“Pirchei empowers our boys with a strong Jewish identity,” says one of the Pirchei Denver founders, Mr. Dov Ort, when asked why he believes strongly in Pirchei. “By choosing to pursue their studies beyond the classroom, they gain conviction. By connecting with a network of other Jewish boys across the world, they learn what it means to take an active role in something larger than the world of their youth.”
Dov’s statement rings especially true after this year’s Pirchei Shabbos shel Achdus. Along with Rabbi Yosef Melamed, Director of Pirchei Denver, and chaperones Dr. William (Yitz) Finch and Mr. Joshua Close, eighteen local boys from the sixth and seventh grades flew to the Camp Agudah Midwest campgrounds to join one hundred and sixty boys from fifteen cities across the US in a unifying and uplifting Shabbos.
The weekend’s schedule was packed, keeping the boys busy with sports, learning, games, delicious food, storytelling, singing, dancing, inspirational speeches, a special question and answer session, and finally culminating in a deluxe melava malka, siyum, and raffle. One noteworthy highlight was an intense 1.5-hour straight learning session, with short raffles every fifteen minutes, as the boys joined together to finish the monumental task of learning all of Seder Moed over Shabbos. Leaders of the Shabbos were impressed by the group from Denver, and the Denver boys received special mention when they came early to Shacharis on Friday morning after arriving at the campgrounds very late the night before.
“Watching the boys become energized, make new friends, bond with each other, and work together to complete the learning goal was truly amazing,” says Rabbi Melamed. “I’m confident that the memories made during this trip will leave a lasting impression on the boys who attended.”
Thank you to the donors who believed in the trip and through their generosity, enabled Pirchei Denver to increase the number of boys attending from seven last year to eighteen this year:
Mr. Graeme Bean, Mr. Jonathan Beren, Mr. Efraim Cunningham, Dr. Nancy Gary, Reb Zvi Gelt, Mr. Aaron Dovid Katz, Mr. Ari Krausz, Mr. Avi Mehler, Rabbi Yaakov Meyer, Mr. Jay Moskowitz, Mr. Dov Ort, Rabbi Meyer Schwab, and Cong. Zera Abraham
Thank you as well to Rabbi Melamed for his dedicated work in Pirchei year-round and for pulling this Shabbos together, and to Dr. Yitz Finch and Mr. Josh Close for chaperoning.