Earlier this winter, Shmulie Hartstein approached Rabbi Bender with an idea: to teach bachurim the basics of civics and how local government functions. Rabbi Bender immediately saw the value and referred it to Rabbi Dachs, principal of Yeshiva Darchei Torah. Together with Hartstein and Kol Yisroel, they developed a serious and well-structured program for the entire 11th grade.

 

All 75 bachurim participated in every session. The first session was given by Shmulie Hartstein on the importance of getting involved and understanding how government impacts our communities. Former New York State Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder gave a class on state government, followed by Maury Litwack from Jewish Voters Unite speaking about the importance of voting and civic engagement. The final session was delivered by former U.S. Congressman and current Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Labor Anthony D’Esposito.

 

This video is a true testament to the impact of the program and how engaged the bachurim were throughout. Kol HaKavod to Yeshiva Darchei Torah for once again being ahead of the curve and helping set an example that other mosdos are already beginning to follow.

Kol Yisroel would also like to express a special thank you to Rabbi Baruch Rothman, who strongly believed in this program from the beginning and was one of the major reasons it was able to happen. Thank you for believing in us as a new organization and for understanding how important this mission is. We truly could not have done it without you.