Aleph Reaches Out to Bochurim

By COLlive reporter

The recent story about the doctor who decided to come to shul after seeing Chabad bochurim heading to visit Jewish prisoners, brought to light the ongoing work of the Aleph Institute.

But the Miami based organization that attends to the Jewish needs of inmates around the country says the process isn’t that simple anymore.

Already now, in the month of Sivan, they are searching for bochurim willing to visit and organize High Holiday prayers in prisons during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

The reason for the three and half months head-start, explains Rabbi Mendy Katz of the Aleph Institute, is because the Federal Prison system requires that volunteers complete a training course and go through security and background checks.

“Being that most bochurim go away for summer camps and Merkos Shlichus, both to end very late this year – just 2 weeks before Tishrei, we are making special arrangements with the prison system to hold the training in New York,” he says.

Katz said they would need a commitment from at least 30 bochurim that they will be attending training class in Brooklyn if done around the date of Gimmel Tammuz.

“Hundreds of Jewish inmates are relying on volunteers to be able to daven with a minyan, hear the blowing of the Shofar and hear krias hatorah,” he says.

“For inmates like Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin and many others like him, bochurim spending Yom Tov with them in prison is a life-saver.”

Aleph covers all costs and logistics. To sign up or for more info, contact Yossi Stern at 786-972-9146 or ys@aleph-institute.org