(Click HERE for photos) There was excitement in the air – an excitement that was palpable. “What was it that created that atmosphere?” you may ask. Was it the model of the new building that will be erected in the near future? Perhaps it was the camaraderie of the parents of the b’nei HaYeshiva, or maybe it was the fact that we were gathering for the sake of paying tribute to the Guests of Honor as well as other dedicated honorees.

Bais Medrash & Kollel Nesivos Hatorah celebrated its Sixth Annual Dinner on Sunday, January 13, 2008 at the Young Israel of Staten Island. The Guests of Honor were Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Sonnenschine, who have been at the forefront in supporting the Yeshiva since its inception. The Parents of the Year award was presented to Rabbi and Mrs. Asher Bush, whose son Donny is a third-year student in the Yeshiva, and the Young Leadership award was presented to Mr. and Mrs. Aryeh Pearlman. Our Dinner Chairman was Mr. Leiby Hirsch and the Journal Chairman was Mr. Binyomin Pearlman.

Rabbi Yaakov Gifter, Executive Director, opened the program by thanking the honorees for making this year’s Dinner/Journal campaign the most successful ever. “How do you judge success? There are many ways to gauge success,” exclaimed Rabbi Gifter. “If you gauge ‘success’ by the mood of the evening, how we did financially, the attendance, the quality of the food, or the service, then on a scale of one to ten, I believe we scored a definite ten!”

Rabbi Shmuel Tendler was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening and made the presentations to all the honorees. Rabbi Chaim Nosson Segal, Rav of New Springville Jewish Center, graced the audience with his presence and delivered a most inspiring speech. Rabbi Tzvi Pollack, Rav of Congregation Agudas Shomrei Hadas (presently the host building for the Yeshiva), was unfortunately unable to attend due to the loss of his sister A’H. His son, Rabbi Leiby Pollack, Rav of Igud Avreichim, and his mother, Rebbitzen Gittel Pollack, graced us with their presence. Additionally, we had the tremendous z’chus of having the Lakewood Roshei HaYeshiva, Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler and Rav Dovid Schustal join us for a portion of the evening.

This dinner also served as the kickoff event for the groundbreaking of our new building. There was a tremendous amount of excitement generated by the model which was prominently displayed for all to see. “Because the terrain is not level, it presents certain architectural challenges. We therefore must make certain that we plan accordingly so we don’t encounter any problems during the construction phase.” said Rabbi Gifter. “This building is long overdue. It is time for the Yeshiva to build its own home.”

Rabbi Gifter thanks all those who attended the dinner, as well as those who were unable to attend but supported the Yeshiva by contributing to the journal campaign. All these efforts combined helped make this Dinner/Journal campaign a resounding success! For further information about Bais Medrash and Kollel Nesivos HaTorah or to inquire about building dedication opportunities, please call Rabbi Yaakov Gifter in the office at 718-982-0239.