By Hersh Kotovsky, Shuvu Yerushalayim
Hashem has his way of arranging just the right person at the right time and place. When I switched schools to Shuvu Yerushalayim, I was a Russian preteen who was rebellious and not doing well scholastically. My parents were hoping that a school geared towards Russian families with an excellent academic level would possibly get me back on track. My parents were highly educated and as most Russians of that generation, academics were of utmost importance. I, though, was completely uninterested in achieving anything other than the instant pleasures that life had to offer.
My Rebbe that first year in Shuvu Junior High School, got a grip on me that I was unable to slip though. Rabbi Binyamin Kotlerov, also of Russian background, convinced me to join him at his night Kollel and learn with him for 2 hours several times a week. He built me up, convinced me that he saw potential in me, and brought me up to the level of the class with those nightly learning sessions. R’ Binyamin prepared me for my Bar Mitzvah and really became a father figure to me.
As I continued in Shuvu, my family joined me in becoming Frum. My entire family, including my grandparents and all four of my siblings, are Frum because of Shuvu! I married Batsheva, a graduate of Gateshead Seminary, three years ago and we live in Ramat Eshkol, in Yerushalayim with our little daughter. I’ve been learning in Kollel and I recently started a photography business in the evening to supplement our income. Of course, I keep a close Kesher with R’ Binyamin and the entire Shuvu family. It is thanks to Shuvu that I am zoche to be a successful young man with a wonderful frum family.
{Matzav.com}
