Rabbi Ilan Meirov - Chazaq

so with no further ado right here with us is a man thank you so much for joining us I know it's a very very busy day and welcome to thank you so much for having us and there's another shame and I said silence we're gonna go strong the other shame absolutely so let me let's go all the way to the beginning so you started the hazak together with you Nev so what was the drive behind it how did it happen the truth is to be straight-up forward with you it's you Nev that really takes all the credit for what's happening here he's most selling that freshness he was fifteen years old he started this organization Zachary was 15 years old in yeshiva and he was bothered by the fact that there's so many people in our community that didn't even know who they are they didn't value they didn't cherish their beautiful Jewish heritage and and there he was as a one-man show Burton that looking to create you limb in the community to unites valid image gonna zoom all the different segments of the community to come to classes together about upcoming holidays a bachelor on part about raising children about anger management you name it he put together children with Ruhlman and speakers and the whole question it was very very successful and from there is main focus which was dealing with public school kids became a reality and you know we started different programs and a small scale going back over a decade ago 12 13 years ago in a very small scale and slowly but surely gradually it's become they made a tremendous tremendous operation that is changing so many lives so many so many Jewish kids how many years ago we have so we're talking about starting with the passing years old so this is happening about 2,000 to 5,000 yes around that time hello Lou 20 28 27 I'm not sure what do you share billion message Anna but that's what it is it's it's a I think what's interesting one thing to guys very interesting is usually when you have an organization started I didn't start a bunch of human need up a name leaders you know really wealthy people sitting down at a table signature we have problem ABC we're gonna put down X amount of money to start something cuz we gotta solve this problem over here was not much ahead finish yeah he was fifteen result you know and he says there's problem ABC I'm gonna try to figure something out you know actually star was the participate but remember she became Julie she organ became base the next thing you know it's a whole operation that touching literally thousands upon thousands of lives throughout the year I'm talking with people of all walks of life whether they're very religious whether their secular whether they have a Jewish education whether they're in public school there's still not a pastor so so this is amazing map if I so give me some numbers as far as I get an understanding of you know how many how many first before we came what we reached cuz they were here where we reached wow that's amazing I want you to understand what we have to reach you know we have a better leg for what we know about ten thousand traditional Jewish kids traditional homes there are public schools here in Queens area in the Queensland the Queen's area tell me have all division that we're ready starting to open up in the five towns in North northern wooden here we have thanks everyone up a little basin they have other parts of New York you know people Italians come to green neck but right now just letting my Queens alone yes there is approximate 10,000 now 10,000 Jewish kids they're not anti to ephemerides expose never had the exposure or maybe they they're just don't understand the importance everyone says my kid could go to public school and they won't be affected he'll still hold on to his traditions and them and he'll respect the values but in reality that the reality the thing yet we're seeing what happens what happens what happens a boy who goes to public school when when he graduates public school what happens if it is then every school delivers a certain message you know whether it's Jewish school whether it's a Catholic school whether it's a public school every school is your message so these kids from the age of 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 all the way through the high school years 18 years old I'm not hearing a thing about you have duty about Judaism quite the contrary they probably hearing more Fela and things against the Jewish values the Jewish morals and what happens is like there are mom says you're influenced by your surroundings right everyone simply by surroundings you you you it's like he bring down a Mashhadi if you're in a perfume store even if you don't buy anything just walking in there you have a certain smell right if you go into a dumpster looking to see what's there but even we don't touch anything when you walk out you boy you smell so bad for your influenced by surroundings so that kid that boy that girl that's five years old that goes to the public school I'm sure they give a good education no question about it but where they're gonna be 13 years from now are they gonna be identifying to the oedema juice are they gonna be like yeah you know we support I don't know what to say the visual we we support this and that but but in turn Judaism mom I don't have to practice anything is if I live with my heart you know and next thing you know we're seeing it I see with my own eyes the simulation rates is really rising you never losing numbers and how's that to intermarriage at end of the day you know when you are not taught the value of what it is to be you D what kind of responsibilities come with it what statue you have what what is your purpose in this world you can get lucite very easily and if from a young age they're not embedded with that what a shame that the two are that pride in being Jewish and trying to do as much as you can when you don't have that you know what we could have you know I'm in the wine and celebrate their their holiday as well you know we could have a wedding with quote unquote rabbi and also have buzzer man what's the problem with it all and you know what you can't blame him for that for buses it's a very natural process so Kazak has programs to combat right so what can you tell me a little bit more about the actual program it softens as far as what what do you do work what do you you know I do how do you bring them in what what do you say you know that's a million-dollar question like it's not easy we're raising you know dollars by the way right now thank you for pointing it out but but I'll tell you I'll tell you a very simple thing you have to realize many of these youth say I went to yeshiva my whole life and the older I got to leave the dismissal was you know 5 p.m. 6 p.m. 8 p.m. eventually in high schools even 10 p.m. with me schmuck in many of these public schools like the ones we have in our neighborhood the older you are the earlier the dismissal is so you have the average 9th 10th 11th 12th grader already on the streets by 11 it might excuse me 1 p.m. 2 p.m. 3 p.m. my god sue that's what we have the time you know a lot of our boys and girls and bought in crime and drugs Ashima Shmuel we see with our own eyes you look at you speak to our staff you hear the stories of experience over the past three years is you're gonna be shaking I'm not shaking good kids am I talking bad kids all good families you know Bob what are you doing you put any kid on the street every day at 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. you're asking for trouble and that's what's happening so what Kazak does is betrayed after-school programs for these two where they come they chill quote-unquote they have a good time they eat they drink they learn with the rabbi's learn with the teachers they go on trips after Shabbat owns it basically keep it keep them off the streets bring them to a safe beautiful environment and you see that beautiful fruits that come out eventually so many wonderful stories I'm sure if we check out our website give cos a calm you see over there a little link little video five minutes clip of some of our success stories and be a fun night so so I wanna make sure that's only with teenagers not even talk about what we do with kids kids five-year-olds 70 Latinos we have Sunday programs for them we have a weekly programs for them you know teach him that alphabet teach him how to read Hebrew because we have besides the teens and children after school program we have a whole PST Y division which means public school tissue with division we have a staff of men and women they're working their phones all day long communicating with the parents of the children that come to their programs or communicating with anyone in our community they may be interested in the Shiva education we call them up we say listen we want to offer you an opportunity your ten year old boy or you're trying to older daughters ran in public school what's holding you back from yeshiva listen I don't know I miss finances or maybe I don't like education or it's too far into this so you know what I've tried to work with you well introduce you to the schools well do something make something happen and add lab time one year and a half hold you see what is up tight and you're gonna have you put 370 370 370 plus plus okay over 370 kids from public schools DC but in a year you're plus you're gonna have did I mother amazing that's besides the hundreds of others that come to our programs is getting a Jewish foundation many programs yeah shopping there's a lot of work to be done and we're not gonna give up at any one you know you our theme is No Child Left Behind we're gonna give every single one opportunity if they wanted to the parents want is their decision we're not anyone comes along without portunity and I will give it to you that's amazing one last question is one personal story I have to think there's so many good stories that's how I give you the best one ever say moving on this question it's the first one that pops up I mom into the name of the individual names a young man comes knocking on my door you live in the same neighborhood same same building and sweet boy comes in he was 17 18 years old and you know he comes in yet a few questions about life it's now I gave him a little guidance and to build a new relationship every child learning you know a couple times a week and remember was a Shabbat Sukkot I think it was Malaysia bad Sukkot as I'm coming back home from attic message his father was outside he was smoking we're on the phone evidence mateship at Sukkot this is a viola by how are you which is you know you know Russian accent you mean I know you're learning with my son please make sure you just keep guiding him get him good she do a good Jewish girl and now or two later I hear her tell of running into the building came running into the building and I got a text from the boy and he was actually studying with a few friends and you know you know we immediately went to the hospital and Shammi sure he didn't survive within a few minutes but that boy obviously I think adesh so much that year but forgiven become good Jewish boy let's go mental on its hood I try keeping that promise of getting that she do I could say I remember Zack timeframe I think about a few weeks after his father's your tight you got married to a girl from a beautiful family you know and successful young man whose wife is doing great things in the community and it all started from one little knock on the door to my house I'm you build a relationship today following following the beautiful tradition that we've had enemies Jake I appreciate ur me we courage everyone get involved massage back in that organization everyone's organization Gary we're saving so many beautiful you know there's there's so many different charity this is something that involves us in our community it's right here it's under everyone should move to every single good something about something that's really happening in your neighborhood backyard how big how much Jessica thank you so much thank you thank you