Los Angeles, CA – In the first video interview given since his return to the United States, Brooklyn businessman Yanky Ostreicher speaks passionately about the Aleph Institute, which was instrumental in arranging his release from the notorious Palmasola Prison in Bolivia.
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The video was taken last week in Los Angeles and is 90 seconds long, showing a remarkably healthy looking Ostreicher making his first official appearance, expressing his profound thanks to the Aleph Institute, which provides services both to Jewish military personnel as well as prison inmates.
“I would like to personally express my deepest gratitude to this incredible organization who are relentless throughout the world, helping Jewish prisoners all over the world,” said Ostreicher.
Ostreicher has remained out of the public eye since his return to the United States last month, but is speaking out publicly in order to garner support for Aleph Institute.
“It was very important to Yanky Ostreicher that people should know the good work that we do,” Rabbi Menachem Katz, director of prison and military outreach told VIN News. “He himself has been a recipient of Aleph’s work and the care, concern, tenacity and the great lengths that we go to help people is something he feels is very important for people to know.”
It was a relationship between Aleph Institute and actor Mark Wahlberg that brought about Ostreicher’s release from Palmasola, according to Rabbi Katz, who said that they approached Wahlberg who, in turn, contacted actor Sean Penn.
“It was Penn who spoke to Hugo Chavez who approached the president of Bolivia and asked him to intervene in this case,” explained Rabbi Katz.
“Aleph Institute was directly involved in my case, helping me being released from the most horrendous South American prison and only thru Aleph Institute, with the help of Hashem, by getting a hold of Sean Penn…if it wouldn’t be for Aleph Institute, that never would have happened.”
The video is timed to promote the Aleph Institute’s upcoming twelfth annual auction, which will be held in conjunction with its yearly military Shabbos, taking place in Florida on February 7th and 8th.
“This is an organization that is like no other organization that I am aware of,” said Ostreicher. “They were relentless. They were working 24 hours a day, around the clock, to do whatever they can.”
Online: www.AlephAuction.org
Mobile users click here to watch.
Good, I hope their auction nets them lots of money to continue their work.
Rabbi Katz and Aleph work tirelessly on behalf of every Yid, regardless of popular cause or not, regardless of whether the Jew is in prison etc. This Ahavas Yisroel is inspiring! Ashrecha Mendy!!
Aleph institue another wonderful orginization of chabad
From their website:
The Aleph Institute is a national, not-for-profit 501(c)(3), publicly-supported charitable institution founded by Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar under the direction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson O.B.M.
Aleph regularly provides professional services to nearly 4,000 men and women in federal and state prisons across the country and their approximately 25,000 spouses, children and parents left behind. Aleph’s Center for Halacha and American Law (CHAL) develops unique educational materials on Torah ethics and values, implements them in classroom curriculum and distributes them to schools and to the general public.
Aleph attempts to assist all, regardless of their religious observance, affiliation, background or lack of one. Aleph has also developed educational programs for non-Jews, based on the Seven Noahide Laws (universal code of ethics and morality) that are applicable to all of humankind, and provides social services to all who reach out to us, regardless of race, creed, sex, color or religion.