Baltimore, MD - Mar. 14, 2016 - On Sunday evening March 6 (27 Adar II), Yeshivas Kochav Yitzchok / Torah Institute of Baltimore held its annual banquet, marking its 63rd year of providing superior chinuch to the boys of Baltimore. The elegant event, attended by over 500 people, featured a well-deserved tribute to four generations of the Boehm and Retter families, with a special emphasis on the family’s patriarch and matriarch — Mr. Jacob Boehm, z”l, and tbly”t Mrs. Rose Boehm. Also honored were Rabbi and Mrs. Yisroel Gelber (Parents of the Year) and Rabbi and Mrs. Chaim Glazer (Alumnus of the Year).
Mr. Reuven Klein, one of the dinner chairmen, served as master of ceremonies with great distinction. After warmly welcoming all the guests, he thanked all those who helped coordinate yet another record-breaking banquet. Mr. Klein devoted the rest of his introductory remarks to highlighting the importance of chinuch habanim and how those involved in this sacred endeavor must constantly grow and develop to meet the changing needs of their charges.
The keynote address was delivered by the President of the Board, Rabbi Hillel Tendler, who began by graciously thanking the parent body for the efforts they put into their children’s chinuch despite their myriad responsibilities, and for doing all they can to keep the cheder financially viable. To many an attendee’s surprise, Rabbi Tendler noted that the ever-growing budget of the cheder has now reached well over $5M!
Rabbi Tendler then turned his attention to explaining the roots of the cheder’s sustained success. The foundation for everything, he explained, was laid by Rav Sternhell, zt”l, the cheder’s founder, whose sole desire in the wake of the Holocaust, through which he suffered, was to rebuild Torah in America. He channeled this desire into a heroic mesiras nefesh for the cheder, which will always serve as an enduring merit for it.
Focusing on the evening’s honorees, Rabbi Tendler paid tribute to the Boehm family for the integral role they have played in founding the cheder and in developing the entire Baltimore community. By establishing Jack's, a kosher grocery store, which has evolved into Seven Mile Market, Mr. Jack Boehm began a family tradition of faithfully providing kosher food to all of Baltimore’s Jewry. The cheder, Rabbi Tendler noted, takes great pride in now providing a Torah education to the great-grandchildren of Mr. Boehm, after having done the same for his children and grandchildren.
The guests were then treated to a moving video presentation, which included testimonials from Mr. Boehm’s children, Reb Hershel and Reb Alvin Boehm, his grandson, Reb Moshe Boehm, and his great-grandsons, Dovid and Aryeh Boehm. Hearing about Mr. and Mrs. Boehms’ extraordinary commitment to keeping mitzvos during the war — Mr. Boehm’s daily regimen of wearing tefillin and reciting tehillim and a malnourished Mrs. Boehm’s determination to fast on Yom Kippur — was inspiring. Rabbi Gershon Willner, a fellow Holocaust survivor, provided a glimpse into Mr. Boehm postwar activities by relating how in the DP camp he participated in Torah classes organized and taught by Mr. Boehm.
Rabbi Tendler then paid tribute to Rabbi and Mrs. Yisroel Gelber, Parents of the Year, who were consistently described in the award presentation and the beautiful video tribute as model parents, with a laser-like focus on both their children’s chinuch and their own personal growth. Serving as community leaders, the Gelbers are always eager to help in any way that they can, inspiring many others with their sterling example.
A special feature of the Gelber video was a message relayed by Rabbi Leib Kelemen, an expert on chinuch, and a close mentor to the Gelbers. Rabbi Keleman related that the most important factor in ensuring success in transferring our values and perspectives to our children and students is cultivating strong relationships with them. The more robust the relationship, the more the child or student will absorb and take to heart his parent or teacher’s message.
The tribute to Rabbi and Mrs. Chaim Glazer and the video presentation honoring them rounded out the evening. In his prerecorded remarks, R’ Chaim noted that in the grand scheme of things, we are still living a short while after the Holocaust, and as a result, bear an even greater responsibility to rebuild and spread Yiddishkeit. We learned that Reb Chaim, who has long devoted his trademark energy to kiruv and klal work, developed his sense of responsibility for the Jewish people from his days in Shearis Hapleita (Torah Institute’s former name). The cheder is indescribably proud of Rabbi and Mrs. Glazer, who have built a beautiful Torah home and are continuously having a positive impact on the entire community.
All in all, the evening was one of great inspiration; everyone walked away with a renewed sense of why the cheder is an indispensable part of our community’s fabric. The overarching theme of the entire event can perhaps be summed up best with the succinct and heartfelt words of Rabbi Gelber: “Torah Institute is very special, since they strive to give over our mesorah in its purest form. We have to do whatever we can to help them continue this mission.”
Photo Credit: Reb Eli Greengart
