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Remembering Joel Braverman, AH

Dear Parents, Alumni and Friends, On Friday, / "February 10, marked the 43rd yahrzeit of Mr. Joel Braverman,A"H, the founding principal of the Yeshivah of Flatbush. This morning, alumna Mrs. Lynnette Schulder Gruenhut spoke to students and faculty at an assembly at the Joel Braverman High School. The daughter of Honorary YOF President Paul Schulder and Honorary Ladies Auxiliary President and member of the second Elementary School graduating class Shirley Schulder, aleihem hashalom, and the granddaughter of YOF founders Yetta and Jacob Kestenbaum, aleihem hashalom, she spoke historically and anecdotally, giving a true picture of the man, his vision and his strength, along with the story of the early years of the school. We wanted to share her thoughts with you. ~Bebe Levitt

It is a great honor for me to be here today, to speak to you about Mr. Joel Braverman A"H, and the miracle that he created 85 years ago. I also remember what it's like be a high school student, and sit quietly during a boring speech, even though I graduated in 1967. So I will try not to bore you. In fact I will try to engage and interest you and perhaps maybe inspire you. In order for you to understand the greatness of what one man accomplished with a dream and determination, let's set the scene. Picture this neighborhood right here in Flatbush back in 1927, the year that the Yeshivah of Flatbush was born. No kosher restaurants, no stores that were shomer Shabbat, maybe 2 orthodox shuls in the area, no men or boys wearing kippot outdoors...I think you've got the picture...In fact when I was a student in Flatbush there was only one kosher deli and one bakery that was shomer Shabbat both on Coney Island Avenue, and it wasn't until I was a sophomore in high school that the first kosher pizza store opened a few blocks from here on Avenue J. So it's a far cry of the Flatbush of today. Now that the scene is set, let's discuss why we are here today. It's probably safe to say, that without Mr. Joel Braverman there probably wouldn't be a Yeshivah of Flatbush, certainly not as it existed then nor as it exists today. Mr. Braverman, was born in 1896 in Balta in the Ukraine to a well-respected, educated family who made sure that his education consisted of both limudei kodesh and general studies. By the time he was a teenager, he had become an ardent Zionist, and at 16, immigrated to Palestine where he resumed his studies in the Mizrahi

School in Jerusalem. Think about it. How many of you can picture yourselves at 16, leaving your home, your family, your friends, and moving to a new country for an ideal? By the time he turned 19, World War I had broken out and Turkey decreed that all Russian citizens be deported from Palestine. Mr. Braverman found himself in Alexandria, Egypt and while there, volunteered for the Zion Mule Corps, a Jewish brigade fighting with the British. The hope was, if the allies triumphed, Palestine would be removed from Turkish domination thereby setting the stage for the establishment of a Jewish state, Eretz Yisrael. Unfortunately, Mr. Braverman was wounded in combat and in the year 1916, emigrated from Egypt to America, to New York. He studied diligently at NYU for degrees in both education and business administration, while simultaneously teaching Hebrew school in the afternoons in Stamford Ct. It was there that he met his future wife, Rebekah who was to become his ezer k'negdo in all that he was to accomplish. He knew by then that he wanted to make a difference in the field of Jewish education, and with true grit, passion and determination was on his way. At the young age of 25 he became an assistant principal of a small Hebrew School on Long Island and a year later, in 1922, he became the principal of the Talmud Torah of the Avenue N Jewish Center in Flatbush. The word was out that there was a talented, smart, dedicated and confident leader in their midst and it was then in 1927, that the ba'al ha'batim of what was then the Flatbush community, invited him to be the educational director of what was to become the Yeshivah of Flatbush. Little did they know then, that the dream they shared with Mr. Braverman, would one day become the beacon of Jewish Day School education here in New York, in the United States, and around the world. But as you all know nothing is accomplished by dreaming, except maybe a decent night's sleep. In order to turn dreams into realities what is required are guts, determination and hard work - qualities that Mr. Braverman possessed, and then some. He along with the ba'al ha'batim were relentless. They worked tirelessly - ringing doorbells, having meetings, convincing parents to send their children to this new Jewish Day school, a Yeshivah - an experiment of sorts, right here in Brooklyn I should point out that my grandfather, Jacob Kestenbaum, was part of that group, and he and my grandmother were founding members of this school. My mother, Shirley Kestenbaum Schulder, who served as a President of the Ladies Auxilliary when I was a student here, was a proud alumna of the 2nd graduating class of 1936 and all 3 of her younger siblings are all proud alumni as well. My grandfather would often tell us how in the 'early days', when he and other community members along with Mr. Braverman would try to make their case for the school, there were people who yelled at them in Yiddish, saying "What do you want, to make for us, a ghetto? We had a ghetto in 'der heim', we don't want a ghetto in

America!" So there was a great deal of opposition that the lay leaders and Mr. Braverman encountered and had to overcome. In addition, it is worth noting, that Rabbi, Harry Halpern, the conservative Rabbi of the East Midwood Jewish Center, took part in the formation of the school as well. Mr. Braverman obviously promoted inclusion rather than the opposite, working together with all members of the community to try and make this dream a reality. The Yeshivah of Flatbush, your school, opened its doors in 1928, to 22 children, four teachers and two classes, a kindergarten and a first grade, in its first home, in the Young Israel of Flatbush on Avenue I and East 10th Street. My uncle, Sandy Kestenbaum, E.S. '42, writes, "Mr. Braverman was in school before 8:00 to catch all of us who were late - and he was there until 12:30 at night to tell the Board of Trustees, what to do. But his real actions were not seen - that is the education that we got." The educational precepts which were based on the Tarbut school in Poland, were, a co-eductional school with a torah education of the highest caliber with the finest torah scholars, a secular education to rival the best of public education, with experienced teachers from the public school system, ivrit b'ivrit, - a Hebrew curriculum that emphasized fluency of the safa, the language. Besides Hebrew only being spoken in the lashon classes, it was strictly Hebrew in all of the Judaic studies classes as well -chumash, navi, mishna, gemara, etc. I don't recall any English being uttered or tests written in English in any of those classes. It was Mr. Braverman who initiated the idea, and then those who succeeded him continued, to travel to Israel to find the best, most dynamic teachers in tanach, gemara, and ivritand bring them back to New York. I brought a visual aid with me, my safrut machberet, from 11th grade with Mar Sirkin, the only thing I kept from high school other than my class picture and my yearbook. Reading through it now, I am amazed by the depth and wealth of Hebrew that we learned... With excellence in Hebrew, Mr. Braverman wanted us to be enveloped by and imbued with a love for Israel and strong Zionist ideals. I remember so clearly how every winter he would enter our classroom and ask who of us would be attending sleep away camp that summer. When half the hands went up, he would then question each and every one of us as to which camp we were attending. If it wasn't Camp Massad, which was immersed in Zionistic ideals, and where all campers and staff were expected to speak only in Hebrew, he would bang on the desk and start yelling and saying how we have to go to there - that it was the only acceptable camp as far as he was concerned...Needless to say, after a few years attending another camp, my parents ended up sending my brothers and me to Camp Massad which actually turned out to be a great decision - fantastic camp...Mr. Braverman was right... The final building block of the education at the Yeshivah was an emphasis on synagogue attendance to reinforce the religious learning that took place in the classroom. When I accepted this honor, I emailed my brothers and my uncle to ask them if they had any memories they would like to share. My uncle, who I mentioned before, and is now in his 80's living in Israel, wrote, "He (Mr. Braverman) showed up every Shabbat at the minyan of the basement auditorium and anybody living in the neighborhood was questioned the next day, and (yes there was Sunday school) as to why they weren't at the

minyan if they weren't." And my brother, Billy, who graduated in 1970, wrote, "I remember (I think it was 4th grade) when Mr. Braverman came to our class and called me out into the hallway. He asked if I was at Junior Congregation on Shabbat. I said no - but I think he already knew). He asked why. I told him it had rained. He then yelled in English, 'Are you made of sugar'? 'Are you going to melt?' I'll never forget that, clearly..." So in addition to writing a curriculum that was to become 'the day school model', working tirelessly to help raise millions of dollars to establish and later sustain this institution, Mr. Braverman was 'hands on' - he took a personal interest in what he loved the most, his students - his children. Sadly, he and his wife never had children of their own, so he considered each and every one of his students, his own children. At times, he referred to me as his grandchild, since as I mentioned earlier, my mother, "his child" was a graduate which then made me "his grandchild". In fact, I remember the day my baby brother, Michael, was born. I was in my second grade classroom, and in walks Mr. Braverman in the afternoon and says, today we have to say mazal tov to Leah (which is my Hebrew name) your classmate, my grandchild, ...I just got word that her mother gave birth to a baby boy a little while ago... And that's how I found out that I had a third brother... I remember Mr. Braverman patrolling the halls and walking into classrooms, never hiding out in his office - his presence was always felt and he taught the other administrators and teachers by example. He had a very strong personality with strong views and opinions and when he would appear suddenly in the classroom, at times he would invoke a sense of fear among the students. My older brother, Elliott, H.S. '64, told me that there was a classmate of his, whose last name was Rollin, who would occasionally misbehave. Peering through the glass window in the classroom door, Mr. Braverman would sometimes 'catch' Rollin, and on one of these occasions, he suddenly entered the room and said in a booming voice, "Rollin, roll out!" It was not unusual to hear him yell, but the yelling was a result of deep passion and a great love and care for his students He wanted us to learn as much as we could, to succeed, and to grow up to be the best we could be as Jews and as citizens of the world. Very much like our own parents... I would be remiss if I did not add, and I heard this from several former students themselves, whose parents could not afford the school tuition. And I'm sure there are hundreds more... When Mr. Braverman got wind of the fact that they were not to be accepted because of financial reasons, he intervened and made sure that there would be a place for them in his school. Again, a man of deep conviction, with a true neshama whose mission it was to educate Jewish children for future generations. What Mr. Braverman didn't do, was rest. He was constantly working, seeking to raise the level of the already excellent school in all ways. As the enrollment expanded so did the physical plant. Think about it from an historical perspective, by 1937, just 10 years after the establishment of the Yeshivah of Flatbush, there was a

new building on Coney Island Avenue with 450 students. By 1940 there were over 500 students and what was the new building was already too small. What a feat - this number surpasses most present Day Schools today. By 1944, a new building campaign was launched to prepare for a High School and shortly thereafter the property on East 10th street was acquired. By 1948 there were over 620students, and a new $1 million fundraising campaign - and the building opened in 1951. By 1954 the Yeshivah graduated its first high school class - talk about accomplishments. Mr. Braverman, was instrumental in insuring that his school, which by then had become a serious role model for Jewish education, made sure to include from the very beginning in the elementary school - music, art, gym, recess, library, school plays, fundraising drives for Israel and in the high school, just to name a few, literary and drama clubs, chesed clubs, sports teams, cheerleaders, choir, newspapers, student government etc. In addition, the lay community was thriving and was a huge support - a strong Board of Trustees as well as an active Ladies Auxilliary that helped organize various fundraising events and projects. By 1959, with enrollment bursting at the seams, and an active, involved community, the Yeshivah acquired the property where this building, your high school was eventually built. My father, Paul Schulder, who a few years later would become the President of Flatbush, served as chairman of the groundbreaking ceremonies in 1963. I remember marching up Avenue J with my classmates to the ceremony and watching - Governor Nelson Rockefeller, Mayor Robert Wagner, and other dignitaries as they spoke and shared shovels with Mr. Braverman and the lay and professional leaders of our school. In the fall of 1964 this high school building opened - which was not only a physical showpiece, but with its rich academic programming, continued to serve as a beacon of Jewish education to all, far and wide. I was in 10th grade and remember making the transition from the building on East 10th Street to this magnificent facility. Personally, I have very fond memories, and made good lifelong friends. I even learned some things. Rabbi Eliach, who at the time was also the Hebrew principal, and Rabbi Haramati, were two of mytanach teachers, Rabbi Wolowelsky, (who was a Mr. in my day) whose sister, Marsha was in my class, was my math teacher as well as math tutor...I participated in school events, rallies, parades for Israel etc. and served as the vice president of the G.O. and captain of the girls varsity basketball team. It certainly doesn't seem like 45 years ago... Sadly, Mr. Braverman didn't get to spend much time in this magnificent high school building that he built. He had a stroke in 1965 and during his illness he was visited by alumni and students (his children) who came every erev Shabbat and erev chag to visit, light candles and say Kiddush. He passed away on February 5, 1969, 17 Shevat 5279. Mr. Braverman is one of those forceful, larger than life figures - passionate, fearless - who comes along once in a while with a clear vision of what needs to be done, and almost singlehandedly and obsessively, works to accomplish that goal. One of his final accomplishments was building the cultural and Educational center at Azata in the Negev with funds raised by him and his students. He was buried there and his final gesture was bequeathing his entire fortune to set up a foundation to send Flatbush alumni to study in Israel. It should be noted that he is the one who initiated the idea of students spending time learning in Israel after

graduation. Another model followed by students in other yeshivot as well. In the absence of his own children every student became his, which means, in a way, we are all related, we are all part of what is the Yeshivah of Flatbush family, with thousands of family members...what a legacy... As he said in his own words at the Dedication Ceremonies of the High School While lying in bed these past three months being so very lonely, I came to the conclusion that were I young again, I would do it all over. The only reward I actually appreciated was the visits of my boys and girls during my stay in the hospital. They came great distances to visit me, just as though they were my own children. How wonderful it was for me to see them at my bedside; how touched I was when they asked me to join them at Mincha. I want to thank those wonderful boys and girls for they were as devoted to me as though they were my own children. This is the first time I came to realize that although not having children of my own, I have many children whom I love dearly. Y'he zichro baruch

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