he invitation for the Annual Melave Malka sat on my refrigerator for quite a few weeks. I was impressed that Rabbi Wein was speaking and the topic seemed interesting . Unity - Is it Jewish?. It had been a while since I had been to Shapell. s and I thought it would be a good chance to see everyone. Little did I know what I was in for. Upon entering the building, I was greeted by ushers who guided me to the registration desks and coat-check-in. In the dining hall three musicians played beautiful classical music as people headed toward the amply laden dessert buffet. Chocolate mousse pie added a great touch as I caught up with old friends and met other alumni. We had many friends in common and it was great to compare notes. It. s amazing to meet someone you. ve never met before, and yet feel an immediate connection because of a shared meaningful experience.

Around 8:45 the lights flickered signaling that it was time to move into the Beit Midrash. Upon entering, we were greeted with a banner reading, . Many Torah Paths Building the Jewish Future.. I thought about those words as I looked around the room. There stood every kind of Torah-observant Jew. There was the short beard, the long beard, no beard, the knitted-kippah, the black hat, the streimel, and the list goes on. Unlike some gatherings of such diversity, at this one we all had something in common. We were all alumni, friends, or current students of the Darche Noam Institutions, and we all gained or are gaining tremendously from our experiences. The crowd alone represented . D. rachecha Darche Noam. (. the ways of the Torah are ways of harmony. ) and it was a beautiful sight.

It had been some time since I had been in the Beit Midrash and I couldn. t believe some of the changes. Where there once was a hole in the wall, stood a beautiful maplewood aron kodesh covered by a magnificent parochet with the Darche Noam verse shimmering in the middle. The bima looked even better with its new surroundings. Before I could finish admiring the changes we were asked to be seated. Then I noticed the new comfortable chairs which replaced the ones we used to grumble about.

I had never seen so many people in the Beit Midrash before. Over 250 people attended, the largest crowd ever at the yeshiva. There was standing room only.

Although we knew we were in for a treat with Rabbi Wein, I don. t think anyone anticipated how much they would enjoy the other speakers as well. We heard from three alumni, Stu Schnee, Dan Polisar, and Deena Nataf, all of whom focused on the concept of Hakarat Hatov, gratitude. Their words were inspirational and powerful. Dan Polisar. s speech really made an impression on me. He discussed how greatly Darche Noam had affected his life, and that even though it had been 8 years since he learned at Shapell. s, the time spent there and the Rabbis he learned from shaped his home life, community life, national life, and work life. He made me think how my life would not be the same without the learning and growth that Darche Noam provided. And I think this is true for every one of us who attended Shapell. s or Midreshet Rachel. Dan made us look deeply at our experiences and the impact the Rabbis and teachers had on us.

Following the alumni speeches, Rabbi Yitzchak Shurin spoke. As always, he was funny yet sincere, and I was immediately reminded of how special Darche Noam is and what an incredible staff it has. As we have come to expect, he shared a few anecdotes about his grandfather, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt. l, one of the spiritual giants of the previous generation. Rabbi Shurin recalled that when he was a boy, one Motzaei Shabbat he was learning with his grandfather. Abruptly, Reb Yaakov got up and said they were going to a Melave Malka because Rabbi Berel Wein was speaking. He then added, . ich hab em lib heren. - I love to hear him speak.

I know what Reb Yaakov zt. l meant. Although I was familiar with Rabbi Wein through his tapes, it was my first opportunity to see him in person. His presentation was clear and direct. Through his humor he imparted both knowledge and inspiration. The crowd roared with laughter at his jokes and listened intently as he spoke of the current situation of Israel and the Jewish people. Rabbi Wein ended by telling a story from his youth. It was extremely powerful and I think its lesson speaks of the Darche Noam mission. In 1946, when Rabbi Wein was a young boy, his yeshiva was privileged to have Rabbi Herzog, then the Chief Rabbi of Palestine, speak to them. Rabbi Herzog had just come from Rome and he told about his audience with the Pope. This was soon after the Holocaust. Rabbi Herzog had a list of 10,000 names of Jewish children who were hidden by their parents in monasteries, convents, and Catholic schools. He presented the Pope with this list, and asked that the children be returned to him. He was told that it was impossible. Since the children had been baptized, according to the Catholic faith they could never be given to people who would not raise them as Catholics. Wailing to his audience that he was not able to save even one single child, Rabbi Herzog put his head down and wept. Then he pulled himself together, looked out at his audience and declared, . I can. t do anything about the 10,000 children, but what about YOU?! You are not in a monastery!. With this Rabbi Wein added that this is the view we must all have of ourselves. I realized this is what Darche Noam promotes. We were taught to think about how we can personally contribute to the rebirth of the Jewish people, and do so.

It was about 10:45 as I said my final good-byes and gave one more look at the Beit Midrash. As I waited for my coat, I thought about how it had been too long since I had seen so many of my fellow alumni, and how good it was to spend the evening with them. It is rare to attend an event and actually enjoy everything from the food to the speaker, but I certainly did. Most importantly, I left feeling truly connected to my alma mater and filled with pride for what the Darche Noam Institutions represent. To all who made the event possible, a huge Yasher Koach!

A special thanks to Sara Averick and the members of the Alumni committee: Naomi Arram, Yakov Greif, Tammy Labinsky, Dovid Lerner, Deena Nataf, Stu Schnee, and Ronnie Schwartz