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Community
By Emanual Wright
Making
a Difference
Students from renowned
Brooklyn Yeshiva trade
beach for chesed
former student and today a community leader
A Amy Sasson participated in the first Alumni chesed
Mission in 2009. All praise for the program’s spiritual and
inspirational leader, she wrote at the time of Rabbi Besser
as “exemplifying the true spirit and value of chesed.
We were amazed by how he lives to give, and we feel
honored to have him as a role model for our children.
In addition, getting to meet the creators and directors
of the many facilities we visited in Israel, helped us to
understand not only what the organizations do, but also
to realize the true greatness of the people who helped
create these institutions. We were all inspired to give
more in any way we can, and to believe that we, too,
can make a difference.”
Mission of Discovery
“The program began during the second Intifada,”
Young students of the Flatbush Yeshiva of Brooklyn School in
Israel.
Rabbi Naftali Besser has been running chesed missions to
Israel for Yeshiva of Flatbush High School students for
the past nine years. Two years ago he initiated similar
missions for the Yeshiva’s alumni. The impact of these
missions upon the participants has been life-changing.
The Inbal Jerusalem Hotel
Spring-Summer 2011
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explained Rabbi Besser to Inbal Magazine during his
most recent student mission in February. “Israel was
going through a traumatic period and there was an urge
at the Yeshiva to show solidarity not from New York
but in Israel. We needed to be amongst Israelis and
what better format than to expose our students to how
Israel cares for its less fortunate citizens. That we chose
to initiate this program during the trying time of the
Intifada only enhanced our commitment.”
This first mission set the tone for what was to follow.
“Visiting the various institutions, we realized that
however much money people may donate from the USA
– and they do most generously – it does not come close
to personally coming to Israel, meeting the people and
saying some words of chizuk. We send a clear message
to the people we meet: “We in America, care about
you’.”