MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear Friend,
With gratitude to Hashem, this spring the Menachem Education Foundation will be entering our 10th year as an organization. It is a very special time to reflect on how we have grown over the years and the incredible community that has formed around our vision for excellence in our children’ s education. In this report, you will read about our early beginnings when we were just a teacher training program( page 8). Since then, we have grown to become a significant player in the Chabad educational community, as you will read from Rabbi Kagan’ s interview( page 17). Each individual you will find in this report, has been personally impacted or inspired by our work and has joined with us to be a champion of strong chinuch for every student in our community.
Why is it that hundreds of our community’ s educators work with us and attend our programs? What are the values that drive us to do what we do? Behind it all, is the unwavering, fundamental belief that every single child in our community deserves access to an excellent education, and that each child can be successful and have a personal connection to Torah and Yiddeshkeit.
“ V’ eila hamishpatim asher tasim lifneihem – And these are the laws that you shall place before them.”( Shemos, 21:1) Rashi comments that the phrase“ you shall place before them” implies that we must“ set a table” before our children, giving them every opportunity to partake in Torah. As parents and educators, it is our responsibility to our children to“ place it before them” and create an education that sets them up for a successful life as a Torah Jew. Our children’ s ultimate success is in Hashem’ s hands, but creating the vessel for that success is in ours.
As I look back at what we have accomplished, I am awed to see the impact we have had over the years by investing in our teachers and principals. So many of the people you will meet in this report tell the story of how MEF invested in their talents and how they are now able to contribute, not just in their own school communities but around the world( page 4). Circles of influence are forming simultaneously around the world as we build on previous successes and reach more and more school communities around the globe. We are thrilled to begin reaping the fruits of our labor and are excited and confident that a strong, viable and successful Chabad education can and will become a reality.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Alan Zekelman and the Nash Foundation for their generous support, as well as the hundreds of individual donors who allow us to make a difference in children’ s lives all over the world.
Sincerely,
Zalman Shneur
Rabbi Zalman Shneur Executive Director
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