Astoundingly, in the heart of Flatbush, in the vicinity of Avenue I and Bedford Avenue, is a school with hundreds of Jewish teens. It isn’t a Yeshiva or Beis Yaakov. It is a public school called Midwood High School. The shocking reality is that this is not the only such high school that has hundreds of our Jewish children enrolled. Murrow and Madison have just as many of our kids, if not more. 

These kids, practically next door to so many of us, are totally deprived of Torah and Yiddishkeit. A crying shame! That’s where BJX steps in. Look at the photo from this week and see students from Midwood, now attending Brooklyn, Baruch and LIU colleges immersed in learning Torah! Our neighborhood. Our kinderlach. Our sacred Achrayus. 

If we don’t act to save these Yiddishe Neshamos, they may be lost forever. It’s almost like we are pulling them off the cattle cars as they head to spiritual extinction and assimilation. The analogy may seem severe and jarring but it is true. 

There are Jews living in very close proximity to us who may not look or seem Jewish to us. However, they are just as Jewish as you and I. These unaffiliated Jews share the same ancestors as us and have the same entitlement to Torah. They should feel our love and respect. It isn’t their fault that they were deprived of a Jewish upbringing. Many of you, especially those families who immigrated to America prior to or after World War I, can relate to this vividly as you have cousins and relatives who due to assimilation are no longer observant. Can you imagine if there was a BJX that was poised and ready to save them before it was too late?  

On a recent Shabbos, a less observant family made BJX into their second home. We welcomed them this past Shabbos and celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of their son. They said that they felt an instant connection with everyone in the BJX Beis HaMedrash and felt right at home. That is precisely what we aim and strive for. They should feel comfortable because they are surrounded by family. They should feel at home because they are home. This is where they belong. It is their birthright just as much as it is ours. Welcome home.