"I realize that those around me are here to help me, and by my listening to them I am able to grow as a person."

Yehoshua Merenfeld

8.22.03

TORAH NAME:  HaTamim Yehoshua Dov ben Yitzchak Meir Chazak! 

AGE: I was born in 1983

LINEAGE:  3^rd generation Ashkenazi from Bukavena, Moldova Rumania (Father’s side). My mother doesn’t know where she’s from (1^st generation Long Island)

GREW UP IN:  Miami, FL

WENT TO SCHOOL AT:  Miami Dade Public School System

HAVE BEEN FRUM SINCE: September, 2002 started wearing Tzitzis and Yarmulke most times and keeping Shabbos and kosher somewhat (I would eat at McDonalds but I wouldn’t order a cheeseburger)

HAVE BEEN IN YTM SINCE: November 4, 2002

THINGS I LOVE MOST ABOUT YTM:  the feeling of brotherhood and support, the sense of commitment to Yiddishkeit that’s instilled by the teachers and their ability to cater to the needs of each student and the food (especially Miriam’s tuna fish, how does she do it?)

MY RESPONSIBILITIES AT YTM CONSISTS OF:  head of student outreach activities, project coordinator of Tiferes Menachem’s fitness program, and editor of The Turning Point, Tiferes Menachem’s publication.

I GAUGE MY TORAH STUDY AT WHAT LEVEL: beginner in learning Gemora & Shulchan Aruch and intermediate in Chassidus

HOW DO I MAKE THE MOST OUT OF MY TIME:  I always try to keep a sefer with me wherever I go and to even learn it occasionally.

WHAT DO I EXPECT TO GET OUT OF YTM: to be connected to the Rebbe MH”M, the leader of the generation, to be proficient in my learning, and to acquire the tools to live my life as a religious Jew without compromise.

WHAT SURPRISED ME THE MOST:  that not every one with a black hat and a beard is a tzaddik; everyone is struggling just like me to be a better person

HOW I AM BETTER THAN BEFORE:  I realize that those around me are here to help me, and by my listening to them I am able to grow as a person.

A WORD TO the next outreach Director: don’t worry about anything just make sure you have Michoel Khaytin’s cell phone number.

A WORD TO Prospective students: nothing even compares to a Torah education, don’t take my word for it find out for yourself, make an educated decision about it and change your life in a positive way.

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