Brooklyn, NY – From “OUR PLACE” to NO PLACE: Noted Kiruv Facilty On Verge Of Closure [video]

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    OurPlace Director Chaim GlanczBrooklyn, NY – Our Place, the Brooklyn facility that offers food, safe recreational opportunities, guidance, counseling and so much more to troubled teens is set to close its doors due to lack of funding. Both the government grants and the private donations that have kept Our Place afloat since 1998 have dwindled due to the difficult economic climate, leaving Our Place facing closure and countless Jewish teens on the streets. Our Place has three locations in Brooklyn, one for girls and two for boys, in addition to operating a boys yeshiva.

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    In a hard hitting video, both the staff and the teens who frequent Our Place discuss the contributions Our Place has made to the Jewish community, not only giving troubled teens a safe place to spend time, but also providing them with warmth, love and a sense that no matter how far they have strayed, there is a place in the Jewish community that will welcome them with open arms. The list of services Our Place provides is staggering, not only helping countless teens overcome substance and alcohol abuse but also providing dinner, a hotline, counseling, job and school placement services and recreational activities in a safe, supervised environment staffed by caring volunteers who shower them with unconditional love and support.

    Approximately 8000 teens have come through Our Place over the years and their success rate is somewhere between 70 to 80 percent, with previously troubled teens now rehabilitated adults who are vital productive members of the Jewish community with families of their own. Last year alone, 732 boys came to Our Place, all of whom either left yeshiva or were kicked out. Many of them were heavy drug users.

    An Our Place staffers speaks candidly in the video, appealing to the public to donate to the facility so that it can continue to serve the Jewish community.

    “This place is the one place that tells them that they are always accepted in the Jewish community…Hashem accepts them every day, we accept them every day. To imagine that there would be so many kids that would have no belief that the Jewish community still cares about them, wants to help them. There is no other place like this in Brooklyn, maybe no other place like this in the world.

    To donate, or buy a raffle to keep OUR Place open click here

    Watch below interview conducted last week. by Shimon Gifter for VIN News at Ourplace with Director Chaim Glancz and other staff members. Interview starts at minute 1:15.


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    22 Comments
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    PMOinFL
    PMOinFL
    13 years ago

    This breaks my heart. These kids are *OUR* responsibility. It is that simple. I don’t understand how this organization could be allowed to just fall. There is no excuse for this kind of failure on the part of the community. Period.

    No kid gets lost without our help. How do we help? By doing nothing.

    ProminantLawyer
    ProminantLawyer
    13 years ago

    if noonoe will fund this…then…….

    13 years ago

    How about the Federation coughing up some money?

    13 years ago

    We need to save Our Place. It does so much for our community.

    brooklynlady
    brooklynlady
    13 years ago

    What happened to the guy who donated $$$ for the trees in Haifa
    area. Does anyone able to contact him?

    ActualJew
    ActualJew
    13 years ago

    what about families taking control of their kids’ lives? what about families and neighborhs helping out? 700 drug addicts in Orthodox Brooklyn? and that is probably only a fraction if i know anything about addicts and their ways.
    woe unto us.
    i feel for these kids. if we weeded out the sex offenders in our community, there would be much, much less of a drug problem. ask any health professional.

    abk1981
    abk1981
    13 years ago

    Purchased $100 worth of raffle tickets.

    13 years ago

    the federation does not like to give to frum causes

    13 years ago

    As someone who has been working with kids at risk and their families for many years, I am among many who know the work of Our Place and the tzaddikim that do the hatzolas nefashos there every day. From Rabbi Chaim Glanz to Sonny Perlman, Rafi, and many others, there is ample schar awaiting them for the work I see them do. How much more for so much I cannot see! Every word of what such a loss would mean to the community is true.

    There are many organizations that are attempting to address this general problem. All are doing much good. Just a few are on the scale of Our Place, and all are facing serious futures. There was some government funding that has completely disappeared. The community must earmark tzedokoh money to keep these programs open. Those families who have been directly affected know this cause too well. The neshamos that are being helped are part of Klal Yisroel, no less precious to HKB”H than ours.

    May the mitzvoh of tzedokoh pay us back with greater hatzlocho in our parnosos and in all our children being true sources of nachas and pride, to HKB”H and to us.

    13 years ago

    I don’t know who has been responding to RFP’s on behalf of “Our Place”, but there have been some out there in the last few years for at-risk youth. I’ve written some that have been funded, but many recently have been directed at specific “populations” & we aren’t that “population.”

    The main problem is that there is a lot less government money today than there was for these causes. Billions go to pork projects. Bernie Madoff decimated private foundations & reputable organizations are now closing because of funding issues.

    There are many VERY wealthy Jews in this country, B”H. Unfortunately, those who do give mostly support the Arts, health care & assorted liberal causes. Frum family foundations traditionally don’t award large sums, even if they will give to frum organizations.

    I really pray that some big Gvir will just give me millions to re-grant to all these deserving institutions. I have a list yards long of reputable places dedicated to helping & serving our community, from Hachnosas Kallah to Yeshivas. My dream: to open a shelter for battered women. G-d knows there’s a need R”L. Any offers?

    signed, GRANT WRITER

    CountryYossi
    CountryYossi
    13 years ago

    where can i donate money..? can some one please post the name and address of this important organization.

    HaNavon
    HaNavon
    13 years ago

    Daage nisht, I’ll eventually open up the Bais HaNavonim!

    moshe123
    moshe123
    13 years ago

    there is a place in boro park as well where there is a open place where boys returns back to yidishkeit. evryone feels walcome at the kolel d”boro park niklesburg 4912-16av RABBI JUNGREIS were i was returnd to yidish keit i love u RABBE and thank you very much now iam back in yeshiva and the only person that looked out for me was u RABBI JUNGREIS may hashem give u the strength and for all oders out dear to countinue the avodes hokodesh as RABBE always says we are all TZODIKIM and composed a song to us VALMYCH KILOM TZODIKIM ,

    Reubies
    Reubies
    13 years ago

    I just bought a raffle ticket. To all those wanting the merit of donating to this worthy cause follow the link at the end of the article right above the video clip.
    To all those who are directly involved with this organization, may Hashem give you the strength and the financial resources to continue until, G-d willing, we won’t need it anymore.
    Tizku Limitzvos.

    13 years ago

    out place is a asom place it saves jews / lives and many soles . and for those who don’t understand what it is , if you never had a kid there then ill explain in very simple few words , imagine your rejected at home (no love at home) and are so angry and frustrated that you will do anything and everything possible without thinking ,, but when you walk into our place its like walking into a second home with love and care , food , entertainment , and people to talk to who will guide you through your ruff times and try there best to help you . the people who work there are not your regular people , there people who look at you as if your there son and give there entire heart and dedicate them selfs just to help you . no words are enough to explain but i hope that from just reading this and painting a picture in your mind , you will be able to give a generous donation . and our place helps girls also and the money goes for both

    sonyP---guesswho
    sonyP---guesswho
    13 years ago

    OUR PLACE ROCKS!!!!

    sonyP---guesswho
    sonyP---guesswho
    13 years ago

    Our Place has saved lives, is saving lives, and with our financial help, WILL continue to save lives!!

    schwartzi
    schwartzi
    13 years ago

    Let the YESHIVAS donate some money to our place.
    Lets see BYA’s Teichman,Masores’s Gelbman,Bais Yaakov D’rav Meir’s Levy, and the rest of the”gang” who run the hoi poloi ( the creme de la creme) of Flatbush girl schools,give a hand.
    LOL. ha,ha,ha.

    13 years ago

    I remember going to a yahrzeit drush and the speaker was Rav Galinsky from Holon in Eretz Yisrael; and he was speaking about given tzaddaka and what came out of his drush was you need to have merit to give; that is why sometime
    somebody comes to somebody’s house and ask for a donation and he does not give but give the next day since he needs to daven 3 more times, needs to learn a bisul etc. The federation does not give to this cause because look who is leading the federation; are they Shommer Shabbos, are they married to Jews, are their children Jewish, are their children married to Jews, are or did there children get a Torah education???? If the answer to any of these questions are no why should they care about frum people

    13 years ago

    If every jew gives a little bit then it will add up and will stay open !!!!! PEOPLE WAKE UP !!! LETS GO ! OUR PLACE NEEDS US !!!!