13 SIVAN 5771 JUNE 15, 2011 CommunityC4 HAMODIA

In some recent issues ofHamodia, there appearedseveral letters to the editor

addressing the painful questionof children who are notenrolled in any yeshivah. Oneletter, entitled “A Cry for Help,”expressed the pain of a grand-mother whose grandson was inthis situation.

Hamodia received a letter inresponse from Rabbi LeibSchulman, who stated that hehad opened Mesivta NeimusHaTorah for exactly this type ofboy.

We spoke with RabbiSchulman to find out moreabout the mesivta and to gainsome insights and guidance forparents who are struggling withthis tremendous nisayon.

Tell us about the found-ing of Mesivta NeimusHaTorah.

Many young men and boyswith different learning styleswonder, “Where is the sweet-ness of Torah for me? Where isthe ne’imus haTorah? Why is itthat my friends are sitting andlearning and they have so muchenjoyment, and I am sitting andgetting frustrated?”

These boys simply need to betaught al pi darkam, with a levelof attention that can only beprovided in a small, nurturingatmosphere by speciallytrained mechanchim. In thisway, they can achieve newbreakthroughs in learning,which has an effect on self-esteem and enables them tobegin to see themselves on parwith their friends.

It was to address the needs

of this type of bachur that theyeshivah was established fiveyears ago. Mesivta NeimusHaTorah is dedicated in memo-ry of Dr. Allan Schulman, z”l, aremarkable individual who per-sonified the type of kiddushHashem we encourage in ourboys — a responsible,admirable, baal habayis whowas thoroughly dedicated toTorah and mitzvos.

We seek to attract bachurimwho want to be headed in theright direction of growth inTorah, avodah, and yirasShamayim but have no otheryeshivah to attend. These areshtarke boys who try and workhard.

What is the yeshivah’sapproach to thetalmidim, both in and outof the classroom?

Our approach is to look atthe wholesomeness of eachbachur and treat each one as anindividual. We work on build-ing each boy’s success, both inand out of the classroom.

Some bachurim face socialchallenges, and we help themgrow and develop properly. Oursmall classes allow us to con-stantly adjust our approach tomeet the developing needs ofthe talmidim.

We offer trips and specialprograms as well. For example,right now, as the year is draw-ing to a close, the talmidimneeded some chizuk in comingon time for davening, so we cre-ated an incentive where thosewho come on time to daveningfor the next few days are treat-ed to a special pizza lunch.

How has the yeshivahbeen accepted in thecommunity?

The Rabbanim andmechanchim in Baltimore areall very warm and helpful to theyeshivah. Most have come tovisit the yeshivah and havebeen impressed. Mechanchimhave visited from other cities,seen the warm and acceptingatmosphere of the yeshivah,and then sent their own stu-dents.

How many students doyou have, and what kindof accommodations doyou offer?

We have twenty-six talmidimin four grades. In a few weeks,we will be graduating our firsttwelfth-grade class. We accept amaximum of twelve per class.Forty percent of our talmidimare from Baltimore; the rest arefrom cities across the UnitedStates, including Cleveland,Columbus, Philadelphia,Monsey, Brooklyn, Queens,

Detroit, and Lakewood. Wehave even had bachurim fromEretz Yisrael. We are basically aLitvishe yeshivah, although wehave had chassidishe boys aswell.

Out-of-town talmidim boardwith families that are carefullyselected and take a personalinterest in each student. Thesefamilies work with the yeshivahto help the talmidim grow anddevelop.

What about your pro-gram and your staff ?

Our daily schedule includesmorning and afternoon seder, astrong secular program, andnight seder that ends after an8:30 Maariv. We have Shabbosprogramming and class onSundays, so the bachurim areexpected to come to yeshivahevery day, just like their chaver-im in other yeshivos.

Our very dedicated group ofrebbeim includes Rabbi SimchaHexter, Rabbi Moshe Sandhaus,Rabbi Shmuel Weissman, RabbiYaakov Lipsky, Rabbi LeviMark, Rabbi Dovid Barer, andRabbi Mordechai Lurie. RabbiAvi Feder is the secular studiesprincipal.

The bachurim also learntwice a week with members ofthe Ner Yisrael kollel, furtherproviding them with excellentrole models and assisting themin improving their skills.

Although our program iswarm and welcoming, itrequires real effort. Our boysare expected to attend nightseder and Sunday classes, justlike their peers in other yeshiv-os.

Our bachurim have gone onto various mainstream yeshiv-os, including Providence,Derech Chaim in Brooklyn, OhrYerushalayim, and the Sanzeryeshivah in Netanyah. All of ourgraduating twelfth-graders thisyear have been accepted intoyeshivos.

We are housed in theBaltimore Community Kollel,which has been very helpful tous these past five years. The kol-lel also creates a Torahdigatmosphere that influences thebachurim.

What do you think is theroot of the problem ofboys not being acceptedinto a yeshivah?

There is no one root to theproblem. Each community hasits own set of circumstances.But there are some universalissues, like stereotyping on thepart of parents and schools.Money may be a major issue. Inaddition, parents — and stu-dents themselves — may not berealistic about where the childis at; many times they are look-ing in the wrong place, and thenthey are stuck with frustration.

What do you see as thesolution?

Part of the solution is thatboth the schools and the par-ents have to look at this processin much the same way we lookat shidduchim. What are wereally trying to do? We are try-ing to create a partnership,where we look out for our ownneeds as well as the other one’sneeds. A school has to look outfor its talmidim, and a parenthas to look at the school andthink, “Does my child really fitin with the other students?” Wemust recognize who does anddoes not belong. It is a two-waystreet. And just like any othershidduch, it can be disastrous ifit is not right.

What advice would yougive parents who haveyounger children who arestruggling?

Get them the help they needas early as possible. Make surethey know how to read, and ifnot, find out why. It could be avision problem, it could be aprocessing disorder, or it couldbe that they are just not puttingin enough effort. But if theydon’t get the help they need,they will be very frustrateddown the line.

In addition, we must makesure that children feel recog-nized and good about their suc-cesses, no matter how small,because success breeds success.

What advice would yougive parents who are hav-ing trouble getting theirchildren accepted intoappropriate yeshivos orBais Yaakovs?

Honestly evaluate yourchild. Understand where yourchild is holding and what pathhe is taking. There are many

Community Connection / By Devorah Klein

Talmidim of Yeshivah Neimus Hatorah

Rabbi Leib Schulman teaching a class.

Finding a Place for Every TalmidAn Interview with Rabbi Leib Schulman of Mesivta Neimus HaTorah in Baltimore

13 SIVAN 5771 JUNE 15, 2011 HAMODIA C5Community

yeshivos in this country thataddress a variety of needs, somost kids should fit in some-where.

Stop and evaluate theschools by looking at the endproduct, and try to determine ifyour child is on the path to thatproduct. Then advocate foryour child. Explain to theschool why you think this is agood fit; explain what yourchild can add to the school.

Do whatever you can to

assure that your child is alwaysin school — because once he isnot in school, it gets muchharder to put him back in. Lookearly in the year for an appro-priate yeshivah, and apply tothe schools when they havemore slots available. Once ayeshivah only has a few slotsavailable, they may be moreparticular about whom theyaccept.

Would it be better if

yeshivos made more of aneffort to address a vari-ety of needs — if classeswere more heteroge-nous?

For some children it wouldbe better, and for some it wouldbe more difficult. Some chil-dren who are not top studentsget depressed sitting in a classwith boys who are aleph stu-dents. This is not somethingthat works for all students, andit is not something that works

for all mechanchim.

What is your perspectiveon the fact that so manychildren are becomingdisenchanted withYiddishkeit?

First of all, I don’t think thatit is so many, but it is definitelya visible number. And there isno one root and no one solu-tion. Every case is different andwe cannot define rules. But it isdefinitely important to make

sure that every child feels vali-dated and to respect his opin-ion.

Any final comments?We must recognize that

every child is different, everystudent is different, and eachone needs different things inorder to be able to learn. Everyindividual must be built upusing his own strengths andskills — and everyone must bevalidated.

Rabbi Simcha Hexter teaching a class. Bachurim of the Yeshivah on the porch of the Baltimore Community Kollel,which houses the yeshivah.