Snippets from Around the Community
- The LA Jewish Home
- Jun 12, 2025
- 7 min read
LINK Gala Bids Farewell to Rabbi & Mrs. Eli Stern After 29 Years in LA
On May 27, the LINK Kollel held an emotional evening of tribute to its long-time outreach director, Rabbi Eli Stern and his wife Robin, as they prepare to relocate to Lakewood, NJ this summer. Over 200 people, most of whom were Talmidim of the Sterns, came together to hear stirring words of tribute by various speakers as well as to watch a poignant video that contained interviews with many Talmidim. Rabbi Stern addressed the gathering at the conclusion of the evening. The venue was the beautiful and spacious backyard of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel and Esther Taban, generous supporters of the LINK Kollel.
The Sterns have spent the past 38 years in Buffalo, Richmond, Dayton and Los Angeles, working in Rabanus and Kiruv. They first came to LA in 1996 to work in campus outreach at UCLA (which has the largest number of Jewish students of any college in the LA area). They worked for Rabbi Moshe and Mrs. Bracha Zaret in their program known as JAM. Several of those students from that first year were in attendance at the farewell tribute.
While still working at UCLA, Rabbi Stern transitioned to becoming the Associate Rav at the Westwood Kehilla where he remained until 2011, working with many Baalei Teshuvah families as well as devising and implementing a plethora of outreach programs especially designed to attract non-observant Jews from all around LA. Since 2002, his outreach activities were also subsumed under the rubric of the newly-formed LINK Kollel which was founded by Rabbi Asher Brander, the longtime Rav of the Westwood Kehilla and the Dean of the LINK Kollel since its inception.
In 2011, Rabbis Brander and Stern and the rest of the LINK Kollel relocated to the Pico-Robertson neighborhood where LINK opened its own shul and continued its very successful outreach and inreach programs for mainly Baalei Teshuvah.
In Lakewood, Rabbi Stern will be working remotely part-time for LINK, doing Zoom/phone learning and giving Shiurim as well as counseling, writing, and fundraising.
Mrs. Stern has been a very popular teacher of secular subjects for girls in Yeshiva Rav Isaacson/Toras Emes and later at Bais Tzivia and Bnos Esther. She is known as being the consummate professional as well as for her warmth and concern for every student. The Sterns are relocating to be closer to their children and grandchildren.
Rabbi Brauch Yehuda Gradon, Rosh Kollel of Merkaz HaTorah and a long-time advisor to Rabbi Stern, began the evening by quoting the famous Rashi at the beginning of Parshas Vayetzei. Rashi asks why the Torah has to tell us where Yaakov departed from when it was well-known. Rashi quotes Chazal’s insight that when a righteous person leaves a city, its glory, its splendor, and its crown depart with him. Rashi mentions that this is also true about Naomi and Rus. However, we know that Yaakov was hiding from Eisav and was incognito while studying at the Yeshiva of Shem and Eiver and Rus and Naomi are known for their special quality of Tznius. But, averred, Rabbi Gradon, that was precisely the point. Even in their humble and almost invisible state, these great people still exuded these sublime qualities. So too when a righteous person leaves a city - while his impact will still be felt for years to come - his special qualities will be acutely missed.
Rabbi Mordechai Lebhar, the long-term Rosh Kollel of LINK, emphasized Rabbi Stern's connection to his Rebbeim in Ohr Somayach and especially in the Yeshiva of Staten Island, who themselves were links to Gedolim of the previous generations. Rabbi Stern had the ability to accurately convey that Mesorah in terms of Mussar, Haskafah, and Halacha to a generation in LA that was just beginning its journey to Torah and Mitzvos as well as to those who were observant for many years.
Rabbi Brander emphasized the Sterns’ warmth and closeness to so many people of all backgrounds and how they guided their talmidim in all areas of life as they grew in their Yiddishkeit. He highlighted Rabbi Stern’s special middos of humility and overlooking slights as well as his Yiras Shamayim, especially as expressed in his tefillos. He lauded the Sterns’ dedication to their children – safeguarding their innocence while simultaneously having many non-observant people over to their Shabbos table over the years. He praised Mrs. Stern’s inner strength as well as her simchas hachayim (which she she exuded to her students of all ages). He concluded that while LA will miss the exquisite qualities of Rabbi and Mrs. Stern, the enrichment they brought to th community will remain for many years to come.
One of Rabbi Stern's sons, Rabbi Mordechai Stern, who flew in especially for this occasion from Lakewood, also addressed the large crowd. He attributed the ability of the Stern family to remain steadfast in their Yiddishkeit despite being in small communities and involved with many not-yet observant people, to the fact that his father always lived with the immediacy of his Rebbeim in his life. He not only constantly sought guidance from his Rebbeim, but he brought the reality of the world of his Yeshivos to the family as if they were themselves were talmidim in that Yeshiva. "Wherever we were, my father connected us to the Yeshiva of Staten Island, and that raised our aspirations to the highest levels," he concluded.
After the video presentation of tributes from present and former Talmidim, Rabbi Stern began his remarks. He first thanked Hashem for His infinite kindness to him and his family throughout his life. He then proceeded to thank his parents A"H for all that they had done for him and he especially thanked his Aishes Chayil Robin for her ongoing manifold kindnesses to him and to all of the people that she was involved with. She played an integral role in all of his success, and most importantly, she believed in his capabilities to reach others.
After thanking all of his Rebbeim and Rabbis Brander and Lebhar, he then imparted his message to the crowd. He impressed upon his Talmidim and Talmidos that they are the ones who truly should be honored. The unbelievable Mesirus Nefesh that they have undertaken in changing their lives around - some at age 20 and others at age 85 - was truly astounding. They have freed themselves from the spiritual prison of secular American culture and have defied gravity as well as all of societal norms in embracing a life of Torah and Mitzvos. He quoted the famous teaching of Rabbi Chanina in Gemara Taanis 7A that while he has learned a lot from teachers, even more from his colleagues, he learned the most is from his students. "While I have learned new insights in Torah from my students, I have especially learned the sublime qualities of courage, perseverance, and intestinal fortitude from them," averred Rabbi Stern. He then recounted nearly a dozen of vignettes from his 38 years in outreach of men and women who overcame tremendous challenges and obstacles in order to become and remain Torah Jews. He also told some amazing stories of Geirim that he has known and their improbable journeys. He declared "if you want to find heroes, look in the mirror."
He concluded his emotional talk with one important caveat. "While you deserve tremendous credit for the herculean efforts that you have put into transforming your lives, don't forget the importance of Zechus Avos.” He told a powerful story of a chavrusa of his in Ohr Somayach who received from his parents a copy of his grandfather's sefer on Bava Kama. His parents were clearing out their attic and discarding most of his late grandfather’s seforim that had been stored there since they had long since forsaken the paths of Torah and had no use for these “archaic” works. But as an afterthought, they sent a few random volumes to their son who had become a Baal Teshuvah while studying in Ohr Somayach. Those seforim were actually authored by his grandfather and in his introduction, he offered a prayer "May this sefer be a Zechus for my progeny to one day return to the path of Torah and Mitzvos."
Rabbi Stern's Chavrusa is still learning in Kollel today, 46 years after he read those words from his grandfather's sefer and has now authored seforim of his own. "As great as our Teshuvah has been, it was only possible because of the fervent Tefilos and tears of our antecedents going back to the 200 years of Jewish assimilation in Europe. Those Tefillos have continued when our forebearers transitioned to Olam HaEmes where they are still fervently davening for the return of their lost progeny," concluded Rabbi Stern.
It was a fitting end to a poignant evening of tribute, memory , and Hakaras Hatov
Emek’s 5th Grade Boys - Hatchalat Gemarah Presentation and Annual Campaign Winners
After learning Mishnayot Sukkot and Pesachim, the 5th grade boys began their lifelong journey into the study of Gemarah! The class started the 10th Perek of Pesachim, which discusses the laws of Pesach and other related topics. In spite of the complex Aramaic vocabulary and challenging discussion, the boys were very excited and highly motivated to finally start studying Gemarah. The class celebrated this momentous occasion with a Hatchalat Gemarah Party, where each student presented a specific section of the Gemarah to an audience of parents, grandparents and friends. Rabbi Shifman addressed the guests, highlighting one of the not-so-obvious benefits of learning Gemarah, namely, that the rigor of Gemarah analysis improves students’ critical thinking skills in every school subject. When the presentation ended, the entire class burst out in song "Mah Ahavti Toratecha...", displaying a tremendous love of Limud Torah. Additionally, they had another achievement to celebrate; this class reached the highest percentage of involvement in Emek’s Annual Campaign with 85% participation. The 36-hour Annual Charidy Campaign, which took place in December, is Emek’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and is essential for sustaining affordable tuition rates and closing the $3 million gap between tuition income and operating expenses. To that end, the boys enjoyed a meal of bourekas, pizza and cake.
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