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By Tammy Holtzman, Beis Moshiach Magazine

In the heart of Crown Heights, at the corner of Kingston and Crown, there’s a table with some pairs of tefillin and a pushka on it. There are some Lubavitchers who are more than happy to help anybody who wants to do the mitzva.

These Lubavitchers seem a bit different. Some of them have long hair or interesting haircuts. Some are wearing torn jeans and t-shirts with dubious messages or pictures.

The table is draped with a sign which says, “Aliya” which explains everything. Aliya is an organization that was founded in 5761 in response to our kids who lost interest in Jewish studies and were hanging out aimlessly. It started in a small storefront on Albany Avenue and was opened by R’ Moshe Feiglin.

When R’ Moshe was a bachur, he was a talmid-shliach in the yeshiva in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, run by R’ Uri Perlman. It was a yeshiva for bachurim who have a hard time sitting and learning limudei kodesh all day. In this yeshiva they learned, had fun and worked. The students also learned some worldly subjects, but more specifically they found a listening ear with the devoted staff and friends who understood them.

When R’ Moshe married his wife Sarah (Hecht) he told her his dream about going on shlichus. During the day, he learned in kollel in Crown Heights. At night, he spent time with former students from Wilkes Barre.

He began getting offers for shlichus. There was even something concrete that appealed to them – a campus shliach wanted the young couple to join him, but every time they asked the Rebbe through the Igros Kodesh, the answer they opened to said to remain in the community or continue with your current activities.

He consulted with the rosh yeshiva in Wilkes-Barre, R’ Perlman who liked the idea of the bachurim in Crown Heights having a place to be when they returned to Crown Heights.

R’ Moshe asked the Rebbe about this new idea and the Rebbe’s answer was about being in a community where there were also rabbanim. The Feiglins decided to do their shlichus in Crown Heights, working with challenged youth.

During the day, R’ Moshe would bring the young men to a learning program that suited them in Brooklyn Heights which took place at the Chabad House of Rabbi Aharon Raskin. They learned basic limudei kodesh, limudei chol, prepared for their GED and, mainly, spent time together.

The Aliya Building in Crown Heights

The problem was that on Shabbos they did not have a place in Crown Heights. Many felt so disconnected, whether by choice or because of people’s reactions, that they stopped attending shul. Aliya provided the solution. The storefront on Albany became a gathering place for the members. Whoever wanted to – davened, and those who didn’t were at least in an environment of tefilla instead of hanging out on the street. They had a place where they could be with friends, where they weren’t judged but understood.

Weekday evenings they were able to play ping pong, listen to music or eat something.

“When we met someone we wanted to include,” says R’ Moshe, “we would invite him to kiddush. We knew that not everyone would be willing to join the davening but we’ve never met someone who refused to enjoy spending time with friends at a well set table.

By their first Tishrei they already had a large group and they needed a bigger space. They rented the Sholom Center next door, which provides programming for seniors. The space was double what they had. They held davening and Shabbos and Yom Tov meals throughout the month of Tishrei, with a full crowd.

GROWING AND EXPANDING

In 5768, their dream came true and they bought a house on East New York Avenue. They renovated it gradually. Today, they have a large space where the boys can come and go as they please. There is always something to eat along with friendly faces and someone to talk to.

The upper floor is for simchas. The spacious porch has comfortable chairs and a grill that is often put to use. In the basement there is a workout room with the latest equipment. In addition, they recently built a mikva down there. Everything is modern and new, with a shower, new flooring and a sauna.

R’ Moshe Feiglin at the tefillin stand

Occasionally they bring in interesting speakers who give workshops that generate discussions that last into the night. They also help the young men find suitable work.

“Once,” says R’ Moshe, “we had a young man named Moshe who dreamed of one day opening a trucking business but at the time, he didn’t even know how to drive a car. I turned myself into a driving teacher and spent hours with him until he knew how to drive and got his license.

“Then we lent him money to buy his first truck. Today, he is married, he moved to Atlanta, and he has a trucking company with three trucks and several employees. All this and he is living a religiously observant life.”

WHEN EVERYTHING COMES CRASHING DOWN

In 5770, R’ Nota Shemtov joined the Aliya staff. R’ Nota always felt that struggling youth was something close to his heart and he is happy to help.

“R’ Moshe once invited me to visit the place. I arrived at a Chanuka party and was shocked. The place looked like a disco with raucous music and an atmosphere in which you don’t want your kids to be.

“R’ Moshe couldn’t help but notice the expression on my face. He reassured me, ‘What’s better? Seeing your kids in a disco with goyim or knowing that they are here in the community with boys only, all from the same background, with Chassidim supervising?’

“I then began to understand the concept that Aliya offers and slowly got drawn in.

“At that time, I would invite some lost bachurim to my house on Friday nights. I would shmooze with them, farbreng with them, and listen to them. Sometimes, we would learn a sicha, sometimes we met in shul for a little learning.

At the conclusion of a Shabbaton

“One time, a seventeen-year-old came to us whose father had thrown him out of the house. R’ Moshe told me, ‘This bachur will be your project.’ The truth is I didn’t know what to do. I took the bachur for a drive in my car and the bachur cried and told me what was going on at home. I found him a place to sleep for two nights and kept in touch with him. I didn’t ask him to keep mitzvos or daven. I just listened to him and made sure he knew I was here for him. It was a long story. The bachur wasn’t easy. Sometimes, I despaired; I saw no light at the end of the very long tunnel.

“Today, the bachur lives near a certain Chabad House. He admires the local shliach and began attending tefillos and shiurim. He keeps kosher and every day he learns part of a sicha with me. On the Yomim Noraim he even served as chazan for Kol Nidrei. Now, he’s even preparing for semicha!

“We never know when we will see results from our labor. The road can be difficult and winding but if there is something I’ve learned from R’ Moshe it is that patience pays off and the seeds that were planted don’t remain barren. In the end, they will blossom.

“The first night I came here as one of the official reps of the organization, everyone was sitting around a table piled with food. R’ Moshe spoke but many guys continued to speak and didn’t listen. I tried to shush them but, to my surprise, R’ Moshe shushed me! ‘Let them talk,’ he advised me. ‘Give them the freedom to be who they are. They can speak and I can also speak; the main thing is they are here and everything’s fine.’

“That’s when I started to understand the special dynamics of Aliya. I realized the secret of the magic of the place. It’s a Chabad House which has nothing like it in the world! What Chabad House in the world has learning sichos in Yiddish as well as pizza nights and sushi nights?

“I remember that one time, ten years ago, I had a connection with a seventeen-year-old who wanted to drop everything. At a certain point, he decided to join the IDF. In the bathroom on the plane to Israel he shaved off his beard which he had kept until then so as not to aggravate his parents.

“In the army he did whatever he pleased and dropped mitzva observance. Upon returning to America, he was quite lost. He looked for a job, sought meaning, and didn’t quite know how and what.

“A few years later, he called me and said that after having gone through so much lately he was considering looking into the path of his former life. He wanted to meet and spend Shabbos together. We spent an entire Shabbos together and spoke all night. We learned and learned some more. He attended all the tefillos.

“After that Shabbos, I met him in the community and saw that he had gone back to keeping mitzvos and a Chassidic way of life, even if not in dress. He is married today, has children and a business. He called not long ago to tell me he started a Tanya shiur at work twice a week.”

R’ Shemtov and R’ Weinfeld farbrenging with youth at Aliya

MY SECOND HOME

When I entered Aliya to form my impressions for this article, I met some boys sitting at the table. Throughout my stay, more young men came and left whose body language showed how comfortable and at home they feel.

Jared Gimbal, one of the guys, was happy to share his thoughts with me:

“I’m originally from out of the community. I grew up in a traditional family that did not keep everything. I now live in Crown Heights because it matches up with my job and my lifestyle. I was looking for a local exercise gym and in a google search I found that Aliya has one. For some reason, my card to get in did not work and I came here to take care of the problem. Without knowing it ahead of time, I arrived during a shiur. I hadn’t known about all the activities here and how much they have to offer. That’s the charm of Crown Heights – programs, shiurim, and plenty of shuls. Also, everyone knows everyone and they let you know what’s going on. Now that I’m aware, I can participate more!”

A young bachur that I met told me, “This is my second home! Here, you can be who you are without anyone judging you, without putting on masks that present you as someone else. Here there are friends, activities and warmth, and I love this place!” As he spoke, he hoisted his knapsack on his shoulder and went out to work in, of all places, the Shluchim Office.

HONORS COME WITH A PRICE

R’ Zaki Tamir, who serves as the chairman of the Community Council of Crown Heights, has been a part of Aliya since the early days. When he decided to run in the elections for this position, all the Aliya boys went out to the streets to help him in the campaign. With their help, enough signatures were collected to get him elected.

Says R’ Moshe, “We once had a fellow by the name of Aharon who did not want to keep anything but he had a ‘taava’ to daven for the amud on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

“I explained to him that a chazan on the Yomim Noraim is a position that comes with obligations since he represents the tzibbur and has to elevate all their tefillos upward. I asked him to make an effort and keep two Shabbosos before the Yomim Noraim and then I would be able to give him the position in good conscience. He refused to keep two Shabbosos and with great difficulty agreed to keep one Shabbos.

“I consulted with a rav who said it would be okay to let him be chazan if he kept one Shabbos and was ready to consider keeping Shabbos Shuva too. The fellow agreed to keep Shabbos Selichos and we let him daven for the amud on Rosh Hashana. Then he kept Shabbos Shuva before Yom Kippur and he was chazan on Yom Kippur.

“Today, he is married and I was his mesader kiddushin. We celebrated his sheva brachos here at Aliya and the chassan spoke and said, ‘I would drive on Kingston and see the Chassidim with long beards walking by. I would say to myself, ‘Fortunately, I’m not part of this cult. Today, I pass by here on Shabbos wearing my tallis and there is nobody prouder than me to be an inseparable part of the ‘cult!’”

R’ Moshe:

“Erev Yom Kippur, I make a big seuda mafsekes with the boys. I bless them with ‘birkas ha’banim’ and give out lekach. One of the boys who came one year, did not plan on fasting that Yom Kippur but after my ‘treatment’ he announced that he would be fasting.

“At that time I give out kibbudim to the boys but instead of selling them for money, I sell them for good hachlatos, hachlatos that they can live up to in honor of the holy day. Some of them commit to making brachos on food which they weren’t careful about until then. Some commit to wearing tzitzis or putting on tefillin for a week, even if it’s for a short time.

“One fellow got ‘pesichas ha’aron’ and honored his friend with it. The friend went to open the aron and then realized that his phone was in his pocket. He felt very guilty and then and there he resolved to keep the rest of the Yom Tov according to halacha although he hadn’t planned on this.

“After the davening, his friends wanted to travel to the beach but he told them about his resolution. Since he couldn’t go, he suggested they go for a walk instead. They all walked to Prospect Park and did tashlich near the lake instead of desecrating the holiday.”

STAFF WITH SOUL

The neshama of Aliya is the special staff who are with the boys all day, week, and year. Aside from R’ Moshe Feiglin and R’ Nota Shemtov there is also R’ Nissan Russel who teaches the boys Yiddish and then teaches them maamarim of the Rebbe.

R’ Yosef Halevy works with younger boys, under eighteen, who visit Aliya after school. He also arranges events on Sunday night. Mendy Baitch arranges evening activities and learns b’chavrusa with anyone who is interested.

And then, there is Mrs. Sarah Feiglin, a full partner in all the activities. Many Friday nights she eats at home with her children while her husband eats with the boys at Aliya. As they say in Aliya, “We don’t just save lives, we build lives.”

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