CHAZAQ Torah Talks #115 Rabbi Aaron Pam & Yossi Hoch - Life & Legacy of Rabbi Avraham Pam

[Music] foreign [Music] memories that stick out of your father that's all you know one time there wasn't thing called air conditioning it wasn't well you can imagine and this most of the songs you were at home you just sit in the house and learn for hours and then uh but otherwise he was very normal Father which is your relationship I was a Talbot I was tired of the basement which he went up and down usually but he didn't you know there was certain Revenge gave the same share always the same level he sometimes stayed with a class for two three years [Music] one two three years some came in some went out and that's how I I first developed now I I had been before because there was always a car going back to Canarsie and those days the issue was in Flatbush and uh which was part of Canarsie and I didn't live far away I lived maybe signed for one end of kubernet Hills to the other one with hills it wasn't right right nearby but it was close enough that it was one car and so I sometimes I was in that car and you know he would snooze afterwards it was after it's Friday schmoods and that's how I uh you know really got to know I think once I had a Shyla when I was in university and I went to the mushkia for Wilson to discuss it and he said this I think your best to ask of Pam it was like a Kiddush to me I did it that those days like like Michael Martin said well how was it ready you should go through a pub I I didn't but that's you know it was later on when we went you know I thought we do have not just it wasn't just Allah together and he was he was he's he he answered it with a comment with a smile like people people didn't uh I I think didn't really a sense of humor he laughed very easily he made it really feel you know at home it was just his his way yeah we didn't realize that we were older that he was a song or foreign [Music] a lot of the meetings in a lot of the because I was I was busy with uh with our community here at Queens yes and I I in fact once I take him home I was up telling people what we do here in the community and at that time we also had a serious Shiloh that's cool and roxello was our prison uh but but I mentioned him the Shiloh we had so he said why why didn't you come to discuss it with me so I said to him it was very funny I remember I said to him maybe the whole world is bothering you I have Rock mothers and he left of course that was his he left very I I that doesn't come through with Tommy so he left very very easily and he laughed but when I dropped him off it was a light of what waiting outside his house a line of people wearing outside his house so I said Robbie I wasn't I was not inaccurate so wow but what I said to himself so you know it was oh yes dude you know he's uh very very highly of him it was filmed very close yeah he had a problem amazing amazing so over the last number of years over here we've been working non-stop to uh guide inspiring change the lives of thousands of Jewish kids in public schools who are primarily from the former USSR the Soviet Union but shuva has been doing that for decades uh maybe you could update us how it all started and of course with avram Pam's involvement to your father it always bothered him that we do not have an opportunity for children in America and it was over but what can you do about it but when they started coming from Russia there at Israel he felt this very very big problem because they become integrated overcome the the scientists of the yeah and more than that he still used to Daven I used to speak about in Yeshiva when he's working in kippa to the island that death to them from Brothers in the Russia and now they're coming out if not come here we have a chance to do something so let's do something for it and they always felt that that you have to start with education with teaching children that's what you can encouragement is and make parties but the main thing is the African to the children no no no meant to teach them terrorists teach them teach them yeah I think you know what what helped this community developed here also in Queens if you teach the children the parents very especially for for the ones who was coming from Southern Russia and uh and and uh and it's sometimes very you know the the they when they were in Russia the other was in project on their passport and they felt that sometimes just to declare that you were Jewish was a tremendous tremendous serious statement and they had that but they didn't know they didn't know what it was they didn't know what it was so uh I we had a message of a parent who uh who never heard that was secular education that they have there and and uh the teacher environment for uh for a sailor and then he said oh this is very nice and it started that I was already making advances somebody was already in his young 20s and he's he's finished shots and he said the whole family is religious and uh including his parents but that even but not anti you you hear stories that's how my family actually became religious my parents were very traditional but uh my uh older brothers went to UC when they brought Torah home and that's the way it was harder most of us think about it then we because we did something we do it because you have to do it if you could if you can you know but but he it is Highland I should tell the story the father had a niece that was not from her parents were not from and they were both Nifty very young and she was 17 one of the other passed away she unassisted there was no not a Founder mother and they lived by a grandmother was not from anyway they're far away out of town but she started coming around we had not much fun she came around a bit not much a little bit then she went off to it as well and she never came with Nick uh right as well and she wanted to marry him so she came to America so where should she go like so she brought him to her uncle to her you know and she called up did she wants to come and bring her being a cousin and they came I don't know I was at home but they came my parents were home they came they spoke a little bit and this and they went out when my father started to cry he was that emotional person he was he was very uh my Mr cried my mother said what happened what's the matter he said what do you mean a boy bought electric cell doesn't know about pesach do we cry about it that's amazing this is a a follow-ups this is a good time a follow-up to the stories when he was not able to talk about it before how he became a little later but uh when the when this when Soviet Jews were coming in so such large numbers territory foreign [Music] and and he he uh he came to his job was when he came he would come for the younger the convention it would first come through at that time was on the bus so he came to visit our Palm before he came he as he came to visit he he started to tell him what's going on and I said showing all the plans can't take these children and what's going to happen with them they're going to go to the public schools what's going to happen with them a bit of rough pattern started crying and at that time he had his Russia all prepared there was a scan there's some business scandal in the community he wanted to talk about the ashra's business which was one of his he had a number of main things that he used to talk to his taboo about what was the ashtras in business and and to be straight straight in business and and he had a whole speech prepared for this and she decided uh he's he's changing his speeches that you know it was was the Thursday before the convention you know it's not so passion and but what he told the story he started to cry raphama like like Roberto said he wasn't the devotional person he started to cry and the Robinson came early in the middle I heard the story from her place and said he said she wanted she got upset with me what did you do to him why was he crying so he said no no I have to cry he felt this was something to cry about I mean who like Robert said who cries the Baptist we should cry every day because there are thousands and thousands of people as children who are not getting the proper education but he felt it if he felt the answer is what got everything so that Russia got him and got everything going he he uh somebody else interesting thing I would not have any convention he spoke I think by Sugar I think he's about Trump said that they had another meeting after that yeah but this is also not like have a character he went around to elaborate the speakers beforehand that they should also speak about the Russian community so by the time he spoke the oil was cooked I know he just liked this he was walking along the next day and my culture of who was was in the video so you don't kill at the time it was like beautiful he was I don't even think he was working he wasn't as well now that the time but maybe just be working for the city he was a he was a finance he was Finance commissioner and it was housing commissioner another cat she was very close to cash but I think this was before he was the commercial so he said Ruby should I come he didn't feel he wasn't well things works for the city he was the wealthy person but he wants to do something so he said sure if you wanted to you come if you want you come but that's that was not how much you give what you want to do come and and be involved he's got the involvement to the study it's uh it's that that's how he was hard to from Small Beginnings back then and today I have this close to Merit the honor to be on a shubu mission yes and uh I saw it with my own eyes uh the rabbit was there as well and uh you told me come you're doing this stuff over here in Queens see what what's going on there it's on how they do it and I saw it Mama literally ain't doing schmelier you can't compare earrings and sing 17 elementary schools United cities not in elementary school seven high schools and over 20 uh I saw the students and I saw the parents and I spoke to them and they were so happy and excited right about us that is still growing and still growing the French jury just recently what the french yeah we still have we have about 50 French students at a time yeah we have we took a 300 Ukrainian children last year unbelievable and nobody else was really equipped to take it there was a you know everybody everybody gets excited at the beginning and then later the later we're we're really talking about but we bar Hashem was still uh very very strong 300 children and it's it's a big burden for us because they came back nothing I spoke to a lot of the refugees a lot of the children I start to feel the parents they might took a suitcase and ran and one woman was telling me how she was in a car for for two three days just because of the traffic to get out in those first few days and all they had was a suitcase uh just now I I got a message from our our summer college the assistant director of David he somehow arranged through one of the organizations he had 200 pair of shoes for children wow they don't they don't have anything they ran out some clothes they had a uh the boys and after that there's a celebration the next day they went out they had a there's a sports competition too you know you give people so he got that t-shirts also free t-shirts they didn't they didn't have they don't have anything uh some of these things saving lives whenever I think of our average pounds that's how I think of uh is there a reason why that is why it comes to mind about the Palm because obviously like it's because I think that I might have a book about it he spoke about it Friday yes [Music] he said if you have to miss a day missing don't miss the Friday shares he gave the shoes he gave under parasha and he repeated he repeated a lot some things some things he repeated dear it's it's very funny I I once took him for a ride it's an interesting story actually I've told it many times it was it was right with it being in that war ended on that day I was thinking about and I said Robbie I heard that Kissinger was going to have a press conference could I put the could I could I put the radio I usually sure and you know they they had the announcement that they finally signed a peace agreement and that the the war is over and then after that the commentators all spoke about what could happen now this could happen that will happen this and that year uh uh he said Hanukkah didn't fall out on parcious okay because and he always would say the same volunteer would say about salavian person okay it's about what's deceiver what's this so what what's what's the cause and what's the effect so he says they're talking about now this could happen you never know if what the cause is what the effect the reversion wants something to happen so he has something else happened before because the talk list comes later on we don't know what the Titleist is but he would say that word every year I'm harsh because he felt that that was a very very important lesson in hashgraph and it will repeat it but I I mean I had the experience when when he was already much older so older tell me them would come to the Friday schmoods and so my rafiat said you know you're a town with that here you go you should take off Fridays and go so I I would I think I don't think it was the last one but I I remember I came again partially case that he said the same the same word it was like you know because he felt that this was an important person to give over and he was Viking you know there was a story about how I think I heard this from a Verizon someone asked him what he should uh how he could sometimes teach the same the sector over and over again and his response was you're not learning the gemara you're teaching students it's it's it's how you they were just a way of looking at teaching students so you don't have to get a a satisfaction out of is being learned that's uh so it's you know he was he was a pride teacher and that's he pushed the Wrath to go uh you know to uh go work on behalf of the cloud collection can you please elaborate about the Rob's uh mysterious nephesh going above and beyond on behalf of the Jewish people to do it yeah we don't realize how it was that was taking away time from his top beat him and from his camera it's the seriousness I remember hearing also uh by I believe it was a shoe function or something towards the end of the Rob's life the mysterious message the Rob had to get there were you there do you remember he was talking next to the room he was there he was a few weeks later he assistant ambulance before that all the time and effort that he put into buildings at that time I you know uh Robert came and rather than that's very very so we have it on video the next day he talked about it he said I was boiling how could they do this but then he felt he heard later the Russian he didn't think no for an answer he wanted to go wow it's I I I mentioned it the next day the director of Supervisors Came to Say Goodbye to him and he expected to see him that he was wiped out from the evening but he saw him sitting up very happy in bed and and and you know like he he accomplished what he really wanted but the year before two years before he spoke by that part of the meeting it was still in Lawrence also he came no no it was a very bad condition no man that in that was very very important yeah then they got a letter that the parents and yeah that is there is nothing it's the birthplace of Christianity right and that that they do that and they went to school school we could do it so we have no money with this if we know that our children have amendments and they can't have a marriage because we set them up and anyway he he like his band on the table people right away and then so I get 25 000 I mean it was [Music] he fell down I had to catch him wow maybe some learning certain things that he couldn't get to a whole year he says I gave you I gave me an awesome he said he's not able to he just he was so so weak a week from it you're mentioning but I would do that through the school still exists the school did the hundreds of children is a a crazy community of the area but about 10 years ago I think I was there and uh to Rafa the whole of the whole area okay to see us when we came to visit and he told me this is the only place all around he says there were 20 000 even living here Drew's twenty thousand Jews this is the only place where Torah is being wow okay so and it's it's a light I mean it's a it's a light on the city yeah and I was there I used to teachers which is over an hour's drive to this place so I said no and it's not good it's good if teachers there the school started children you can come for a shower why Master travel when no one is here they sent me who could live here there's no no sure there's not nothing where can we live here now there's a now there's this walk already there now and wants to get different Jews because it's a very Arab area you want to build it up with truths and so that is very open it is now yeah it's it's a little different but it's still the only place like this in in the area and the it was also one of the centers of when ukrainians came into uh a year ago they a lot of the refugees were sent there because there were hotels in the area for all the Christian uh uh pilgrims so we had a lot of hotels there so they had where to put up the refugees and we we were able to get I think 30 or 40 children came to the school from Ukrainian refugees unbelievable amazing wow so so the problem was uh involved like we mentioned with many organizations of course and it's uh you know his uh the the about the importance of Jewish Education was that like his uh yeah application that's what he was interested in one system by a different uh good or maybe different maybe a talent some other place we had to speak it was a theme I simply speaking about the thing he says I don't know about this thing well she came back I think he almost except for once or twice when he talked about the ashes honestly he always talked about even before he talked about especially because he felt as his role nowadays is the settings to refer to it the Palace of the king or it shows the Palace of the king how could you not have children learning about the revolution in his own Palace it's and he felt that that was very strongly and so he was speaking about that for about every year but it wasn't just Earth Israel he was involved like you said he was involved in the clubs Israel which which is and they worked in those days with us with us very much in the Queen's community and uh the organization that you started Foundation yes and and very you know we were educating companies a lot of the leaders of the community now started out then amazing and uh he he was he was also a Master Mechanic you know he told me before about learning yeah he opened up he would go from you know you see the bishna and what the gabbar had why had to add something to the mission then what what rush he had a deal if he had to to wrote them what's wrong with the first parrot but the second Terror attacks is that the first Authority he built up from there and then maybe if if someone had a car show alternative so it was a child to learn I don't remember he was once the speaker by the uh I did that so if you listen carefully they have it on Facebook beautiful he didn't read the smart he taught you how to teach a Daft camera slowly this question didn't stunt talk things I said this was a whole share and I had to say Shish what you speak I watch you in that this he said this is an issue [Music] mostly how to say this year explaining she remember they tried to he was going a little bit longer than the uh than they would like no that's how those days and he got he just pushed it to the side no no no no no I know I don't think so The Interpreter side he said maybe I'm too long to see the story before that someone who I know would hear a relative of my father-in-law said he would come to every every event that I remember in Brooklyn to the dinner to the parliament maybe we'll say hello to me and and that I should though he's there and I mentioned it to us some years later and his son said well he was a Tom River Palm and when he came to our palms here he was a refugee this was someone who was an older generation when he was a World War II writer I didn't have a chance to learn anything he never learned about it before he was put in the ninth grade and and those days are probably in the ninth grade cheer and he said don't worry and he said by the end of the year rapam took care of him he caught up with all the other talmatians he just he just can't do and he he credited him right and he knew he saw rafam told him that he that's what and and he always felt that cash into apartment he said he used to come the rabbi mentioned also before a big English in a sense that uh with Palms to meet him that are very active today in Collegeville it's not like they were telling me then later on there is an exception but they were primarily in the high schools most of his life was a high school rabbit most of the time [Music] this is so inspiring to hear how much the rough cared and cried and was involved and did for cloud Israel now if there would be one final message a takeaway that college show the whole world is listening and there'll be one that they could take upon themselves you know to follow the ways we're discussing the life of Legacy share used to say You have to hear about class he took care of a lot of many many individual people counting for ages and a few people running out the door and no but some places really and really cared about them individual people you know like you know not the world yeah I I I might have given the impression we're talking about things that he did on on the White Glove scale but what he really taught is tell me the money that he was very Midas you know he was known as well he said I was history and and and things like that he would make he made sure that our medium had the right readers he would teach me those he would talk about readers he don't didn't have that for for rubby who really to that extent tried to make he tried to make the tell me the dimension and and they I I think more so in those days it wasn't as usual for Tommy that's such a close culture with the rabbit now it's a little bit more more common in those days he had a tremendous capture a lifelong capture with many many of his family even if they moved away here he said he remembers on Fridays but it was a long Friday in the Summers so you know the boys would stick around around you she was sometimes just play ball in the yard afterwards and he said he would notice that he would go leave with rosheska yeah would walk across the Williamsburg Bridge to the Lower East Side it was a subtle to train them no but he would sometimes times walk across the bridge you would walk across the bridge so that he would walk they were talking the learning to where he would but then I'll walk you to the train so he would walk him but then he would walk him back and sometimes they would go back and forth two three times unbelievable Life and Legacy of AVR and palm you know I could have a dull motion Motion in the Torah you grew up what what is connected to by a very Arby's fill the time he went out and saw the tribulation difficulties around me so we see that with your fathers our town and he cared Romney's over for rub himself for every single individual and that's one thing that every single one of us everybody could do something nobody could do everything that's my line I always like to say everybody could do something everybody could get involved to help others to be there for others you know thinking of ways to make cloudy Israel went through the birth to somebody very pity work but it move mail that Terry simply some of them but the team doesn't say what to do church is one thing don't do nothing sometimes the person comes to me and he's a fifty thousand dollars I don't happen to have that to see that much but I have twenty thousand I have a hundred dollars I could call a friend you know so like somebody don't do nothing don't stand still go ahead and do something that's a beautiful that's definitely personifies what we've been talking about up until now and I want to thank rubiasi for everything they do for Quality zone for coming and being part of the Torah talks podcast remember Aaron shlita you Chicago thank you very much for coming I know it wasn't easy but it means a lot to us on behalf of khadak and we want to thank all of you for joining us Tuesday night for Doctor talk to 8 30 PM in student Standard Time zach.org live plus all the different platforms on podcasts shout out to touring time for hosting it as well dailygiving that organ dollar day goes very far away when I thank them as well and the entire team really appreciate all the work done up here uh future events please reach out to kazaku.org and once again thank you very very much wow very inspirational on a personal level I do this for myself I get inspired I hear it thank you