Page 36 - issue
P. 36
Journey to Telz Stone
Weddings • Bar/Bat Mitzvahs longing to return to Tzion. Mrs. Blumenfeld had loved the
All Occasions name Bat Zion since her days in seminary, when she was bat
bayit of the family of the Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir, Rav
Video Tape to DVD Transfers Beinush Finkel, z”tl, who had a daughter named Bat Zion.
Promotional & Corporate Video
◆◆◆
Jeffrey Reches
410.585.0007 For six years, the Mandelcorns lived in Baltimore, near the
Talmudical Academy. At that time, Mrs. Blumenfeld’s son
rc.video@comcast.net Meir was attending public school, because the day schools
lacked the resources to meet his special needs. When he
Since 1991 came home with Xmas trees and Easter bunnies, Mrs.
Blumenfeld decided to do something about it. In her second
year in Baltimore, she started P’TACH in Baltimore. And
since everyone else refused the president’s chair, she stepped
up to the plate and became its president.
It is hard to believe, today, when there are so many servic-
es for children with special needs in the yeshivas and day
schools, that nothing at all existed 40 years ago, and few peo-
ple, even educators, were aware of learning disabilities or how
to address them. Thus, P’TACH’s founding in New York, in
1976, was a very significant moment in the history of chinuch
in America, and Mrs. Blumenfeld’s contribution was major.
In 1984, events led the Mandelcorns to journey back to
Eretz Yisrael. Rabbi Mandelcorn received an offer to become
the menahel of Neve Tzion, a yeshiva for frum, growing
American boys, located in Telz Stone. In addition, their son
Meir had progressed enough to be able to attend school in
Eretz Yisrael. Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky, z”tl, had said that
because Meir was speech delayed, the family should only
return to Eretz Yisrael once he reached the level of speech of
a third grader, so that he would have the ability to pick up
Hebrew as well. At that time, eight–and-a-half-year-old Meir
was evaluated and his parents were told that his speech had
reached the level of a third grader. As it turned out, Meir was
the first in the family to learn Hebrew and even Arabic, from
the Arabs on his van to school!
Upon arrival in Eretz Yisrael, the Mandelcorns rented for
some time until they were able to buy an apartment in Telz
Stone. Life continued peacefully with the birth of two more
children. Meir and another son, Yechiel, went to a special
needs school, Limudei Hashem, in the Romema neighbor-
hood of Yerushalayim. The only issue was with the govern-
ment transportation that picked up the boys, along with Arab
children from neighboring Abu Ghosh, to bring them to
Yerushalayim for school. In transit, the Arab kids would steal
the boys’ arts and crafts projects, even though the Arab driv-
er had a stick and would use it to hit the kids who were
unruly. And so, Mrs. Blumenfeld decided she would teach her
boys to take the regular bus or Arab sheirut by themselves,
and after escorting them a number of times, the boys were
indeed able to go alone.
These sheirut drivers and passengers were from Abu
Ghosh. One can’t miss seeing this large Arab town straddling
both sides of the highway when traveling on Highway 1. Abu
32 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
Weddings • Bar/Bat Mitzvahs longing to return to Tzion. Mrs. Blumenfeld had loved the
All Occasions name Bat Zion since her days in seminary, when she was bat
bayit of the family of the Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir, Rav
Video Tape to DVD Transfers Beinush Finkel, z”tl, who had a daughter named Bat Zion.
Promotional & Corporate Video
◆◆◆
Jeffrey Reches
410.585.0007 For six years, the Mandelcorns lived in Baltimore, near the
Talmudical Academy. At that time, Mrs. Blumenfeld’s son
rc.video@comcast.net Meir was attending public school, because the day schools
lacked the resources to meet his special needs. When he
Since 1991 came home with Xmas trees and Easter bunnies, Mrs.
Blumenfeld decided to do something about it. In her second
year in Baltimore, she started P’TACH in Baltimore. And
since everyone else refused the president’s chair, she stepped
up to the plate and became its president.
It is hard to believe, today, when there are so many servic-
es for children with special needs in the yeshivas and day
schools, that nothing at all existed 40 years ago, and few peo-
ple, even educators, were aware of learning disabilities or how
to address them. Thus, P’TACH’s founding in New York, in
1976, was a very significant moment in the history of chinuch
in America, and Mrs. Blumenfeld’s contribution was major.
In 1984, events led the Mandelcorns to journey back to
Eretz Yisrael. Rabbi Mandelcorn received an offer to become
the menahel of Neve Tzion, a yeshiva for frum, growing
American boys, located in Telz Stone. In addition, their son
Meir had progressed enough to be able to attend school in
Eretz Yisrael. Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky, z”tl, had said that
because Meir was speech delayed, the family should only
return to Eretz Yisrael once he reached the level of speech of
a third grader, so that he would have the ability to pick up
Hebrew as well. At that time, eight–and-a-half-year-old Meir
was evaluated and his parents were told that his speech had
reached the level of a third grader. As it turned out, Meir was
the first in the family to learn Hebrew and even Arabic, from
the Arabs on his van to school!
Upon arrival in Eretz Yisrael, the Mandelcorns rented for
some time until they were able to buy an apartment in Telz
Stone. Life continued peacefully with the birth of two more
children. Meir and another son, Yechiel, went to a special
needs school, Limudei Hashem, in the Romema neighbor-
hood of Yerushalayim. The only issue was with the govern-
ment transportation that picked up the boys, along with Arab
children from neighboring Abu Ghosh, to bring them to
Yerushalayim for school. In transit, the Arab kids would steal
the boys’ arts and crafts projects, even though the Arab driv-
er had a stick and would use it to hit the kids who were
unruly. And so, Mrs. Blumenfeld decided she would teach her
boys to take the regular bus or Arab sheirut by themselves,
and after escorting them a number of times, the boys were
indeed able to go alone.
These sheirut drivers and passengers were from Abu
Ghosh. One can’t miss seeing this large Arab town straddling
both sides of the highway when traveling on Highway 1. Abu
32 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
