On June 17th TAB (Torah Academy of Brooklyn) will be holding their 28th Annual Dinner at Mendy’s of Brooklyn. Called the E-Dinner, this event is already becoming one of the more talked about events on an already busy community calendar. To better understand why, Y.S. Haber asked Rabbi Moshe Rubin Dean of Administration to share some insights with the Yeshiva World readership.

YW: Here’s the question on everybody’s mind, what exactly is an E-Dinner?

RABBI RUBIN: Simply put, the “E” in E-Dinner stands for “Everything”—as in “Everything” you always wished was incorporated into the typical organizational or yeshiva dinner. Though once people started finding out what the components of the E-Dinner are, the general feeling was that “E” could just as well stand for “Enable”—as in we conceived this dinner to “Enable” people to participate on their terms.

Case in point, our specially created interactive component at TABEDINNER.COM. From “One Convenient Location” people  can log  on, choose which of our Alumni Honorees, Hanhala or Board Members they’d like to place a journal ad for, actually enter the message (or choose a “ready to go” one), see a preview of what it will look like and even pay for it!

YW: So the “E” seems to stand for “Easier” as well, because you’ve streamlined the whole “pre event” process. What’s planned for the actual “Event” taking place Wednesday June 17th from 7pm – at Mendy’s in Brooklyn?…How does one participate in an organizational event “on their own terms”?

RABBI RUBIN: By letting the community know that we understand that the day to day demands put on most everybody’s already limited time often makes it challenging for them “be there” to the degree they’d like to. So rather that have an event that’s “all or nothing” we’ve structured the E-Dinner to enable people to pretty much enjoy it on their terms so they can;

*Come when they want—anytime from 7 to 9 pm
*Come how they want—straight from the office in suit and tie…or stop at home first to change to shirt and slacks…we appreciate that people are making time for us, so why burden them with a “dress code”
*Stay as long as they want—the evening’s program is “fluid”—not set in stone, so regardless if people are interested is in being a part of Nachum Segal and the Radio Roundtable broadcast, enjoying Mendy’s “Gourmet Casual” Buffet, catching up with other TAB supporters  …or all the above…it’s their call. It’s also why we’ve arranged for Nachum to broadcast the entire evening on 620 A.M.—like this,  you can leave the dinner yet still “stay tuned” into what promises to be an evening that’s insightful, engaging—and thanks to appearances by performers like Yehuda Green entertaining as well. Come to think of it, maybe the “E” should stand for “Eagerly awaited!”

YW: We’ve heard from a number of people that if they had to guess which yeshiva introduced the E-Dinner concept, those “in the know” about the chinuch landscape would invariably associate it with TAB, do you find that surprising?

RABBI RUBIN: First of all, thanks for the compliment—it shows that we’ve spent the last 30 years making a difference . When Rabbi Davidowitz and I opened our doors three decades ago, it was in response to a situation that wasn’t “officially” on the radar yet—though when we presented the concept to Rav Moshe Feinstein he didn’t just give us a haskama he gave us a Brocho as well. The amount of chizuk we got from that meeting –and continue to get from his family—among others, is why we try and make sure that everything we’re involved with reflects the same motivations we had thirty years ago. In fact, when you think about it, TAB and the E-Dinner have a number of similarities;

Both Reflect The Times:  Like TAB the E-Dinner is a response to a situation and like TAB it’s designed to engage people by showing “we know you don’t want to “do away” with anything, yo just want something that better reflects your thinking and objectives

Both Reflect The Need: There’s essentially two kinds of organizational fund raisers; The “Formal” –Dinners, Melave Malkes etc and the “Informal” –Chinese Auctions, Outings etc. Chinuch also has essentially two kinds of yeshivas—the “mainstream” and the “anything but” mainstream—where the Yeshiva will be matzliach with the student as long as the student stays in that “network”. Both TAB and the E-Dinner reflect the understanding that our community needed a “hybrid” option—one that reflects a sense of “Why Not?” rather than simply asking “Why?”.For the E-Dinner that “Why Not?”
was the response to “Why not have an event that’s less formal—yet in no way less focused. And for TAB that “Why Not? Was in response to “Why not create an environment that will produce graduates with the knowledge-and desire to be accepted by virtually any yeshiva or Beis Medrash—regardless if its in the state’s or Eretz Yisroel? And for that matter, why not ensure that their academic education provides the foundation for learning a parnasah—not just the ability to say “I’m a high school graduate”

Both Reflect the Individual: The structure of the event is there will be no structure—or “schedule-driven” program…nothing to compel people to stay longer than they want…though based on who we’ll have there, we think they’ll be staying longer than they initially  imagine!

We ran this “unstructured structure” idea by a number of people—people who have more organizational dinners on their calendars than dinners at home, they all loved the idea…and psychologically when you connect with a place because you feel it connects with you, you tend to be more supportive of that organization.  Plus, as you are looking forward to their event, you tend to stay longer and enjoy it more.

THAT’S the TAB dynamic. We connect with individuals—and not just as a student or “Ba’al Habos” but as a person. Whether its about off site extracurricular programming where students see they’re unequivocally accepted with no judgments–otherwise, why would a rebbe choose to spend off hours with them? Or an event like the E-Dinner which has a decidedly “off site” mentality, the message is the same. At TAB we’re about what works for you—not what works for us.

That’s why if you look at our board—and student body…in short, all the elements that comprise the “face” of TAB you see an almost unprecedented mix of Ashkenazic and Sephardic names. We’ve geared ourselves to boys who are serious and goal oriented and are looking for an environment where they can grow—as individuals.

Connect with the individual—it’s the theme of TAB—and the E-Dinner.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO MAKE RESERVATIONS PLEASE CALL THE YESHIVA AT 718.339.8844

(YWN Desk – NYC)