The living room of Dr. and Mrs. Marc Silverman’s home in Kew Gardens Hills was filled Tuesday evening, February 24, as rabbanim, community leaders, and supporters gathered for a reception on behalf of “P’eylim Lev L’Achim – The Movement of the Gedolei Yisroel,” an organization devoted to bringing Jewish neshamos across Eretz Yisrael closer to Torah.
Among the rabbanim in attendance were Rav Noach Isaac Oelbaum, Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Friedman, Rav Yaniv Meirov, Rav Yaacov Bergman, Rav Doniel Lander, Rav Yehuda Davis, and other respected rabbanim and community leaders from across the Queens Torah community.
Dr. Silverman welcomed the assembled guests and shared the sense of urgency that led to the evening’s gathering. He noted that the reception came about following encouragement from Rav Doniel Lander, who emphasized the importance of strengthening the work of P’eylim Lev L’Achim at this critical time. Dr. Silverman also recalled that the revered Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, had on several occasions come to his home in support of the organization’s efforts: a reflection of the importance that the g’dolei Torah place on ensuring that every Jewish child has the opportunity to encounter Torah.
The evening began with a powerful video presentation titled “Through Their Eyes: American Roshei Yeshivah Visit P’eylim Lev L’Achim,” which documented a historic gathering in October 2025 when leading g’dolei Torah of Eretz Yisrael met with visiting American roshei yeshivah to strengthen and guide the organization’s mission.
Among the g’dolim participating were Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman, Rav Dovid Cohen, Rav Shraga Shteinman, Rav Tzvi Dravkin, and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch. They were joined by prominent American Torah leaders including the Novominsker Rebbe, Rav Yisroel Perlow, Rav Malkiel Kotler, Rav Elya Brudny, Rav Chaim Yehoshua Hoberman, and Rav Yehuda Svei.
Often referred to as “The Movement of the G’dolei Yisrael,” P’eylim Lev L’Achim operates under the guidance and encouragement of leading roshei yeshivah who view the responsibility of bringing Torah to every Jewish child and family as a central obligation of klal Yisrael.
The video presentation offered a glimpse into the organization’s extraordinary reach. Across Israel, P’eylim Lev L’Achim enrolls tens of thousands of children in Torah schools and operates more than 300 learning centers for men, women, and teens. Through these programs, countless families are introduced to Torah learning and gradually build lives centered around Torah u’mitzvos.
In another program, parents described with deep emotion how enrolling their children in Torah schools transformed their entire homes. Families that had once been distant from Jewish observance now keep Shabbos, fathers put on t’filin, and Torah learning has become part of daily life.
Volunteers affiliated with the organization also engage Jews at the Kosel, where simple conversations often begin with a gentle question: Would you like to learn together? Those brief encounters frequently become the starting point for deeper relationships and ongoing Torah study.
The featured speaker of the evening, Rabbi Joey Haber, Mara D’Asra of Khal Magen David in Brooklyn and Director of Kesher, delivered remarks that left a powerful impression on those gathered.
Rabbi Haber began by challenging a common perception about life in Israel.
“Most people think there are two sides in Eretz Yisrael,” he said. “There’s the Torah world – those who believe in yeshivos and learning – and then there are those who oppose Torah. There’s a third group in Eretz Yisrael that nobody talks about: Millions of simple Jews who are not against Torah. They simply never had the opportunity to learn.”
To illustrate the point, Rabbi Haber cited the well-known midrash about the early life of David HaMelech. Because of misunderstandings surrounding his birth, young David was treated as an outcast and sent away to watch sheep in the fields. When Shmuel HaNavi came to anoint the future king of Israel, David’s own father did not initially even consider him among the candidates.
That forgotten shepherd boy would ultimately become David HaMelech.
“There are millions of Jews today who feel like that child,” Rabbi Haber said. “They feel they never had a chance.”
These are the Jews P’eylim Lev L’Achim is working to reach.
Often, the outreach begins with a simple question: Would you like to learn together?
Many respond just as simply: Why not?
A weekly chavrusa often becomes the beginning of a profound transformation. Within months, families begin observing Shabbos, fathers begin putting on t’filin, and children are enrolled in Torah schools.
Across Israel, P’eylim Lev L’Achim operates more than 100 batei midrash where thousands of chavrusos learn each week. Approximately 13,000 individuals participate in these learning frameworks, and each year between 2,500 and 4,000 children enter Torah schools through the organization’s efforts.
Visitors to the organization’s offices in Bnei Brak also met alumni whose stories illustrated the long-term impact of these programs. Many appeared indistinguishable from lifelong b’nei Torah, yet only five or six years earlier they had never opened a Gemara. Today they stand confidently sharing divrei Torah and building lives rooted in Torah learning.
The goal, Rabbi Haber emphasized, is not merely to create baalei t’shuvah, but to build families living fully Torah-centered lives.
The urgency of this mission has become even more evident in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, when many Jews across Israel began searching for deeper meaning and connection.
Rabbi Yosef C. Karmel, National Director of P’eylim Lev L’Achim, addressed the audience and described the organization’s work as a partnership between dedicated educators in Israel and supporters around the world who enable the programs to grow.
“What does it cost to change a life?” Rabbi Haber asked the audience.
“About a thousand dollars.”
That amount sponsors a full year of learning for a student, often someone who began the year unfamiliar even with the words “Sh’ma Yisrael.”
“Where else in the world can you spend $1,000 and transform a neshamah forever?”
Today, P’eylim Lev L’Achim is working with roughly 30,000 families across Eretz Yisrael, quietly opening doors to Torah for Jews who once believed it was beyond their reach.
By Shabsie Saphirstein
