Go West, my son!

In 1854, at the height of the California Gold Rush,

Horace Greeley, founder and editor of the NY Tribune, wrote, “Go West, young man, and grow up with the country”. 170 years later, twenty young men indeed went west – and “struck gold.” The young men were secular Jewish college graduates and professionals, and their destination was the Mentors Mission in California, where they discovered the treasure of their Jewish heritage.

They also discovered a gold mine of a community, in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles, where local Jewish families opened their homes, and hosted the young men with unbelievable grace and warmth. Esteemed rabbonim and educators, too, welcomed the group, offering inspiration and Torah knowledge.

The program began on Friday afternoon, with a heartwarming act of chesed: the Mentors Mission participants joined a group of community members who get together each week to sing and play music for their friend, who is severely debilitated by ALS. They were astounded at the warmth and caring of the community members.

“The world I live in talks a lot about ‘peace’ and ‘love.’ It’s like a mantra. But this is real! I mean, the Shabbos table? You can literally feel the peacefulness. And at the same time, it’s lively and fun. It’s awesome!” one mentee told his mentor.

Coming from a young man growing up in Hollywood, the epicenter of the entertainment industry, it was a telling comment. Suddenly, the glitz and glamor he’d always known lost its luster. It couldn’t hold a candle to the beauty of a Shabbos table.

The warmth and beautiful singing continued through Shabbos, beginning with Kabbalas Shabbos at Rabbi Kalmanson’s shul, The Orange Shul, led by famous singer Rav Moshe Storch. Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky’s words of wisdom put everyone into the Shabbos spirit. Then, it was on to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Avromi and Sarah Tress, for a magnificently-abundant and delicious Shabbos seudah.

If attendance at the Friday night Oneg was any indication, the LA community was excited to be hosting the Mentors Mission. A large number of people joined the party, where mentors, mentees and hosts gathered for (more!) refreshments, soulful singing, and personal accounts.

Mr. Michael Eisenberg, a respected attorney, shared his story of his journey in discovering the beauty of Yiddishkeit, and inspired the crowd with life lessons everyone could integrate into their daily lives. Mr. Zack Thurm talked about navigating current events with faith – a timely topic, in a world that seems to have gone crazy. The messages from them resonated deeply with all.

The Shabbos morning tefillos took place at Rabbi Klein’s shul, Ohr Hachaim, where there was a grand kiddush, culminating in a shiur from the rav, and a learning session where congregants paired up with mentees, for Ohr Somayach’s trademark learning session – a highlight of each Mentors Mission.

In the early afternoon, the group visited Rav Aron Dov Friedman, a brilliant ben Torah and successful businessman. To the mentees, Rav Friedman was the ultimate role model – because he synthesizes a Torah lifestyle with success in commerce. Yet the admiration went both ways. Rav Friedman was so impressed with the young men in the group; he offered to personally give an ongoing shiur for them!

The group then went on to the Kollel, where Rabbi Fishel Cohen led a lively shiur where he delved into an exciting topic from the Talmud and gave them a taste of its depth and sweetness, and Ohr Somayach Supermentor Rabbi Zecharia Fruchthandler connected with the mentees and shared practical life lessons.

Shalosh Seudos was hosted by Rabbi Chanan Gordon, where he held a fascinating no-holds-barred question and answer session. Mentees asked whatever was on their mind, and got clear answers that addressed their questions about belief, creation, Olam Habah, and other fundamental issues in Yiddishkeit. The mentees were animated and engaged in the discussions – and saw clearly the breadth and relevance of Torah in today’s world. Rabbi Gordon is a world-renowned speaker, and alumnus of Ohr Somayach in South Africa. His talk concluded with an uplifting Havdalah, complete with singing and dancing.

On Sunday morning, the Mission participants got a final glimpse into the incredible Los Angeles community, when they joined a major chesed operation, and volunteered at a community food pantry giveaway, where they loaded hundreds of boxes into cars. It was a fitting end to a remarkable, life-altering weekend in this incredible, open-hearted community.