Feature 072413 p6-15 Art.FSe8975901125378f225ec-d9ec7de99413e7ed1fecd8abdd12187b.r51.… · Feature 072413 p6-15 Art.FS.qxd 7/18/2013 3:17 PM Page 6. Inyan Magazine 17 Av 5773 7

Hamodia Ju l y 24 , 20136

P E R S O N A L D I M E N S I O N S

The colors of caring

Artto Heart

Rabbi Yisroel Braunstein (L)

with Vince Diomede of

Lowe’s in Howell, N.J., who

conducts woodworking

workshops under Rabbi

Braunstein’s direction for

Chai Lifeline children in the

store.

Feature 072413 p6-15 Art.FS.qxd 7/18/2013 3:17 PM Page 6

Inyan Magaz ine 17 Av 5773 7

Before meeting him, your mind first has to

shed preconceived notions and be able to wrap

itself around multiple contradictions. We tend to

tabulate myriad impressions and file them away

in neat folders. Collate the following: yeshivah,

kollel, sofer STAM, white beard, up-brim hat,

long black coat. You see where your mind is

leading you? Then attach to this picture the head

and heart of Rabbi Yisroel Tzvi Braunstein, and

all clichés are instantly blown out of the water.

Brimming with ebullience, spreading

happiness in his wake, this most unorthodox of

Orthodox rabbis is a supremely gifted artist,

musician, educator, and doctor of the human

soul. He is endowed with a rare talent — the

ability to look beyond the confines of what is and

to envision, in glorious color, what can be.

Because he is determined to inspire those

whose belief in themselves has been extinguished,

one of his close friends describes him quite simply

as a “ben Olam Haba.”

BY SURI COHEN



Early DaysWhen Yisroel Braunstein entered the

world in 1944, his family was, in thewords of a neighbor, “one of the onlyyeshivish families in Flatbush.”

Arriving in America in 1895, hisgrandparents weathered the Depressionand raised children who grew to bepillars of the Jewish community, despitetheir lack of a yeshivah education. Hisfather, Reb Simcha Godol Braunstein,was one of the founders of the ShomkutBeis Medrash in 1954, and he kept astrong connection to its Rav, RabbiYechezkel Ruttner, z”l, with whom hestudied Torah b’chavrusa for thirty years.

“My father was a businessman whobecame a true ben Torah,” notes his son.“He had a real hashpaah on Flatbush.”

Upon reaching school age, youngYisroel followed in the footsteps of his

(Below) About 70 shtenders created, painted, and

stained by Chai Lifeline patients and their siblings

under Rabbi Braunstein’s direction.

(Right) Rabbi Braunstein teaches Chai Lifeline

boys how to create a shtender.



older brother, Shlomo, and attendedYeshivah Toras Emes. He has warmmemories of his principal, Rabbi EliasSchwartz, who has imbued thousands oftalmidim with a sincere love for Torah inhis decades-long career.

“When my brother, Reb Shlomo,enrolled in ninth grade at YeshivasRabbeinu Chaim Berlin, my familybegan a relationship with the RoshYeshivah, Harav Yitzchak Hutner, zt”l.The Rosh Yeshivah’s impact on me cannotbe calculated.”

He recalls a powerful lesson helearned from the Rosh Yeshivah, who hada keen appreciation for the uniquetalents and personality of each of histalmidim. “He used to say, ‘If you have atalent, it’s assur to stifle it!’

“Spending Yamim Tovim with Rav

Hutner opened up new vistas for me. Thesimchah that emanated from the RoshYeshivah, from his lessons and his YomTov mesibos, remains forever etched inmy heart and mind. And that’s the wayI raised my children and my students —b’simchah.”

It is this word, “b’simchah,” that is thebackground music of Rabbi Braunstein’slife.

Discovering and DevelopingYoung Yisroel discovered his artistic

calling at age nine while he washomebound with the measles for a fewweeks. “To help keep me busy, mymother bought me an art set, which hadeverything in it to fire my imagination. Istarted drawing for theschool newspaper and

graduated to drawing banners as ateenager in Camp Munk.”

Eager to encourage his gifted son, Mr.Braunstein paid for him to take acalligraphy course given by Sir DonaldJackson, scribe to Queen Elizabeth ofEngland, at New York’s School of VisualArts when Yisroel was eighteen years old.

“I took the course with a few otherartistically inclined yeshivah boys. SirDonald was, shall we say, not a philo-Semite. He was constantly taking nastylittle jabs at the Hebrew alphabet, whichhe derided as archaic. At the end of thecourse, each student hadto produce an invitation

Rabbi Braunstein with

Zusya Brandwein.


using the techniques he had taught us. Itwas worth all the bizyonos to see his facewhen he read my invitation, rendered inexquisite calligraphy, embellished withgold leaf, and signed with the queen’sinsignia.

“‘Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeththe Second, and Prince Philip, the Dukeof Edinburgh,’” I wrote, “‘cordially inviteyou to attend the bar mitzvah of theirson, Prince Charles, which will takeplace at Buckingham Palace onSaturday morning, the 5th day of Nisan5721.’ Jackson sputtered and nearlychoked — but I got an A in the course!”

His musical career did not get off tosuch an auspicious start. “I started pianolessons when I was seven. After onelesson, my teacher, Mrs. Schwartz, closedthe piano on my hands and declared,‘You’ll never make it.’ Three years later, Iwas giving concerts in the Boro ParkY[MHA] — with Mrs. Schwartz sitting inthe third row!”

In 1968, after Rabbi Braunstein'smarriage to Sarah Neuberg ofPhiladelphia, he earned a master'sdegree in education from FairfieldUniversity in Connecticut. It was then

that his creative talents fusedharmoniously, when the New York CityBoard of Education offered him a job asan art and music teacher.

Rabbi Braunstein credits his wife, ateacher who holds a master’s degree inspecial education, for her ideas andunique approach to education, “whichhave been an invaluable part of mygrowth.” His thirty-two years in thepublic-school system, interrupted by ashort interval in the eighties when theBraunsteins lived in Eretz Yisrael, werestudded with rollicking adventures andwildly out-of-the-box creativity.

“In 1975, I began teaching in PS 131in the Boro Park section of Brooklyn. Theprincipal asked me to get involved withsome kids with emotional problems whowere not reading at grade level. I createda special club for them, and together wepainted a huge mural in the auditorium,eight feet high, depicting Washingtoncrossing the Delaware. It made a hugesplash, and The New York Times and theDaily News wrote it up.”

Although he had been paintingmurals with students since 1973, whatreally fired the art teacher’s imagination


You can see this mural

at Essen on Coney

Restaurant in Brooklyn.



was the impact that the project had onhis “club members.” He watched as theirself-esteem and sense ofaccomplishment soared. It was a lessonhe would later put to good use workingwith troubled children in the Jewishcommunity.

Hiatus in the Holy LandIn 1986, the Braunsteins fulfilled a

long-held dream by moving toYerushalayim. In short order, RabbiBraunstein tells me with a twinkle in hiseye, he became known as “the mayor ofMattersdorf.” Encouraged by RabbiAbish Eisen, with whom he learnedb’chavrusa for two years and whom heconsiders a rebbi, he continued todevelop his artistic talents by seeking outtop sofrim in Yerushalayim.

“I sat next to them and watched themperfecting their craft. After a year, I tooka bechinah from the Badatz and receivedmy certification [kabbalah] in safrus. Todate, I’ve written 104 megillos, manymezuzos, an Eichah, and a Shir Hashirim.”

Since returning to the States in 1989,he has taught safrus basics to a numberof teenagers. They learn how to cut theirown pens and how to form all the letters.Rabbi Braunstein instructs them in thebasic halachos as well.

“I warn them, of course, that onlyafter years of studying and a thoroughbechinah can they even think aboutwriting STAM [holy scrolls].”

Master of His DomainHaving set the stage, Rabbi

Braunstein now steers our conversationto its focal point, the work into which hepours his heart and soul.

“What makes a kid tick?” he muses.“That’s the eternal question. Get into hisbrain and into his heart, and you’realmost there. Get him to trust you, andyou’re right near the finish line. Get himto smile, laugh, create, and be happywith himself, and you’ve made it. You’rehome, and so is he.”

With these powerful lines as hisanimating spirit, Rabbi Braunstein has

been a force in Jewish camping since1969, when he was recruited by RabbiShlomo Kleinman, z”l, as headcounselor of Camp Hadar HaTorah. Forthe past twelve years, he has been artdirector at Camp Toras Chaim Tashbar,working with Rabbi Allie Dembitzer,whom he lauds for his keen eye inchoosing outstanding rebbeim and staffmembers under whose care the campersgrow and flourish.

And as he goes on to describe theactivities that take place in his personalfiefdom, the art shack, it becomes clearthat a large part of his magnetism isintertwined with his ebullientpersonality and outsize heart.

The art shack at Camp Tashbar isRabbi Braunstein’s magical kingdom.Fully outfitted with state-of-the-artequipment, the projects that emergefrom it range from woodworking andstring art to stained glass and anythingelse the art director’s fertile imaginationmight dream up. Campers are free toenter in their spare time in order to

Happy campers in the art shack ready to embark on a project.



express their creativity and explore thepathways of their imagination. Asidefrom the regularly scheduled projects,the art shack is a magnet for those whoare troubled and have issues to work out.

Rabbi Braunstein describes one suchencounter. “A kid wandered in one day,lethargic, unmotivated, not really in themood to do anything. He looked aroundand started to walk out. I asked himwhere he was going, and he said, ‘Backto my bunk.’ I invited him in to look atthe equipment and all the projects. Aswe talked, I detected a note of sadness inhis voice.

“‘Did you ever use a scroll saw?’ Iasked him. A scroll saw is a machinewith a very thin, fine blade that canmake either straight or fancy cuts inwood. It’s easy to handle, and with alittle practice the results can be amazing.‘No,’ he replied. ‘That’s dangerous, andI’m no good at any of that stuff.’

“‘True,’ I said, ‘if you don’t know howto use it. Come, I’ll show you.’ I took outsome nosh and gave him a pair ofgoggles. I began to see the glimmerings

of a smile. He was a bit apprehensive,but he put on the goggles andapproached the machine. I had a pieceof wood waiting for him on the machineplatform with a thick black line drawndown the middle. ‘Okay, chief’ — theylove it when I call them that — ‘do it!’ Isaid with a broad smile.

“‘Are you sure you trust me, RabbiB.?’ he said nervously.

“‘Kid, just looking at you, I know youcan handle any machine in this shack!’So we turned on the machine. ‘Hold thewood steady and feed that black lineright into the saw.’ And he did one piece,and another. And then he cut a curve,and then his initials. And so was bornShmuly G., master craftsman, happycamper.

“By the end of the summer, he hadmade his own shtender and a miniatureshul, complete with aron kodesh. Hiscrowning glory was a four-foot model ofthe Empire State Building. And hisparents? They were overjoyed. A quiet,self-contained young boy blossomed intoan outgoing, social child, happy with

life, happy with himself and his friends.I even managed to get him into somemajor plays in camp, which is the dreamof every camper.

“Some time after the summer, I washappy to receive an invitation to his barmitzvah. I drove to his home right beforethe dinner and walked in with a big box.He was delighted to see me. I told him,smiling as if he already got the joke, thatthere was a Shas in the box. I saw hisface fall ever so slightly as he said,‘Rabbi B., I got two of them already.’

“‘Okay, chief,’ I replied, ‘just open thebox!’ He pulled off the fancy wrapping,uncovering a box from Lowe’s, and hisface lit up. He shouted, ‘I can’t believe it.Wow!’ Can you guess what it was? Ascroll saw, purchased that afternoon!

“Shmuly is a special young mantoday, learning well, feeling good aboutlife and about himself — and still sawingaway!”

Far from unique, this story is woveninto the warp and woof of the art shackexperience. Aside from his regular rosterof campers, Rabbi Braunstein has what

A marble race created by Y. Altusky.



he calls his “assistants.” They are kidswho need a little extra TLC andencouragement. They emerge from theart shack, irrevocably touched by theinfectious joy exuded by the mastercraftsman under whose loving guidancethey have tasted the joy of creativitymade real.

“There’s no secret to thisaccomplishment. You’ve got to go aboveand beyond and make each child feelthat he is special, that there’s nothing inthe world you won’t do for him.”

Reinventing RetirementAfter a long and fruitful career in

education, Rabbi Braunstein retired fromthe public-school system and moved withhis wife to Lakewood, where theirchildren live. Predictably, it wasn’t longbefore the erstwhile “mayor ofMattersdorf” was making waves in hisnew hometown.

“About four months after we moved toLakewood, I had the special privilege ofmeeting with the mashgiach, HaravMatisyahu Salomon, shlita. We had

mutual acquaintances with whom I wasmeeting on a weekly basis, using the artsas a means of bringing happiness intotheir lives. The art was just a portion ofthe job. Building a relationship of trustwas the most crucial part of the task.

“Although I’ve been involved in thiswork for over four decades, the Mashgiachand the Rebbetzin, sheyichyu, have playeda major role in guiding me alongsometimes difficult paths. Their home isalways open to me. More than once, I’vecalled Rav Salomon with a uniquerequest of some sort — a special-needschild who wanted a brachah, a shalombayis problem, a bachur who needed helpgetting into a yeshivah. Whatever it was,the Mashgiach was always there for me.

“When I would occasionally tell RavSalomon that I’d reached a dead end in acertain case, he would tell me that wecreate our own dead ends. ‘Don’t giveup,’ he’d encourage me. ‘Persevere, gothe extra mile, and b’siyatta diShmaya,things will work out.’ And you knowwhat? In most cases, that’s exactly what’sbeen happening!”

Soon after moving to Lakewood, RabbiBraunstein began volunteering as adriver for Chai Lifeline, taking patientsand families to Sloan-Kettering inManhattan and to Children’s Hospital ofPhiladelphia, among other destinations.He has strong words of praise for RabbiSruli Fried, under whose direction ChaiLifeline has grown into a chessed colossus,helping children, teens, and adults copewith the most serious illnesses, loss ofloved ones, and emotional challenges.

Rabbi Braunstein has become ChaiLifeline’s unofficial director ofwoodworking and creative workshops.Always seeking to create newopportunities, he recently parlayed a tripto Lowe’s in Howell, New Jersey, into afull-scale woodworking workshop forChai Lifeline children.

“I was in Lowe’s two years ago torepair a piece of equipment,” he relates,“and made the acquaintance of VinceDiomede, director of commercial sales. Ifound myself telling him about what I do.In short order, Vince agreed to conductworkshops for my kids in the store. He

Moishy Perlowitz proudly holds the mini beis medrash he created.

Sruli Kahan displays a

model of a bridge he

built in the art shack.



even makes time to host separate sessionsfor boys and girls. Not only does Lowe’sprovide the space, they also donate thematerials, even for projects createdelsewhere.”

There are five or six homes thatRabbi Braunstein visits on a weeklybasis, using the arts to elicit smiles andmake people laugh. In addition, he’spainted murals with the help of severaltalented teenagers in need ofmotivation, trust, and caring. “We’vecreated murals in Essen on Coney[Island] in Brooklyn, Dougie’s restaurantin Woodbourne, New York, and Yitz AutoBody in Howell, New Jersey, to name afew.” His breathtaking murals andstained-glass windows also adorn manyhomes and sukkos in the tristate area.

Endlessly creative, always looking fornew modes of expression, RabbiBraunstein has recently branched intoorigami, the art of Japanese paper-folding. Before sitting down for ourinterview, he pulled several sheets oforigami paper out of his portfolio, and

(Top) Stained glass in a private sukkah in Lakewood.

(Left) Sukkah art in Alpine Estates in Kiamesha,

New York.

(Below) Custom-designed stained-glass windows

in a sukkah in Ferndale, New York.



within nanoseconds had my childrenenthralled as they created candy dishesand picture frames under his patientdirection.

Rabbi Braunstein told me, “I wasrecently invited to give an art lesson tothe sixth grade in Yeshivas Toras Aron inLakewood. I decided to teach the boysorigami, which is an exercise inconcentration. The boys were captivated.They paid careful attention to theinstructions, folded precisely, and turnedout simply stunning projects.”

This was the second time RabbiBraunstein had visited them. The firstsession was a lesson in the basics ofsafrus, and he still relishes the memoryof the joy and satisfaction on their facesas they concentrated and created lettersunder his direction.

Based on four decades of unqualifiedsuccess in engaging the hearts andminds of children and teens through artand creative expression, RabbiBraunstein is a passionate advocate ofschool programs that aim to spark thecreative process, whether through art,music, woodworking, or other mediums.Everyone in chinuch is grappling withthe ever-tightening standards that arecoming to define excellence in ourschool system, standards that oftenprove toxic to those students who areunable to live up to them. RabbiBraunstein’s decades of experienceclearly indicate that there is a betterway.

“I would love to see art andwoodworking periods in yeshivos two orthree times a week, supervised byindividuals who know how to teach,motivate, praise, and go that extramile.”

Special Siyatta DiShmayaRabbi Braunstein ends our

conversation with a touching tale. “Comes the last day of camp and

tears are flowing freely. Campers neverwant the summer to end. Theirmemories of songs, friends, and theshack will last deep into the wintermonths. Of course, everyone’s bringing

home their awards for learning, sports,improvement, and their projects fromthe shack.

“As the campers pass through theshack to say goodbye, I give out most ofthe samples lying on the shelves. Twosummers ago, the only thing left was asample shtender that was decorated witha boy’s name written in safrus letters,and an acrylic painting ofYerushalayim. The shtenders are amongthe most coveted projects.

“I was ready to close the shack whena bachur from our very special campmesivta came in and asked if there wasanything available to take home for hisbrother, who is seriously ill. I pointed tothe shtender on the shelf. ‘It’s yours if youwant it,’ I told him. ‘But it has mygrandson’s name on it — AvrohomYitzchok.’

“Tears welled up in his eyes. ‘That’smy brother’s name,’ he whispered.

“As he gently removed the shtender

from the shelf, he wished me ah gut yahr,and I have to admit, I shed a tear or twomyself.”

As Rabbi Braunstein prepares to leavemy house, his cellphone rings. He scansthe caller ID and answers the call with awide smile. “Yitzchak Dovid!” heexclaims. “How are you?”

I hear the voice coming through thephone, and then my guest says, “Holdon a minute.” Turning to my family, hecalls out, “Anyone here have a thousanddollars to spare?” He grins into thephone and says to the caller, “I’m soglad to hear from you. I’ll call you backas soon as I can talk.”

Pied Piper-like, my children follow histrail as he packs up and walks to his car.They are loathe to let Rabbi Braunsteinleave, begging for just one more sketch,one more project. But the light iswaning, and he must go — leaving apaper trail behind him, and miles ofsmiles in his wake. I

Rabbi Braunstein was commissioned by chassidim in

Eretz Yisrael to create this portrait of the Beis Yisrael.


Documents

Feature 072413 p6-15 Art.FSe8975901125378f225ec-d9ec7de99413e7ed1fecd8abdd12187b.r51.… · Feature 072413 p6-15 Art.FS.qxd 7/18/2013 3:17 PM Page 6. Inyan Magazine 17 Av 5773 7