Proj Inspire 2026 Complete Motzei Shabbos Keynote

Okay, ladies and gentlemen, sh this room is this room is full to capacity. It's warm and cozy in here with threats of a winter storm. But nevertheless, ladies and gentlemen, we came tonight to be inspired together. So, I ask everyone to please sh let's be as quiet as we can. And ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to the Matsashabis Gala Mala of the 2026 Project Inspired Convention. 17 years 17 years of partnership, of vision, of people who chose to take responsibility. What began as inspiration became commitment. What began as a vision is becoming a movement. Year after year we gathered, we listened. We learned what happens when people step forward and take aas not only for themselves but for Kalisra. And we discovered something deeper. When we inspire another Jew, something happens within us. Our own yiddishkite becomes stronger. Our own clarity becomes sharper. Our own sense of purpose becomes real. Because this is not only what we give. It is about who we become. Tonight is not just about reflecting on what has been accomplished. Tonight is about what comes next. Not what someone else will do, but what we will do. What role will we take? How will we step forward? How will we help shape the future of our people? And in doing so, shape our future as well. This evening is an opportunity, an opportunity to grow, an opportunity to step forward, an opportunity to act. So experience this moment. Let it challenge you. Let it move you. and let it push you to take the next step because by the end of this evening each of us will know we are not here by accident. We are here because we are needed. Welcome to the Gala Malava Mala keynote session of the project inspire convention. This is our moment. This is our responsibility. Here we go. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Malava Malika gala presentation of the project inspired convention. What a spectacular shabas we spent together. Was that not amazing? >> With all the challenges, everybody here kept a smile and we were totally blown away by the amazing presenters and speakers. I want to make a short announcement before this evening's program that tonight's program from right now is 92 minutes. That is an hour and a half. And I encourage all of you as in previous years to not leave early. Stay focused. You never know what you'll see at a Project Inspire convention. Ladies and gentlemen, over Shabas, we were completely blown away by Raosa Weinberger who spent Shabas with us. his words of and inspiration, his sh we connected with his soul and he connected us to all of a deep sense of love that we all felt throughout Chabas. Of course, Rever Fry Melo Shapiro who was already I believe back in Miami Beach back with his community already. We learned how to teach. Was that not an unbelievable session? Congratulations to everybody who stuck with and fooy on the people who fled for the door. We went through a check-in process and yes, of course, the orange vest. How could we forget 2 am 2 am we had the pow-wow with Rabbi Feltime and Rab Aaron Cutler and of course Rabbi Nissle somewhere in between. We heard from Yi Herzog how calling people before Shabas has transformed lives and how encouraging people to keep the shab has actually helped them keep Shabas. We heard from Yih the women's session during Shalis which was absolutely beautiful. It would still be going if Havdal didn't get in its way. We heard from Ti Barracks and of course Ya gave us a little taste of some more of what we're going to hear tonight. But most importantly, but most importantly, so many of you have already approached us about how you can get involved and what we could provide for you as an opportunity to get you involved. We're going to be speaking about that a lot more in the program. because there is something for everyone here tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado to kick off this evening's program, it is my honor and pleasure to reintroduce to you the the founding director of Project Inspire, my dear friend and colleague, Rabbi Kaim Samson. A good v everybody did you have a good shabas? We at project expire certainly did but a lot of people asked us over the sha so why did you change the venue really so I have been telling people the truth that as you know we've been work been doing our our convention in Connecticut for many years and it was really getting very easy for Yasi to do it he did it like the back of his hand I sometimes even caught him sleeping in the middle of the day when things were going on and it was so easy and we know Sara Agra. So we decided to change the venue. We all met as a team. We worked out what days they're going to be sleep outside on Arab Shabas. We gave Yossi the job to to take the cars and we felt you know what that will give him a little bit of of a harder work. Lefung Sara Agra will get more scar. So Yossi thank you for what you did on Arab Shabas. Didn't Yossi do a great job? And not just Yasi but the whole team. the whole team and joking aside I just want to thank the whole team for what they've done because it is quite incredible from all my experience all together in life of seeing a team like this it everyone plays their role in the most unique and special way coming together but actors to to get the seat desire that we have and I just like to mention the following names Lauren Levit Yoni Zakatinsky Rabbi Modai Trop Yakov Giner Kayla Spiro, Civia Avadia, Toba Cohen, Daniela H, and Kaya Aza. And I'm sorry if I left people out. I appreciate tremendous volunteers and I thank them. And I thank all of you for being here and being our great partners. We spoke a little bit on last night about Misha Adima that when Ada comes in, we increase in sim. And we gave a little bit of a new twist to it that perhaps the idea is not just our own simka, but how can we have real true simra when our brothers and sisters 90% of them don't and perhaps the marima is that we have to get our brothers involved to taste the joy and the pleasure of Yiddish kite and a relationship with Hashem. I shared a story with you my dear Rebi Ravnak Weinberg yesterday and I want to share another one with you now which I heard from Yehuda Weineberg his son that his nephew Yeuda's nephew a grandson of Noah met with him a a few weeks before he passed away and his nephew came to him and Ravnak looked at him in the And he said to him, "I want you to dven for me for two things. I want you to dven for me for two things. Firstly, I want you to do that I, Ravoineberg, can understand the meaning of existence." That's quite a prayer. He's asking his grandson to And secondly, I'd like you to do for me that I have three more years of life so I can change the whole world. In three years, you can change the whole world. Please do for me that I have three more years of life. And that was Al Rebi. That was Alrebi that he was committed to the idea that we have to bring back all of Israel. And he believed with a passion that you could do that you could do that. And why why did he have that passion? Because he believed he understood that every human being is made. The whole world was created for me and I can change the whole world. I have infinite potential. As it says in what is man that you remember him and the son of man that you pay attention to him and you made him a little bit less than God himself. This is the power the potential that we have. If we want, we can change worlds for the better and god forbid for the worse. But we we're a little bit less than the almighty himself. That's our potential. And he understood that the Almighty loves us. He had a bet on that there's there's an infinite being who loves us. And with Hashem on your side, what can't you do? You can do anything. If Hashem was on your side, can't you bring back the whole of the Jewish people? Surely you can. And he had a will of iron, a yushmayim, and an and a clarity that Hashem wants all of our children back. He once told me that his mission statement for life is bring which he asked him, "Do you have a mission statement?" And he said, "Yes." I said, "What is it?" He said, "Bring back the Jewish people, the Jewish people, all of them now. No excuses." That was his mission statement. And that's what we had as tal and we understood. But I just want to say to you and I I I think that bez hashem over the shabas perhaps we got a little bit of that clarity that we can and that we must bring back our brothers and sisters. And I'm not going to talk about that anymore because I think we got that clarity. The Noah understood that one man could change the whole world. But it used to speak about give me 10 men and we'll change the world. Some people say give me 10 men means give me five women. Five women is 10 men is right. So 10 men or give me five women, you know. But he used to say give me 10 men and I'll change the world. But I don't know, you know, who is a man and who's not a man, who's really on that level to be considered a man. But what I do know is we have canine har 500 people in the room here. And I do know that if we work together with a hashem will look down and see our efforts. And I believe that this is the basim if all of us take the beautiful shabas everything that we learned and we say, you know, we're going to be both in our own relationship with Hashem that we increase in our love of Hashem and our connection to Hashem and we increase in our connection to the Torah. And not only that, but if we leave this shabas, this con convention and we say I'm going to play my role and all of us play our role as we go into hashem the almighty should look down at all of us and say look at the my kinder and I say hes please now look down at all of these people in the room all of these people who but Ezra Hashem are coming out of ing beautiful and powerful shabas. Please see the efforts that they and we together but after going to make for your children. Look down please and bring back all of the all of the Jewish people now. Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, this past summer, this past summer, I had the great honor of interviewing a group of guys and specifically the leader of the group. No, it wasn't the guy they called Mike. It was Zebie Sam. And and what started off as a story of a basketball team and its road to a championship turned into a story and an ongoing journey, not only a team, but of communities around the tri-state area and beyond. This journey was is an individual journey for everyone on the team. It's a journey of a man, a young man named Zebie Samid who has who has who has created leaders and has created men of boys and people ready to take responsibility further in Cla Israel. Ladies and gentlemen, just a short clip of this past year's Tishabove film from Project Inspire. Swallow away three for the lead. For the lead. Time off. Farming nail. Oh my goodness. Demi salmon. Zebie is our third out of five children. Leinhara, ever since he was a little child, we noticed that he had a lot of energy. I just looked for what can I do to help channel this energy? What can I do to help nurture it in the best way possible? I would teach him how to play catch and how to throw. And very early on, we noticed that he had some talent, a lot of natural talent. >> Learning wasn't that easy for him. We went through number of schools during his childhood, but all the while we tried to still build that sports ability. >> My parents found a school in Tene, which is called TABC, Tour Academy of Bergen County. Every single class was 40 minutes. My parents thought that it was amazing for me for my attention and to be able to sit still and and they had sports teams. >> We actually have a lot of appreciation for this incredible coach that Zevy had throughout high school. He really believed in all of his players and he really believed in Zevy and Zevy felt it. He at one point even told Zevy that, you know, Zevy, you express that you really want to be good at basketball. You actually have the potential to be the best >> Yeah. >> player that ever stepped on this court. It's in your hands. And he loved that. He loved that motivation. Basketball did prove to help him sit in class, focus, grow as a student and grow as a person. And it proved to be a very healthy, productive outlet. >> After TABC, he went to yeshiva nurs. And Zebie really adapted to that inspiration. Really caught on pretty quickly. They also have a nice gym over there in which he could continue to practice. >> Then it came time after Sha Alf to decide what he's going to do for the next year. My husband said to him, "Zevy, you should be thinking about is not where you're going to be learning more, but where you're going to be happy learning." That helped him make the decision to go to YU. >> Coming into YU, first day I met the guys on the team, I see one guy with a red hair, afro with earrings, see another guy with tattoos. A lot of these guys were not affiliated at all. I created a whole organization called Beyond the Court, which is the initiative of Beyond the Court Stuff to help these guys just have an awesome time in Yiddish to do team bonding, but to show them that Yiddishkite is not a bunch of rules and not a bunch of dos and don'ts, but it's just having a good time and how to make a good schmuck in Yiddish. >> We saw a lot of transformation of the guys on the team throughout the years and they themselves shared how much they have grown learning from Zevy and learning with Zevy. >> Zevy's secret is he leads by action. He doesn't really tell us what to do. He just does it. And that's how we kind of follow him by his positivity and his actions. This past year when YU started, they came in as the number one seed in their conference and that was really the time to shine and try to get to that championship to win it and move to the next level. A lot of anticipation up to that game. We knew a lot of people were going to come. The championship was a roller coaster. We came to the locker room down 14 and we were very down. We were just in the same situation the previous year and it was uh heartbreaking to lose. I had two fouls. So my coach saw me out and I go into the locker room. I put my head down said, "Hashem, if we lose, help me try to accept it. But if we win," I said, "I never promise." But I said, "Hashem, I promise I'm going to use my platform to inspire many people." And I just started making shot after shot and we started coming back and one by one we made shots. They missed shots. Everything happened in our favor. This was like the biggest nace I saw in front of my eyes. >> Come up with play after play. Zebie flo three. Are you kidding me? Falls back for three again. Count that one. >> There were 30 seconds left in the game and they were up by one. Zebie just he dribbled across that court and uh and he trusted the work he's put in and we all trusted him and uh we trusted God too. >> Fall away three for the lead for the lead. Time out. Farmingale. Oh my goodness. Zie with a fall away three to take the lead with 15 seconds to go. After the championship game, we all go into the locker room and I get in there and I'm like thinking like these guys are going all be playing rap music. And I get in there and they stop and they look at me and they go, "Ready guys?" And they all go in together. >> On the bus ride afterwards, just playing music, having a good time, but they're all wearing tits. At that moment, I realized basketball can inspire not just tens, but thousands of people. He took the opportunity to look beyond himself and to look at the team members that he's playing with and to inspire them and to help them grow and each team member did grow and they loved sharing with us and with areas that they did grow in life and in Yiddish kite and getting closer to Hashem. >> Now I keep kosher. I keep most Shabbats. I try my best and I want to do kush every Friday night and keep all the holidays. We might have different backgrounds, different pasts, different shortcomings, different experiences, but we're all Jews. We're all Yidden trying to do the same thing. Coming closer to Hashem, each in our own way is ultimately just be yourself. You have to be yourself. You have to try your best in your own way. But then to always look out for opportunities, ladies and gentlemen, what a beautiful story. What a beautiful story. However, as we learned this shabas, an inspiring story is just simply not enough. It's what we do with it afterwards. I just want to mention before we go further that Zebie Samit's parents and grandfather are in the room. Want to welcome you and thank you for joining us here tonight. Inspiration itself is not enough. So how can we make it practical? How do we change the lives of the team with our community? And so we decided to make a beautiful Shabbatone because Zevi reached out to Project Inspire knowing that if you want to utilize the single most powerful tool in outreach, our Torah community, Project Inspire was the way to do it. And so we searched for a place where, as Zevy put it, where could we get the best food and the most food and how could we make an amazing experience? And of course, the answer was Lakewood. And so Project Inspire and Zevie Sam and the team embarked on what turned out to be a life-changing Shabaton together. Ladies and gentlemen, a small glimpse into the Shabaton in Lakewood. We as a community you don't realize the people that you're dealing with on a dayto-day. They're actually searching. All you have to do is open a conversation. >> We had the great opportunity to bring the YU basketball team together with Zebie Sam to Lakewood. It was an amazing Shabas. It's so beautiful for these people to see the beauty of a Shabas, the beauty of who we really are. You know, these are not guys who do care regularly. It's a really nice opportunity to get involved on a on a little small scale. So proud of that. We wanted to give the boys the best possible experience, the most authentic experience of Lakewood, a shop in Lakewood. >> I couldn't tell you why Lakewood doesn't have a map if I was asked in ever since I got here. It was the most incredible experience ever. It's absolutely incredible that a community that I'm not really a part of. Like I didn't grow up religious at all, but they took all of us in without any hesitation. They fed all of us. They took us into their homes. They met their families. It was it's really really meaningful to me. Like it's it's you can tell that it took a lot of a lot of hard work and a lot of preparation and we're all very grateful for it. This chabaton makes me makes me understand truly the power of the Jewish community and how our roots are so deep. It really just inspires it inspired me. It will keep inspiring me and I will keep a remembering this weekend. I think if there there are religious people out there, I think, you know, small acts, it doesn't even have to host someone who maybe is not religious, but even having a conversation with someone who came from a different background. If we all did it, it would change it would change our our our community and it would really like change the world. Go all in. Make a difference in someone's life because we're all one nation. Someone asked me, "You think they're going to keep Chabas? They're not going to keep Shabas. It's irrelevant." The fact is that we gave them a taste of Chabas. You may not see it right now. I have no doubt that this Chabas was has impactful on them and their future and their full their whole life. There's no question about it. If this opportunity comes up to you whether you can host a shabaton together we can go all in and bring back as many namas as possible. Ladies and gentlemen, as we heard little tidbits over Shabas about the power of that Chabas, it is my absolute honor to call on members of not only the YU team, but also the Lakewood community to have a special interview. And to do that, we call upon the king of Jewish podcast, the from podcast. We have with us tonight, Naki Gordon from Meaningful Minute is here. And I'd like to welcome up on stage Zebie Sammit, Tom Valdman, Roy Iskavitz, Ari Saltz, and Barak Slattoitz who who made a special trip from Lakewood tonight who could not be with us on Chabis. And the interviewer of course our the the world famous now, Nahi Gordon. Thank you, Nahi. What's going on everybody? How was Shabas here? It was good. Come on. Come on. Zebie, you want to know what's the most Jewish thing about me? I think I got to turn these on. By the way, guys, they ain't turning on for you. Can you imagine? Most Jewish thing about me is I feel like I could beat you in a 101. You know, like what? Like what's why do I think that? Why do I think that? It makes no sense. So yesish. I don't know. I just I think I could. Next year, Project Inspire is gonna show a video of me beating you. Sorry, you know, but we're not gonna talk about that right now. I'm joined by some awesome people here on stage. Got to speak a little bit to Tom and Roy before we came up here. Met you guys for the first time. Tom, I'm loving the hat. It fits you perfectly. Yeah, there we go. That person who clapped is from Lakewood, right? Um, I want to start with you, Roy. Tell me about your upbringing. What was your background? >> So, um I'm from non-religious family. Uh we celebrate all the holidays and uh we pretty much like the most Israelis in uh Israel. Um coming to white and then I looking I left Israel when I was 15, played high school ball in Northern California uh for four years, then look looked for colleges to play and then chose YU. Then uh come and then I came to YU. Didn't really know much about you know uh Judaism at all. And then I met Zevy and uh I got the honor to meet this uh amazing guy and kind of taught me a little bit about Judaism and and kind of um shared me the the love that he has for Judaism and I kind of picked it >> from him. So now I really enjoy it. that really do a lot of different things from start picking from dime in the morning to b to many more and >> wow I want to ask you specifically growing up what was your I guess when you thought about from Jews you know what was the thought process like >> so as I can speak for myself I think uh didn't really know much about them >> there's always like a bad kind of connotation or like a negative uh feeling about them because I guess I didn't know much, >> right? I saw, by the way, sidebar, this is how my brain works, guys. Sorry you're going to stick with me. You took a dig at the red afro. You don't mess with the redheads, man. We're good. Come on, Zie. Not cool. Tom, tell me a little bit about about your background, where you grew up. What was your background? What's what's your upbringing like? >> Um, same. I grew up in Israel in same non-religious uh family. Uh, we do keep uh all the holidays. We do We do sh everything. Um, also when I came to YU, I didn't really know uh how to put filling on. The last time that I put filling was my bar mitzvah. So it was a long time ago. And uh when I met Zev, you just everything changed. Uh he just knows how to come the right way and just kind of like get through you and go to your heart and just um do it do it with love. >> Yeah. So, you know what we saw in the video, Zebie, was nice glimpse. Sure. So, I'm curious what your coach was thinking when you took that step back fade away with 15 seconds left. He he was no way he was happy about that, right? There's no way. >> I think I think >> you're good. Yeah. >> I think he's posted something afterwards saying like sometimes coaches coach and sometimes you got to let players play. >> Yeah. >> Said as long as it went in, he was okay. >> Yeah. As long as it went in. Yeah, that's true. That's true. Obviously, you've had a real impact on your teammates throughout the year, you know, talking about just the story, getting them more involved in Judaism, but specifically I want to talk about where the Shabas came into the play, right? Tell me a little bit about that from your perspective. >> For sure. Um, it's really like first of all, before I go anywhere, I want to say anything. This is the first time I'm publicly in front of people. >> Let's go. Give him a round of applause. Let's go, everybody. Come on. make him feel comfortable. >> I just want to thank project inspire for everything they've done from the >> picture everyone in the crowd wearing a striml like show him and everything will be easy right? >> Yeah. But it really all started by is really all desire from A to Z from how it all started from getting them to put on fill in to having a minion to doing team Shabatones. And I said to myself, listen, I can raise $1,000 and do a team shabatone in Wu. We'll get Chalant. We'll have to warm it up somehow. We'll figure out that stuff. But I said, why don't we figure out a way where we can have Shabatones in communities for people just to go all out for these guys and show them how Gishmak Shabas is. And it was really all started. I was in touch with Charlie Harrari and he told me, "Why don't you do Project Inspire? They just did a Tish film of you." >> I was like, "I didn't know they do these things." >> And we got in touch again and they said, "We're all in." And I said, "Listen, I remember calling her by Samson over and over again." And I said, "Unlimited food. Unlimited food and more food." He goes, he called me a few days later. He said, "Okay, I'm working on getting a couple people." I said, "Did you tell them unlimited food?" And I said, "The more gashmas, which really is rnas that you throw in, >> the more rnas we can throw into them." And they went all in for the food. >> Lakewood has good food. I liquid where is that? It's >> always did a great job. >> Jersey, I don't know. I think I've heard of it. I'm not sure Ari Barak, right? You guys are in touch with Project Inspire. You're like, "Okay, we're gonna we're going to host this Chabas. We're going to bring an entire basketball team." All the mothers out there, I want you to understand how much these guys probably eat. So, when a Zebie says unlimited food, it's not the same as your family, you know? It's just probably not. It's a basketball team. You took on this challenge of like we're going to host this Shabus. What inspired you to do that? >> So, I'll start off saying that Debbie said everything was Seattle desaya. The message of unlimited food never got through to us. >> Oh man. >> I'm I'm serious. Legit, it probably never would have happened. >> Um >> it's just a regular liquid chav. It's unlimited food, right? >> Regular. So actually I had the privilege of learning by Rabius in Asia and I met uh the rashiva and he always told us you know we got to do something with our lives and we got to do kir and we got to inspire people and to be honest I never really did always felt a little guilty about it and so when called up and said hey we want to do shabaton can you help arrange it just flash of inspiration I said, "Sure, no problem. We'll do it." And I remember being in the car. I was on my way back from a meeting. And that was it. It wasn't It was no hesitation. It wasn't like, "Let me think about it. Let me ask my wife because, you know, sometimes you just got to just jump right in it." And that's what happened. >> That's wild. >> Yeah. >> But it didn't end there. It wasn't just a beautiful shabas, right? That's not where the story ends. If it did, we wouldn't be here up up here doing this. Tell me a little bit about what happened next. Yeah. So the guys really kept in touch like you know sch smoozing and they came back actually for a second chabas a couple of weeks right after which was amazing. And then at one point um one of the guys Schleaming said hey if you guys keep shabas again I'll take you out to reserve cut. And >> that's liquid baby. That's liquid guys. >> You keep shabas we're going to reserve cut. Nice. >> Yeah. And they were what were you guys like 15 guys went out or something like that. >> 12 guys. and just things just kept going. It was like one week, let's do another week, another week and you know, we're the guys are still in touch, you know, I just was smooing with Tom and I said, you know, what's your pesak plans? And he said, oh, I'm going to be in the city with my mom. I said, in the city with your mom. Come to me for the seder. And he said, okay, great. And that's it. Just like that. Easy peasy. >> That's crazy. That's that's that's literally the project the inspire way is the second things you think are over it's to keep it going to keep it going a little bit more and a little bit more and bar you were there you were involved in the shabbasim and I heard that maybe the shabbasim did a lot more for you than maybe the voice can you tell me about that >> I think I think that project I was part of the project inspire project inspires the project transformed I It was kind of it was said over and over, but we went away with a lot more than I think they went away with because if you think about it, how much we really change in our lives. We go through life, we hear, how much does the average person that is born from change in their lifetime. >> Yeah. >> And to watch people that they're not people that were seeking necessarily, they weren't necessarily seeking. They weren't people that had a life event that made them look something. They just transformed their life one step at a time. And I I was just amazed. I started off going to one event. I went to the Kish and I went to every event there and then Ari had them come back again and I was I was just more part of the inspiration than they were. >> Wow. Roy Tom. So what would you say your life is different before the Shabas and now post the Shabas that liquid chabas? >> Um mainly the the main difference um before and after. So before I felt like um how Shabbat could be like very serious thing, very serious. You have like a time schedule of like you have to do this this and that. You have to do kush at a certain time, you have to um um you know hear a speech and and go through all that and and after that lakewood uh Shabbat I felt like everything is much more calm. >> Yeah. Shabbat is really like a at least time to rest and and kind of gather your thoughts and and kind of prepare for the the following week that you have after. So you kind of it's like a kind of like time to relax like >> Yeah. Tom, besides for the hat, what has changed in your life? >> Uh >> guys, can we get him a a Borcelino brand deal? Bigger size. Borcelino. Let's go. Um I mean after Shabbat in Lakewood um just everything changed. I saw a different a different religious community and it's just it it changed my whole life. I kept eight Shabbats in a row. Um wow. And after this eight eight Shabbats, Zevi was like, "All right, like I'm going to reward you." And I got something for it. But after that, I did three Shabbat totally for uh for myself, for God, and for Zevie. >> Yeah. And uh now that's uh my 11th Shabet that I keep. >> Wow. Um, I feel like Tom of two years ago would never believe that it's it's going to happen and and it it's actually going to be me, but I feel like after this Shabbat in Lakewood is just changed my life. Wow. And it didn't it didn't end there. There's a lot of programs. I know you guys are, you know, incentivized keep Shabas and Shabbas and that's eight meals at Reserve Cut. Like I'm in like first of all, where do I sign up? I got to meet the Schlam Ingra guy. I've been to Reserve Cut once. I've been keeping Shabas for a long time. Um, gotta speak to that guy. But Zebie, bring it home. You know, wrap up the message about what you experienced this whole story. What's your takeaway? >> Question. You know, it's really hard to just explain it in words. It's very hard to just explain it in words because I feel it like I don't really know how to explain it. It's just the fact is that I've been keeping Shabas my whole life and we have guys here >> that are like I'll just give one small example for Tom the other week I told him right before Shabas I said Tom why don't you keep Shabas this week he goes I already did the challenge and I said please just just this is the only time you're going to really be able to do it for God threw his phone across the room he goes you're my Hashem I said don't say that >> but um >> we actually had that once it didn't go well Tom it it was bad not a good The idea was cute, but I but he told me Friday night, he said, "Z, Zevy, I didn't tell my girlfriend and I didn't tell my parents that I'm keeping Chabas. What do I do?" I said, "Tom, they're going to, you know, they're going to panic a little bit, but they'll be okay." He said, "You know what? I'm going to do it." And after Shabas, he called them and they panicked and then they were okay. And he just feels good. And I think the message for all of us who are involved and are able to help out, it's try your best to be real yourself because when you're real yourself, the people around you see it and go out of your way and try to do something extra. For me, I'm with them and Hashem just throws ideas in my mind and I just do crazy things with these guys and hashem it's working. >> But everybody here, try your best to go out, reach out and help out one another. >> Amazing. Thank you so much, guys. Listen, that's the power of project to inspire. Progynous fire getting people and empowering people. Everyone in this room just want to let you know just to wrap this up. This could be you. You can do this with somebody. Whether it's a neighbor, a friend, a family member. I promise you these guys probably never thought it would be them. And now it's them. And it could be you, too. Thank you all for listening. >> And Zebie, I will beat you in that 101. I'm just saying. Okay. Thank you. Bye. Ladies and gentlemen, Naki Gordon meaningful minute and the YU basketball team as well as the Laker guys. Thank you so much for all being here tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, as a reminder as a reminder of what transpired in Lakewood with this Wu basketball team, it's been mentioned many times over Shabas Mashem. many groups will be coming our way and wanting to run Shabatones and we look forward to reaching out to you as communities and individuals to host. A special shout out to Ari Salt who just took a little part of this interview but really was the brains and the organizer behind this entire Shabaton. And yes, Ari can be you as well. Ladies and gentlemen, over the over the many years of the Project Inspire Convention, we've had we've had the great honor of having amazing and world famous speakers from far and near. These days, once upon a time, he was in England, and these days he's from near. From the Edmond J. Saffra synagogue, the rabbi of the Edmond J. Saffra Synagogue, a dear friend not only of mine and of Project Inspires. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to welcome Rabbi Schlommo Fari. Wow. First of all, Zaku is how we would say it in my to the entire basketball team for your wins on and off the court. That is incredible. As I'm sitting here tonight, um, my main speech is really supposed to be tomorrow, but as I'm sitting here tonight, I can't help but be a little bit overwhelmed by the unbelievable feeling that the Gim describes as all of Israel is responsible one for the other. But it's very interesting because there seems to be a little bit of a discrepancy in how it says the mahammar and how it should say the mahamar. It should say one would ostensibly assume z. But why are there two different of responsibility one for the other and one which says z the maharal gives us an unbelievable answer and that's really where I want to start my words to you tonight. The Maharal explains that the word here doesn't only mean that we are responsible but rather the word comes from the word that we are intermingled. We are interwoven. We are connected one to the other. Every time you find in lashon a word which has more than one meaning, we aren't trying to tell you it means this or it means this. We're trying to tell you it means all of these. Our responsibility one for the other comes from the fact that we are indivisible one from the other. Our lot is cast in one with the other. And therefore it is not z is z. We are literally mixed together. I am a perfect example. My father is Syrian. My mother is a yakid from Germany zaz. But my friends let me help hopefully drive this message home. In this week's parasa, we read again and again about creating the v various khim of the mikdash and the raan and theim and others all ask the same question. Why is it that we mention you should do, you should do, you should do, but then one time we say the words only when it comes to the of all of the the holy ark that sits in the that carries within it the does it say the words and you should make in plural and not and you should make in the singular. Let me read to you the words of the holy sh is giving us a hint. The essence of Torah cannot exist only when all of Israel is operating together. So therefore there is no possibility of I don't care if you're ash if you're an ili if you're someone who does mitzvot to perfection you could never build the aon by yourself. It is only something that can be done together all as one. One nation, indivisible, undivided, under God. My friends, our Yiddishkite, ours, is not whole without each and every one of theirs. I think most people think that this is about giving another Jew a chance, helping someone else with their Judaism. But actually, what we're learning from the is my Judaism is their Judaism. My fromkite is their fromkite and to leave them alone and to let them wander without it is something that we simply cannot do. Project inspire is not asking you to do something that akadoshu did not already ask you to do in his Torah. So my friends, we are just being reminded of a debt that we already have to ackadu. Recently I took a trip to Poland with uh one of the groups and we walked through the cemeteries in Warsaw in places like Lodge and I mentioned to them something. I've been to Poland more than 70 times. I lived in London and from there it was a very short flight. Almost all of the times that I went were from there. I only went from America once. But my friends, I pointed out, look at the names on the graves and people started coming back to me and I have a list that I keep and I'm going to read you some of the names that I saw in Warsaw and Lodge. Gavika anyone his name is Glea? No. Henfeller anyone? Carbos Fleer Boy Hawaro Zaki Kovati a single one of those names. Is anyone here named that name? Or does anyone here even know someone who has one of those names? So I went to our tour guide, Sie Spermer, and I said, "I think I know a lot of Jews. How come I've never heard any of these names?" And he stopped short and he looked at me and he said something to me that took my breath away. He said, "Shomo, you haven't heard those names cuz those families don't exist anymore. Every last member of those families was wiped out in the Quran in Europe." My friends, when I come back from Poland, I think of that all the time. You see, why we lost so many people to bullets and gas chambers. Why we lost so many people to stabbing and starving and sickness and ghettos. We are losing far more Jews, not even to people walking away from Judaism. They don't even know that they have it. They don't even know what it is. They're not leaving. They're just living. Living a life of Knicks games, basketball, football, living a life of college, and school, not even knowing that there's anything missing from their life until you and me step in. because we have an opportunity to save entire families. And I have met many of these people who will tell me, "I'm the only one in my family who keeps anything." If that boy or that girl does not come on a Shabbaton, listen to a Torah class, was not given a pair of Kaneka candles, had no one asked them to put a pair of tilene on, that is one more name to add to my sadly growing list. So my friends, I ask you, what do we want to do about that after being inspired over an entire week? The Torah gives us the answer to this. the greatest leader the Jewish people ever had. His name was Moshe. Not Zevi, but Moshe. You're close, by the way. And Moshe's whole journey, where does it start? It starts with one Jew. It starts with him seeing one Jew and thinking to himself, I don't know if I could save all of them, but I could save this one. So, how could I not save this one? Moshe's efforts actually almost cost him his life. He is saved by a miracle. My friends, I believe that inside every single one of us and Raman echoes my sentiments lives a Moshe Rabenu capable of caring about one Jew. But I will end my words with a story in triplicate. Please don't kill me. My friends, there's another layer to the meaning of the make for me an Aon. On top of the Aon sits the two kiruim who have the face of children. And my friends, we always think that when we are helping somebody else, we are bringing Judaism to them. But I have a question for you tonight. Raise your hand if you are having no troubles whatsoever in of your children. Raise your hands if you have no issues. Anyone? I don't see I mean there's lights but I don't see one hand. One hand in the back. Oh, he don't have kids. Yeah. I don't know. By the way, I can't see anything. I'm like blinded right here. Unless you were just randomly saying hi at that perfectly timed moment. Hi my friends. You know why is so hard? Rev. Burkowitz just told me I saw him last week that in our world one year is the equivalent of an entire generation. Think about what our world looked like just one year ago. where AI was like, the various changes that happened in society, what's going on right now in the city that I'm a rabbi in New York City with Mandani changing the rules of the game day by day. My friends, I need to ask you this question. Does anybody in this room not want a magic pill to take care of their children? The puk says you will rejoice in front of your God. says the Levite, the convert, the orphan, and the widow. Four, God says those four belong to me because they don't have anybody. And Hashem says, I am the father of I am the Dian Alman. Those are mine. your son, your daughter, your workers, those are yours. Hashem says, "I promise you, you take care of mine, I'll take care of yours." We don't know what AI is going to do. But I can tell you one thing, one person who knows exactly how to deal with AI, and that is Hakadosh Baraku, whose name is Adon- AI. He is the master of everything, including AI. He is the master of whether or not there will be war with Iran, whether the DSA stands for Democratic Socialists of America or dementia society in America. My friends, can we not let him drive? Will we not let him drive? And the only way we can do that is by taking care of his. My friends, when I was growing up, my father would all the time do this to me. I don't know if any of you have had this. I'd be walking along and my father would take my face and he would go like this. Slow-mo, look over there. And invariably, there was nothing interesting. He was always shoving my face into a bush, into a tree. Not literally, but and I didn't know what he was doing. And I said, "Aba, what are you doing?" And my father would say to me, I I will not forget this as long as I live. My father said to me, Schlommo, someone from our is driving their car on Shabbat. And if they see that the rabbi or his family saw them, then they'll be embarrassed. And if they'll be embarrassed, maybe they'll hesitate to come to shul for the shame. So look over there. This is the childhood that I had. My friends, I always wondered where my father got that. And at the yard site from my grandfather, my uncle told the following story. He was walking through the streets in Halab Aleppo in Syria. And all of a sudden, there was a little alleyway and his father, my grandfather, who I'm named after, Schlommoari, shoved my uncle into the alleyway. And my uncle said, "What'd you do that for?" And he said because there's someone from the shul he had a grocery store who owes me money and every time he sees me he promises me he will pay me back next week next week. Next week I know he doesn't have the money. So why should I let him see my face? And why should he be embarrassed to see mine? Suddenly I understood that that had come not from my father but from his father. And only last year as I'm walking down the street of Madison Avenue where my synagogue is right off the corner of 63rd and Madison, my son Yitzkak turns to me and says, "Aba, look over here." And I looked and I said, "What do you mean?" And he said, "Someone from our just got into a taxi cab." And I knew that you wouldn't want him to see that you had seen him get into a taxi cab. I am Schlommo. He was Schlommo. My son is Yitzk. My father is Yitzk. My friends, you want those values in your kids. Take care not to embarrass another Jew. Take care to raise up another Jew. And the dividends will not only play off in your obligations to the Torah, but and you will make your children the angels will be growing up in the because of what you've done for Hashem's for. Thank you so much. You have people who have strong Jewish backgrounds connecting with people who don't necessarily have Torah backgrounds. They come together and they share that Torah with each other. That's the mission of Project Inspire. I got involved through Rebe Sidner from the village show. The main trip that we had recently was the trip to Israel. The project inspired leadership trip. The >> idea was can we bring 40 50 guys from North America who all went to yeshiva who all learned. >> We toured every day. We met Rab Gman. We met at the end of the trip and the leaders of project inspire they sat us down and said now what >> they said okay we got to have a learning program. Let's bring the firm community and non-firm community. Let's bring them together. >> From this trip, Tara 2.0 Toronto Project Inspire Village Shaw was born. >> They all came back on fire and they kept bringing people from their shores, reaching out to more and more people to come learn. >> When it was all said and done, we had 150 plus lom and malam that were learning on a weekly basis. It strikes me as a necessity for Jewish people to make people aware of what their heritage is and what better way to do it through study, through Ashul, through community. >> Bringing Jews to in understanding uh how what it is to be a Jew, how is to have a connection with Hashem, understanding how the Torah is an instruction manual for life. >> We've got all these people who want to learn, who want to grow. I've been coming for quite a few sessions now. We'll have a great Havarusa and it's rounded out by the good company and some food and drink. >> This is something I want to be a part of cuz I want to sort of meet new people, meet other Jews, and continue building a life of Torah. I know for myself personally, Makabusa pretty much every week, texts me in the morning, he says, "Yakov, are you coming?" I'm like, "You better believe it." Just looking around the whole room and seeing the array of people learning, it's very incredible to see. Written material that we're given to study is really well written. week cars and to another week the cuffs. >> It's actually at a reasonably uh deep uh level. Tonight we're studying about blessings and basically showing gratitude. I'm constantly working on that. >> A guy walks up to me as he was leaving Torah 2.0 and he said, "Rabbi, I just want to tell you, you have no idea how much I've learned in this program." And this guy is, you know, he's not from yet. He says, "Besides what I've learned, just starting to learn Torah has showed me that there's so much I don't yet know and there's so much more for me to learn." He goes, "And that's been eye opening for me. This is one person with one story." >> For me, Kira was basically a new experience. Seeing how people are coming from the other side to Yiddish, it's tremendously rewarding. I'm so happy that I could do a little part. My hope is that uh the relationship between the village school and project inspire continues to grow. We continue to inspire hundreds more and that project inspire furthers their mission around the world to replicate this many many many times over. Ladies and gentlemen, as Project Inspire 2.0 I know continues to thrive in Toronto. It is my honor to introduce to you Yako Freeman who came all the way from Toronto to be here with us this Shabas for project inspire village shul Torah 2.0 I know. It's extremely humbling to be up here. I finally got the courage and then we hear from Fari these beautiful words. The whole Shabas we've been having one speaker after another, professionals, best of the best. So, I think we should just put on the YU basketball video again and I'll just go sit down at my table. Thank you, Yosi. Once again, you pulled off a beautiful event. First class all the way from A to Z or like in Canada we say A to Zed. I I seriously think I don't think Yasi ever sleeps. No matter what time I text him, it could be 11 o'clock at night, 6:00 in the morning, within a minute there's a couple dots on my phone and he's responding. We really appreciate everything he does. I also want to thank my good friend Rafaim Samson for everything he does for the organization. I think on a weekly basis I get at least two or three WhatsApp messages and or phone calls and he's the only person I know that gives my mother a run for her money. She could leave me a five minute WhatsApp message. You're pretty close. But he always with his wit and with his generous nature, he always asks, "What can we do? what you need to move this program forward, what's the next project, and we really appreciate it. Finally, I'd like to say a shout out to our good friend Dr. Steuart Heightman, uh, chairman of the board of Project Inspire for everything he does, not only starting this movement, I think would have no told you, Stuart, now is the time. He'll be so proud of this beautiful movement you started. Thank you so much for everything you do. and we get to see you on a weekly basis at our learning program. So, thank you so much. ROI, return on investment. Every businessman knows what that is. You look at what you're spending and you wonder, is the return worth it? You do it in business. You do it in a cure organization. You're spending millions of dollars. How do you gauge success? If 50 women go on a trip and one woman comes back and keeps ta is that a success? If a hundred men go to and 99 come back and have a weekly kusa, is that success? How do we gauge success? I want to share with you a story I once heard that changed my perspective on cure. In 2012 at the kinis of Schluhos, Mrs. From Shapiro addressed from Australia, addressed the crowd and gave the keynote address. I'm not sure why I watched it. Maybe it was the Australian accent, but she said a story over about her grandfather, Rabbi Gutnik. He was was in Melbourne, Australia as a for the Reb in the early 40s. Australia wasn't what it is nowadays with a vibrant community. It was was very secular. And the Reb asked Rabb Goodnik Zassal to make an evening to invite women from the city to talk about Tarba, Shabas, Mila. He prepared that evening only one woman showed up. Obviously, he was very let down all this effort. And he told the Reb, "Maybe I should go back to New York." The Reb told him words that I I'll never forget. He said, "Raf, Mosher Raenu only had one mother." You don't know if that one woman that came to your event will go home, decide she wants to live a life, marry a from person, her son might be a rashiva, a RV, influencing hundreds and thousands of people. You never know. So the point that I took out of that was every single yid that we bring closer to mitzvah is important. But we also have to be cognizant of the fact that as long as there is one yid that is not living the life that's not keeping shabas our job is not done. We can rest on the project inspire leadership trip as was built. An amazing trip, but that's for another discussion. I don't want Yasi to start getting upset at me. Although that what I said about you doesn't count toward my time. It was it was tremendous trip. At the end of the trip, Yasi and Kim sat us down. We broke into groups and they said, "Okay, gentlemen, we had a fun week. We learned a lot. What are we going to do? What's the next project? We all have done the breakfasts and the dinners and the monthly gettogethers, but we wanted to do something with Kum, something that's going to last. So, we had about eight Malam that went on this trip for Malam. And we said each one will be responsible to get two or three friends and together with Rabbi Sitner who was our trip leader and the RV of the village sh in Toronto a cure of powerhouse for many of you who have been on trips with him he's fantastic his schul has a tremendous membership of on the journey people and he says you find the malam to have and I'll find the lom We decided we're going to have a five to six week program of learning preprinted material with help from project inspire. Every week a different topic in English and Hebrew easy to follow along and what unfolded was truly unbelievable. We got maybe 25 30 malam to agree to this. Three days later Abner says 35 people showed up. So we started getting we need more malam. then 70 people. When this program was finally started, there were over 150 people learning together on a weekly basis. Truly unbelievable. And it was so successful that we're still doing it. This was between Pes and it continued every week. We don't always get 150. People have weddings. People have homework with their kids. But we still have some weeks 50 people, some weeks 125, sometimes 140. People have a thirst for Tory. And no one understands this better than Project Inspire. They they know. We all know when your son is three, many of us take him to to RV or to Rebi and the Rebi gives him some honey and points to the letters of the olive face because when you show someone the sweetness of the Tyra, when you show someone the sweetness of being a fromid, they come back for more. They want more. And Project Inspire guides you every step of the way. So, we're really grateful for their leadership and for their for all the help they give all organizations. I'm looking at the crowd. I had the pleasure of meeting many of you over Shabas. Everyone here has a passion for curve and wants to do something. Like Rab Shapiro mentioned when he opened up with a diva, it's a lot warmer in Miami than Terrytown, New York. None of us are here for a vacation. We're here because we feel like we either want to learn new strategies or we want to learn how to get more involved. So I say please reach out to Yasi, reach out to reach out to project inspire. They'll give you the tools to see how in your communities you could bring something there. And I just want to conclude by giving everyone here a you all should be blessed with from your children and we all should be learning together in your Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, one of the special guests that comes to the Project Inspire Convention year in and year out to share with us his wisdom and his partnership is Rev. David and his wife Revit Debbie Greenblat. Rabbid's father. They get a round of applause for him. Rabbd's father, Ravnat Zatal, was the rebby for all of us in terms of what it meant to love and care for another Jew. Ladies and gentlemen, Project Inspire compiled a tiny glimpse into the selfless and cloud dedicated life of Ravena Greenblad Zatal. My great uncle Renata Greenblat filled the room. His personality, his charisma. There's no one else in that room that you wanted to listen to. Whether it was Dyra, his story, his humor was a brisker. He had an unusual command of learning with a derm that was unique to him. >> To watch my father talk in Torah, to watch him give a shir was to watch pure joy. Pure joy. You can say that of not needing enough causes of that's what it mean. There wasn't an aspect of Yiddish kai that he didn't mastery baltazin mile gin cipher built mcfire build sit onto nitra he knew everything it was unbelievable and he knew it from a practical point not just from a issue >> every single sug in that he was fluent in and familiar with he got down to the core of the suga he was able to Posin on every issue that was put forth to him. >> He became someone upon whom Rib Mosha came to rely to answer the shilas that people would call Rasha with. >> He didn't see himself or his scholarship or his his husmada or talents as differentiating him from anyone else. He was incredibly humble. He dressed humbly. He never spoke about himself. He put everyone's needs first. There's no distance he wouldn't travel to help someone to help a you didn't need. My grandfather's sense of responsibility came from looking at the Jewish people from a big picture perspective. He felt a deep aras for Kalisel and for Yiddish in America, particularly for communities that didn't have leaders. He saw an ad in the newspaper that um the city of Memphis was looking for a a Kazna Torah teacher and uh and he went >> he laid a foundation and started a day school and took people who knew nothing and as a result of his hard sweat and toil, the people who came out of Memphis were connected to Yiddish kite. My father-in-law, Larry Brown, grew up in a traditional home. He went to an afternoon school at Talmura, but was not an observant Jew at that time. Did not keep chabas. >> I was a typical teenager running around town with with my buddies. >> My father befriended him and uh my father asked Larry why he doesn't come to the shul on chabas. >> My father-in-law said, "Rabbi, I have a paper root." He says, "And how much do you earn and from your paper roots?" Four paper roots I earn $1.50 every Saturday. He says, "What should be if I give you a $150 to come to synagogue on Chabis?" He said, "You're willing to give me a $1.50 to give up my paper route on Chapas. I'll come I'll come to Chabas." This meant to my father-in-law that there's something more valuable than entrepreneurship. There's something more valuable than a paper route. There's something more valuable than money. >> My father did give up that paper route and he did do some learning as a result of it. He set my father on a path to Yiddishkai. >> Today they have generations of borra of educators of scholars of Tamil and children grandchildren great grandchildren. We have so many things that we do that many don't know about or many have participated in. And for a $150 or whatever it would be or for just caring and being involved with these neighbors and friends, we could interest them in our wonderful lives. And you'd be surprised what an impact you could make. >> One small deed can have major ripple effects and it can affect generations and generations to come. My name is Manakiman Nissle from a town called London, England. I grew up what they call modern Orthodox. I went to theater, opera, and rock concerts. When I was 18, I went for a year to Yeshiva and I fell in love with learning. I gave up my place in medical school and I met a man called Raisha Shapiro. And after that, I decided it was time for me to get married. And my first shock was the lady called Debbie Brown. of Memphis, Tennessee. For me, Memphis sounded the most glamorous place in the world. I pictured at every street corner exotic, cool, black saxophone players playing for no reason at all, just because they were cool. After two weeks, I proposed at the kosel. I got the goab got the go-ahad from Hashem and I asked the go-ahad from my wife and she said to me, "First, you have to meet my parents. I came to Memphis. Boy, did I have the shock of my life. I met this gentleman, southern gentleman, Mr. Larry Brown. He spoke Very much like the sloth in Zootopia. Son, if it's all rat with you, it's all rat with me. I had no idea what was happening to me. It got worse. He went on to tell me that Memphis was the third biggest city on the Mississippi and handled 50% of the United States melon crops. I had no idea what was going on. Little did I know that the Browns, Larry and Lorraine Brown, was involved with every single part of Tra in that city. And the next day they introduce me to the Rebi of Not Greenberg. Suddenly I'm in this room in this den and I feel like I'm in your shellish these old swarm. I remember specifically an old lady hood was open. I started talking to this man in learning and I said to myself, how fortunate is Cla Israel to have such an extraordinary person? How wonderful it would be for me to have a kesher with this man. Fast forward 40 years. I'm standing in front of you today because of that man. Fast forward 40 years. I'm Z with the nine children, seven of them married, building their homes. I have a son of Rashisha, a son of Rasho. I now have a grandson it just started yeshiva my beautiful amazing sister-in-laws are building their dus at the same time how did such a thing happen how are we to such a thing because one man one giant of a man one living safeter decided that I care about another Jew one man, one person who cared enough for a $150 to change one man's life and with that person he gave this of thousands and thousands of people to be affected a living satra. How much a curse to save I have to this sadic this godle not to green I'd like to call up um Davidid and his rabbitson if you could just come up for one moment please deb Come stand over here, please, just for one moment. You're not in trouble. On behalf of Project Inspire, on behalf of the just wanted to have this to be able to present to you on behalf of the thousands of people, the tens of thousands, probably the hundreds of thousands of people your dear father and father-in-law has affected. It's a$150. I just want to say thank you. Just just two seconds. I just want to say thank you, Rabbi Nissle, and everything you've become is because of who you are. And your father-in-law got a $150. And some people would say, great, I don't have to work today. I made a $150. And someone wiser says, "It must be that chabas is more important than money." And that's the lesson he took. And that's why he built a beautiful family that you're part of. I'm sure my father would be honored to be here tonight and to celebrate the fact that you're one of the son-in-laws of the Browns and thank you very much on his behalf. Thank you. I was made way back in 1842 by a humble man, a real Godfearing Jew. who did his work with honesty, feeling and with pride. He was known and ke with loving care. his hand so he formed me with some parchment he can't quit each day slowly at just a few more lines with words to last until the end of town. And on the day that I was finally complete, the whole town came and filled the narrow street. And they sang and danced and held me high and carried me away to the living wooden shoe where I would stay. And as the rabbi held me close against his chair, he spoke out loud and clear to hold the rest. He said, "No matter if you're very young or even if you're old, then by the words you'll find inside this world. So if you hear my voice, you come along and take me to the place where I belong. and maybe even sing and dance when you carry me away. Some little wooden sure where I would stay. And as the rabbi holds me close against his chest, he'll speak out loud and clear to all the rest. They'll say, "No matter if you're bury or even if you're old, if by the words you find inside this world." Let's live by the words we'll find inside our soul. a good everyone. My name is Schauman Brickman. I live in far away after many years in Flatbush and I dab Rabbi Brown sh I consider myself a regular from Yid nothing extraordinary I'm not a practicing RV not a public speaker by day I'm an investment banker mergers acquisitions negotiations numbers and a big focus on raising a family on the surface my life is very ordinary But there's something that has always been important to me. Over the years, through business, travel, and everyday life, I've met many fellow Jews who are less affiliated, sitting across from me in meetings, next to me on airplanes, in casual conversations. Sometimes I felt a quiet pull inside, not to give a speech, not to preach, just to ask a simple question. Would you want to learn some Torah for a few minutes each week? I never knew that. I never knew what would come from it. Sometimes the answer was no. Sometimes nothing happened. But sometimes something beautiful began. Barashem. Today I learn regularly with four different kuses. Jews I've met through completely ordinary circumstances. One of them I've been learning with for with five days a week, every week for the last eight years. Not hours, just minutes, but constant minutes, real connection. Kira for me was never dramatic, no grand programs, no just be just being mindful enough to ask. Then October 7th happened. Like everyone here, I watched in shock and pain as the events unfolded. The months that followed were filled with grief, but also with something else, a hesus. Jews everywhere began searching for connection. People who hadn't put on fillin in years suddenly wanted to. Campaign started sitsus fillin mitzvah. I participated like many others. I donated. I sponsored. I supported. But deep down I kept thinking, what would it feel like not just to sponsor Tillin, but to look another Jew in the eye and ask him directly, do you own a pier of fillain? And if not, would you want one? not through an organization, but personto person, hearttoheart. I didn't know if I'd ever have that opportunity. Then in March of this of last year, project inspire brought a group a group of us on a leadership territory to one of the places we visited was the Nova festival site. Standing there was overwhelming. The silence, the weight in the air, the ground itself felt heavy with pain. Hundreds of our brothers and sisters murdered Alkidesh. And guiding us through the site was a man named Orurin Laer. Orin wasn't a hostage. He wasn't even at the festival. He lived nearby. And when Orin heard what was happening, when he realized Jews were being hunted, he didn't hesitate. He got in his car and drove toward the danger again and again, back and forth, transporting Jews to safety, risking his life, not once, but repeatedly. And there he stood in front of us, calm, humble, no fanfare, just telling his story like it was an ordinary day. And as I stood there listening, I found myself thinking, here is a Jew who risked his life for other Jews. He saved bodies. Could I help uplift an ashama? And I wondered, was this the moment to ask him, Orin, do you havein? October. Apocalypt. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. for leasch. for paramed. It's about foreign. forch. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. for Adam. Shello. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. fort. Mr. for project inspire. Um, shalom. forchech. foreign. My friend Okay. October. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Thank you. My name is Orin. Studing here tonight after what you just saw is very emotional for me. On October 7, there was chaos, fear. Jews running for their lives. I didn't think I just did what I had to do. Jews were in danger and I acted. That was saving Jews physically. But months later I learned something deeper. Project inspire come to the Israel. They came to the Nova site a place of pain and memory. And there someone asked me a very simple question. Do you own a pear of feeling? And then do you want a pair of filling? No pressure. Just Ken. Shalom. You are studying next to me tonight. You asked me that question. No one had ever asked me that before. And I want to say thank you. Since that day, I put on filling every single day. On October 7, I have saved Jewish lives. That day at Nova, you carried about my soul. That is Jewish responsibility. That is Jewish love. I stand here not only because of what happened on 7th of October, but because a Jew carried for my Shama. Thank you for caring about other Jews. Thank you for caring about Jewish souls. And thank you for letting my part of this shab and I'm is I have I have to say >> I have to say that when we had that trip you told us stories about who you saved and the stories of people who are alive today because of what you did. You told a story about a boy who was shot who was bleeding for nine hours. He was bleeding out. Nobody can get to him and you risked your life. And when I told the story to people who I know, they said, "Really, how could you have an event if you're honoring Orurin and the work that he did? How could you not have the boy who you saved? And so Mayan, who you saved, is here tonight. I want to ask Mayan whose life he owes to you for saving him on that day. Mayan, if you could please come up. Thank you. My name is Mayan. Yes, I'm the one Orin rescued with his with his own hands. I'm standing here tonight only because of him. On October 7, I was in the Neville Festival with my friends. When the rockets and the shooting begun, we ran to escape. A terrorist group opened fire on our car. Two of my friends, Maya and Karina, were killed next to me, and I was hit with a bullet in my chest for 9 hours. not knowing if we would live or die. We called the police and they wouldn't come. They said it's a war zone and it's too dangerous. We prayed for an 80 or army, but the time passed by and just when it seemed completely hopeless, Orin came. It felt unreal. I was I was battling to survive. And when Orin came, it felt like hope. It was a relief. He carried me to his car, looked at me and say, "Stay with me. you will survive. And because of him, I truly did. Because of him, I'm alive. Orin You did not know me. You had no reason to risk your life for me. But you did. You saved me and my friend. You You are the true definition of a hero. because you mentioned you put the fill in. I wanted to add a quote and that's what you did to my world. Orin, you brought light not only to me but to so many others. It proved to me that we are not strangers at time of need. We are one. We are one family, connected, responsible for one another. Thank you for saving my life. when everyone else gave up on us. Because of you, I'm standing here tonight alive. Thank you everyone. And thank you all. One more time. We're praying for one more day. The dance that will never end. Together has one heart. Higher and higher. One more song. We pray for one more song. The million from high above. We'll sing and rejoice forever and ever. I remember the sky Jerusalem warm. Suddenly silence broken. A distant voice and ancient pray. Children climbing narrow stairs. Hearts were singing, lips were praying. Beneath us the ground will shake. How can we dance? How can we sing? The golden sky above us burning. We dream of better days. We know the day will come. We will dance again. One more dance we're praying for. One more dance. A dance that will never end together as one heart. Higher and higher. One more song. Oh, we pray for one more song. The many from higher above will sing and rejoice forever and ever. Time has passed. The world's so different. We saw angels lived with miracles. We feel your presence in every step. Return to us. We are ready now. We dream of better days. We know the day will come. We will dance again. One more dance we're praying for. One more dance. A dance that will never end. Together has gone higher higher and higher. One more song. We're praying for one more song. from high above. We'll sing and rejoice forever and ever. One more day. Oh, we pray for one more day. But that's now together as one high and higher. Oh, let's go a little bit. One more dance. Light it down. Light it down. Ah. Ah. Ah. Smack to be Yeah. Yeah. Light to Yeah. It's Yeah. Yeah. Light to be a Yeah. I night. I never mind. Aha. Aha. Aha. To me. Yeah. Yeah. Gishmish lighting light. I am high. Give me a mic.