania, evokes images ofAmish Countr-y for most of us: horse- a
drawn buggies clip-clopping down highways, orange "SLOW'hiangles nailed to the
back frame; women in bonnets, selling hand-strtched quilts and shoo-fly pies; neat
patchwork farms; and perhaps the occasional community bam nising. It's easy lor a Jew to
feei a certain sympathy with the Amish, even if we don't share their views on religion
or technology like us, they've opted to live in a markedly different r,vay than the
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average American, down to thetr distinctive, modest mode of dress. They even
purport to do so,l'havdil, with the expressed goal of living a more wholesome,
spiritual life.
Lancaster County itself has no lack of Jewish history to boast of; there has
been a Jewish presence there since Revolutionary times, when many members of
the commrmity lent their assistance to General Washington. One of the local Jewish
traders bought guns Aom the British, then hrmed around and sold them to the
Revoiutionary Army. Haym Solomon, known rr the history books as the
banker who financed the Revolution and died penniiess before the loans
could be repaid" came ftom nearby Philadelphia
The actual city of Lancaster has [ttle to do withAmish country;
it's a modem-enough Pennsylvania town. Out among the Amish
farms, however, the Plain Peopie are finding it harder
and harder to keep their young folks tied to the farm.
Apparently no smallnumberofthem eiectto go offthe
Amish derech, as it were, and move into modem
sociefy. konically enough, however, Lancaster
County just might have a solution for
stiving to ensure
certrain Jewish parents
that theryotrng people stay squarely
and happily on the right Jewish
derech. The eight-year-old
Lancaster Yeshiva Center,
the brainchild of Rabbi
II I I I
training later on in the day. Rabbi Sackett
quotes Wiiliam Rapfogel, the execr-rtive
director of the Met Council on Jewish
Povefi who once told the Forward'.
"The Orthodox community often places
so much emphasis on learning that even
young men who are not academically distance from hvo larger
inclined feel compelled to pursue [1ong- communities." Forhrnately,
term] ieaming." Cleariy no "Tewish maie his wife, Buci, who is from Frederick,
should ever cease regular Torah study, Maryiand, grew up commuting an hour to
but the question of the day is how much Baltimore every day, so she wasn't shocked
and for how long, given the nature of the by the idea of having to ferry her own
individual and his particular economic children an hour and back daily to yeshivah
circumstances. when they moved to Lancaster. (Today, the
Rabbi Sackeu is able to list several Sackett's chridren are mostiy finished with
other yeshivos that have rnitiated simiiar school, and Buci's family remains clustered
programs. In Lakewood, the Chevra in Baltimore, where one brother-in-law has
HaKollel also combines leaming with a seforim store and her brother gives a shiur
vocationalprograms.YeshivaDarcheiTorah, in Ner Israel)
in Far Rockaway, also has options for high "The truth is that my wife and I both
schooi age boys to enroil in woodworking emerges only reluctantly after an hour of felt an attraction to out-ot--town living; it
and other skill-oriented classes, although conversation, as he is self-eftacing about has a lot of maalos," Rabbi Sackett says.
these classes do not constitute a fuil-fledged his accomplishments). Creating a yeshivah "Lancaster was the kind of community
vocationai program. for young men had not particulariy been where we hoped we could make some kind
on his to-do lisl it was an idea that evoived of a difference."
Landing in Lancaster Rabbi Shaya nahraliy as he assumed the post ofrabbi for But the shul he took over was clearly
SackEtt is not exactly a country boy himsel{ the Degel Israel shul in Lancaster. "After on the wane, badly in need of a shot of
aithough he has now been in Lancaster for the school in Staten Island where I had been adrEnalin. Already ovcr a hundred years
eighteen years. Raised in Queens, he did the principal fbr eighteen years merged with old, its membership was dwindling and
bulk of his yeshivah leaming at Ner Israel another," he explains, "I took thejob as rabbi those present not gettiflg any yollnger.
in Baltimore. While at Ner Israel, he eamed in Lancaster. Since Lancaster is about an Rabbi Sackett, with the assistance of severai
an MS in Education from Johns Hopkins hour and a quarter from both Baltimore and members of the congregation, managed
Uruversity (this is a tbather in his cap that Philadelphia, it's a comfortable commuting to build a miloeh, and heightened the
E-' -
: ..1.,,,,;iii13-tr'ffi ffi 'i
mechitzah in the shul, but this aione was parent would send their child to a place
they'd never heard ol much less move This Old House With his guidtng
not enough to revitalize the community' concept now firmly in place, Rabbi Sackett
"Some of the congregants themselves theie themselves (by the time he moved
now needed to find himself somebody like
weren't really looking to grow, and those to Lancaster, his own children were
Bob Vrlla, that famous master of all tades
who were motivated tended to move to starting to move out of the house)' His
shul couldn't even promise consistent who made a career out of producing books
larger communities. We couldn't attract and instructional DVDs on ail'types of
new people," Rabbi Sackett says' "It's daily minyanim.
He began to hone in on what he residentiai renovation' Word was put out
hard to build up a community when there through ttre JEwish grapevine, and a man
isn'tyeshivah ketanah for young coupies ca1ls the "mah nishtanah" factor:
a
what if he made a yeshivah that could who had been in charge of remodelng
to send their children to." So how does a the iocal Jewish Commumty Center was
well-intentioned rabbi go about creating offer something unique? He consulted
wilh gedolim including Rav Shmuei recommended and hired for the job'
Something out of Nextto'Nothing?
I
Kamenetsky, Rav Mattisyahu Salomon Roy Musiclq who is not Jewistl was
Rabbi Sackett began to brainstorm thrilled to come work for the yeshivah' "I
various ways to revive the kehillah' "People
(who gave the original haskamah), Rav
have thrty years ofexperience, and I always
told me, 'Build a kolle1,"' he says' "But a Aharon Feldman, and Rav Yissachar
Frand. SlowlY, an idea took shaPe: he wantedto teach, topass onthe cra-ftsmanship
kollel isn't easy to finance. You have to have I've acquued," he told Mishpacha. Miisisk
the imding to support at least six families wouid create a yeshivah for boys and
young men who needed a different type haiis from a famiiy ofmasons, and graduated
movingin. with a degee in architecture &om Drexel
I
"Then we thougirg MaYbe start a tt y"thiuuh, one that could play to their
strengths. University. He aiso gained experience while
yeshivah? Bring in rebbis?" He had spent
il
"l didn't want to create another serving for eight years in the Navy, which
many years as a day-school principal ur included stints in the Grenada invasion
Norfoilq Cincinnati, and Staten Island" yeshivah for 'at-risk' boys," Rabbi
il
Sackett says. "I wanted to create a and a nine-month construction project in
so he was no sfanger to the practicalities Lebanon. "I've sailed around the world
yeshivah for boys who stop well short.of
of school administration. But, as a parent twice," he says.
of five children himself, he knew that no that status, but may be having difrculties
Musick points out that most trade schools for them," Rabbi Sackett says. "This year,
tbcus on teaching only one type of skili, but Rabbi Tzvi Karp, their rosh beis medrash,
-
working on a large renovation allows the - has been leaming Bcwa ,Mletzia with them"
bolis to taste all tacets of constnrction and They're dealing wrth invanim of contracts,
then decide if they want to speciaiize. The of business relationships: rvhat if you order
yeshivah's current project involved buying brick from a suppiier and he never comes
a house built somewhere behveen 1875 tluough rvith them? What if your donkey is
and 1880, that haci sat tbr five years as a injured during a j ob? Now ttrat they' ve starfed
getting real-world business experience, these
condemed house. "It took us two weeks just
issues acquire a neq real-world relevance
to clear out the debris," he says. "It's nice to
know that once it's cleaned up, we can sell it for them." (Many of the boys arrive with
certain gaps in their yeshivah leaming, and
and return it to the town's tax base."
therefore all the leamrng is rebbi-fac'iitated"
The projects give the boys a chance to
gxperience every part of the construction until those gaps are addressed and Rabbi
process, from planning to demoiition to Karp decides they are ready for chavnna
leaming.) Even Roy Musick gets in on the
framing walls, then putting in everythrng
act ofmaking the Gemara come alive: 'T stay
from flooring to plumbing and electncrfy,
to tiling and painting. When the project is in touch with Rabbi Kutp; t 1et him know
whenever I come across reallife examples
completed and the house is sold, the money
he can use in his Torah study," he says.
goes toward purchasing a new house as well
respectful, he addresses any lapses by asktng Eli Gilden,who wentthroughLancaster's
as helping to fund the yeshivah- When Rabbi
Sackett is asked ifhe takes part in any ofthe them sternly, "So why are you here?" That two.year program, says that he had lost
brings them into line right away. confidence in his leaming before he came to
vocational haimng, he laughs. "Oh no," he
the yeshivah. "I felt like I wasn't successful
defers. "You wouldn't wanl me teaching 'nmy shiur," he
construction!" On the other hand, he admits, Constructing Self-Esteem The because I wasn't a top guy
"I have leamed quite a bit through allthis." wonderfui irony of Rabbi Sackett's program says. "But I saw that you canbe a ben Torah
is that, through channeling his boys into a and make an honest living at the same time.
Musick's Nary training has made him
program that requires less time sitting and Rabbi Sackett was a role model for me, ihE
a teacher not oniy of construction but of
middos- "1 believe ur discipiine," he says leaming, he has actr:aliy produced higher way he combines ius ieamrng with rwming a
plainly. "In the real world, you have to levels of motivation and interest n limudei yeshivah and berng the rcrv ofa shul."
produce, and I take a hardline approach kodesh. "For these kids, many of whom Mr. Musick points ottt that construclion
to followrng my instuctions to the letter." had various leaming issues or attention work not only builds a foundation for
While he says most of the boys are very issues in yeshivah, the Gemara comes alive Torah study, but helps sharpen the boys'
-f-I I r r r r r
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il
to Eli Gilden, "Rabbi Sackett has patience Through trying out many dillbrent
beyondanything I've ever seenl" Both rabbi types of conshuction, boys often
and rebbetzin admit that they become very find they have an affinlty lbr one
attached to the bochztrim hnd I reaily particLriar line of work, and pursue
-"I Buci says.
miss them when they leave," it in more detail later. "One of my
The graduates apparently miss thern too; students for.md he really liked
they often come back to visit. One talmid, electrical work," Mr. Musick
Chaim Meister, has returned as a dorm relates. "Another decided he is certarnly cheap here," he says
corinselor. Dov Goldman avers that he liked plumbing." Rabbi Sackett says thar encouragtngly, "and we're practicaily a
"goes back to Lancaster on Rosh HaShanah one of the boys is now working as a building suburb of Baltimore and Phiily."
every year to help boost the minyan, and inspector in New York, giving out violations. Actually, there are moments when the
sometimes for ShavLros as well." Dov Goidman is busy with his new concrete Lancaster mrnyan swells to many times its
and masonry business in Baltimore. usuai size: Chol HaMoed Succos and Chol
The Price of Success? The Lancaster As with any yeshivah, funding is aiways HaMoed Pesach. Jewish tourists coming
Yeshiva was designed as a two-year an issue. "That's the downside oflancaster," in to spend a day in nearby Hershey Park
program, but Rabbi Sackett says they are Rabbi Sackett lnoums. "It's a small and tour around Amish Counfy often find
so successful in one year that he often loses communiry so the base of support is sma1l" Degel Israel a convenient place to stop for a
talmidim after they go home for the summer aithough he says that the non-Orthodox minyan. "Some of the local hotels have even
and find summerjobs. "It can be a challenge -communify of Lancaster has been quite learned it's worth ther while tor them to put
to get them back after the first year," he supportive (a phenomenon of iine-crossing up a succah," Rabbi Sackett says. Ar any
says. He sighs. "You know seventeen-year- rare in larger Jewish areas). There is one rate, being located near a popuiar vacation
olds," he says. "They tend to think they local person who helps Rabbi Sackett with spot helps to put his shui and his yeshivah on
know everlthing, so once they've dabbled frrndraising, and the yeshivah has put up a themap.
in a few areas, they think they know them. website and promotional DVD. "We started the yeshivah sftelo lishmah,"
They find a surnmer iob with a contractot But when economic times are tough, Rabbi Sackett says, "as a means to a different
and ifthe boss sees the boy does good work, it's hard to make ends meet. Last year, for end, as a means to buildtng up the Lancaster
of course he offers to take him on full time. example, the yeshivah was unable to sell communiry. But before we knew it, we were
That makes the second year a hard seil." the house they hadrenovated- for the fust doing it lishmah. The yeshivah took on a life
And yet there is still pienty to leam on time in eight years. Mishpacha suggests, and a reason for beng all its own."
the professional front. Rabbi Sackett tick oniy partly in jest, that perhaps Rabbi In oiher words, in teaching boys how
off roofing, plumbing, and mounting walls Sackett should sell his houses to a group to build, the Lancaster Yeshiva Center
that curve as just a few examples of areas of youngfium couples and try to start the accomplishes an even bigger objective ii
a boy may not touch on in only one year. next Waterbury-styie community. "Housing builds up the boys therriselves. r -