Father

Thousands of Girls Have Lost Their

Life
A Life of Dedication
Born Educated Degrees Aliya

Brooklyn, New York 1935

New York and Maryland

Rabbinic Ordination Certified Public Accountant

Reflections of a staff member

Settled in Jerusalem 1958 Married

Sarah Kahn 1961 Career

Rabbi Stern was a leader, he gave us direction and kept things moving. Rabbi Sterns demeanor bespoke respect, dignity, determination and strength of character.

Hired by Bayit Lepletot 1958 Appointed to the Directorate of Bayit Lepletot 1962 Expanded Bayit Lepletot campus Founded Girls Town Jerusalem campus 1973

Rabbi Stern knew what his goals were, knew what it took to complete the task and carried out each step to perfection. Rabbi Stern had such a warm heart and such keen perception. He knew just the thing to say to bring out the best in others. Rabbi Stern had such a great sense of humor and such a dynamic personality. Things will never be the same without Rabbi Stern, but his legacy of kindness, sensitivity and dedication will endure.

Achieved world-wide recognition in the field of fundraising Spent nearly six months per year overseas on behalf of Bayit Lepletot Girls Town Jerusalem Community Leadership Actively involved with charitable organizations including Vision Impaired, Synagogue and American-Israel relations Blessed with nine children, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren Diagnosed with cancer 2008 Continued working on behalf of Bayit Lepletot Girls Town Jerusalem Died Jerusalem, 2012

Rabbi Samuel Isaac Stern, of blessed memory

Founder and Director, Bayit Lepletot - Girls Town Jerusalem January 14, 1935 - July 31, 2012 10 Shvat 5695 - 12 Av 5772

The Man and his

Dream

A Refuge for Refugee Girls By 1948, thousands of Holocaust survivors had made their way to Israel, including many orphaned children. Rabbi Naftali Rosenfeld and his family first took in two refugee girls; then four and then eight girls. Eventually, the girls were moved into an old warehouse building in Jerusalem. Bayit Lepletot became the name that people remembered as a shelter for refugee girls. The accommodation were functional yet very basic. Rabbi Samuel I. Stern arrived in Israel from America in 1958 with the intention of helping to build the country and aid the disadvantaged. He joined the staff of Bayit Lepletot and was soon promoted to director, taking on the responsibility for fundraising overseas and expanding the premises into a multi-level, fully equipped orphanage. He vowed to never turn away any girl who needed a home. Building a Better Future After the Six Day War, land that had been no-mans land was both available and inexpensive. Through Rabbi Sterns efforts, the Girls Town Jerusalem campus was established with additional dormitories, recreational facilities, and a complete academic and vocational training center. When the Russian Aliyah in the 1980s brought hundreds more children who urgently needed a family, including orphans and girls from disadvantaged or broken homes, Girls Town Jerusalem was already operating and ready to accommodate these forsaken children.

A Father to Thousands Bayit Lepletot - Girls Town Jerusalem was Rabbi Sterns lifes project and his dedication knew no bounds. He left his family and traveled for months at a time to raise funds for the Homes. He also became closely involved in the lives and development of each of the hundreds of children in his care. Rabbi Stern led numerous brides down the aisle with the pride of a father who has transformed a lost and tearful child into a happy and successful woman. At their graduation ceremonies for every educational accomplishment, if he was in the country, Rabbi Stern was there clapping the loudest for his girl. Over 6,000 women have grown up with Bayit Lepletot as their family and Rabbi Stern as their father. Now, these girls have lost their father, so many of them for a second time.

Girls Town Jerusalem

Bayit Lepletot Today
Bayit Lepletot Girls Town Jerusalem: THE home for orphaned girls in Jerusalem.
Bayit Lepletot - Girls Town Jerusalem currezntly accommodates hundreds of girls from the age of three until they leave either to pursue a career or as married women ready to build homes of their own. Bayit Lepletot - Girls Town Jerusalem provides so much more than just food, shelter and clothing. It creates for its girls a family atmosphere and a childhood devoid of stress and anxiety. Bayit Lepletot - Girls Town Jerusalem provides medical, dental and ophthalmic care for every girl, over and above what is provided by the Israeli healthcare system.

Our daughters deserve more.

Bayit Lepletot - Girls Town Jerusalem dormitories provide bright and comfortable accommodation for girls of all ages, and they live here 365 days of the year. Bayit Lepletot - Girls Town Jerusalem outfits the girls with lovely clothes and shoes so that they feel the same as any girl from a normal household.

Beyond education
Bayit Lepletot Girls Town Jerusalem makes education mean more than schooling. Extra-curricular activities like cooking, sewing and handicrafts give the girls important life skills that they will use one day to build their own homes. Bayit Lepletot Girls Town Jerusalems girls need an excellent education so that they can support themselves for life. Our vocational training program prepares our students for the world of work, in computers, finance, graphic arts and fashion design. Bayit Lepletot Girls Town Jerusalem provides camps, outings and fun for its girls throughout the year, especially during the long, summer vacation. Bayit Lepletot Girls Town Jerusalem, acting as the family, ensures that every one of its orphaned and/or homeless brides, begins married life equipped with everything that she needs. In addition to the weddings of each bride, Bayit Lepletot Girls Town Jerusalem generously provides its brides with a complete trousseau, kitchenware, linens and appliances. Annually, there are an average of thirty to thirty-five brides. Bayit Lepletot Girls Town Jerusalem has established scholarship funds which have enabled our graduates to acquire advanced education and complete degrees in teaching, counseling, programming and other disciplines.

The Samuel I. Stern M

Protecting His Legacy There can be no greater legacy for Rabbi Stern, who devoted his entire life to the establishment and continuation of Bayit Lepletot - Girls Town Jerusalem, than to ensure its financial security and survival. The Rabbi Samuel I. Stern Memorial Fund must protect the future of Homes and of each of the girls in our care. There can be no cause more urgent than the welfare of hundreds of abandon or orphaned girls who have now been orphaned again. Perpetuating His Name We have decided to launch a Memorial Fund in Rabbi Sterns memory, to ensure that his legacy will continue and thrive. A legacy fund will put our finances onto more secure foundations. We need to reassure the girls that everything is okay, and that there is no fear of our closing down the orphanage, so that they can sleep soundly and grow healthily. We urgently need the financial security to help them to feel secure. Please remember the legendary dedication and wonderful work of Rabbi Samuel I. Stern and help us to continue in his footsteps with your meaningful donation. The outdoor Samuel I. Stern Memorial Wall will display commemorative plaques for each tribute.

Legacy Endowments
$2,000,000 $1,000,000 $200,000
entire Floor: Dormitory Entrance: Main Wing: North Wing:

$500,000
Landscaped Entrance:

East Wing:

$100,000

$50,000

n Memorial Fund

$108,000
Platinum Tribute:

Diamond Tribute:

$72,000

Gold Tribute:

$54,000

Silver Tribute:

$36,000

$18,000
Marble Tribute:

Bronze Tribute:

$10,000

$5,000

Tribute:

Letter from Avraham Y. Stern

De Fnd,
Less than a month ago, my dear father returned his holy soul to our Creator. During his difficult illness, borne with fortitude, his main concern was the welfare of the girls in his care. With tears pouring down my cheeks, I reassured him of our complete commitment to working to support them as he had done for over 50 years.

Ab, h mna ihu y? This

cry can be heard in all the dormitories of Bayit Lepletot - Girls Town Jerusalem. Girls who have been orphaned and abandoned once already in their lives have now been orphaned again. They fear for the future. Who will take care of them? Who will put food on the table and a roof over their heads? How can our institution continue without its very foundation, its cornerstone?

As I have pledged to my father, we must continue his holy work. In addition to my own family, I have now inherited responsibility for hundreds of additional Jewish children. In fulfilling my pledge to my father, I am committed to his vow to never turn away a child who has been abandoned by others. I i hn n e t cn

 i fotsp, but it is also an awesome responsibility. I will need the help and support of all of his friends and supporters around the world, together with our dedicated staff. We are grateful to the many people who expressed their condolences and messages of sympathy. Knowing that the enormity of our loss is shared is in itself a comfort. On behalf of the Stern family and the staff and children of Bayit Lepletot - Girls Town Jerusalem, I wish you and your families a Ktiva vChatima Tovah Blessings for a sweet New Year.

Arh Y. S
Director

Sincerely,

Abraham Y. Stern, Director

Bayit Lepletot Girls Town Jerusalem

USA: 1362 E. 21st St. Brooklyn, NY 11210 Tel: 718-252-3172 Fax: 718-692-0993 Israel: PO Box 5115 55 Sorotzkin Street 1 Beharan Street Jerusalem Tel: 972-2-625-7986 Cell: 972-50-411-1111 Fax: 972-2-627-8091

Canada: 465 Coldstream Ave. Toronto, ON M5N 1Y6 Tel: 416-781-2778

IRLS OWN JERUSALEM

BayitL@BL-Girlstown.org www.blp.org.il
a Home

with a Heart

BAYIT LEPLETOT

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