Nice Talk With Tel Aviv Seminary

Quality students. That’s what I see throughout the Jewish educational world. And Tel Aviv is no different.

This past Thursday evening (Oct. 24), I was fortunate enough to have been asked to speak with the English speaking part of the Chabad Seminary (Penimiyut) in Tel Aviv.

We began on an interesting note, as the minute I began speaking I was told, “We just got tested on your book!”

That’s always a great way to start a talk. I’m being sarcastic.

Last year, I gave a talk somewhere. There, too, it became revealed that they had been studying my book. “We didn’t like you, even before you got here,” they said.

“Why?” I asked, “I’m a nice guy.”

“Because, we’re going to get tested on your Blech Book – The Complete & Illustrated Guide To Shabbos Hotplates. And, those are hard laws!”

That was a bad start to a good talk. Later on, I learned, they really liked the book. So, everything turned out fine. (BTW, we’re going into another improved printing of The Blech Book. New interior design and new cover. These are being done by my friend, one of the world’s best book designers John Reihnardt www.BookDesign.com.)

Anyhow, this last talk went really well.

We spoke about things they were studying on a daily basis, life, and some of the lessons which can be learned from my period working in the Israeli Prison Service. I’ve seen that people love to hear about that extremely hectic, but very fulfilling time.

Working with inmates, was, indeed extraordinarily unique. Since there’s been a consistent demand for those talks, I’ve prepared dozens of huge photos for that presentation. These are photos which I own, not downloaded from Google. When I retired, I was already working on publishing Israel Behind Bars (the prison memoir) and had gotten permission to have a professional photographer come in to take pictures. Those I use for my presentations.

Here’s a little clip which shows the few minutes intro to how I entered that job. (I briefly don the old shirt for effect.)

Here’s part of the story of how my warden was murdered by one of our inmates. That warden, Major Roni Nitzan was reforming the Israel Prison Service when he was attacked by the ruthless, murderous drug kings of that time.

Threats were made in writing, hand grenades exploded, but the warden didn’t back down. For over a year and a half the tension built daily.

Eventually, the warden signed a falsified document allowing the inmate to visit his “dying” father in Tel Aviv. That would prove a fatal mistake for the warden.