Migdal Ohr is not just a school; it’s a home to its students. All of their needs are taken care of – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. They receive food, clothing, medical care and more. Their studies are of the highest caliber. The religious studies strengthen the students in many ways, they learn how wonderful it is to be a Jew, what a privilege and delight it is to be the beloved children of the King, as well as how to fulfill His instructions for living life in the best way possible.
Secular studies are also on an extremely high level; there is an excellent staff as well as the most up-to-date equipment, enabling the students to learn English, math, history and science as well as computers, graphics, carpentry and electronics. The students are also prepared for and take matriculation exams, enabling them to go on to higher education if they so desire. All this, of course, in an extremely warm, caring environment. Some graduates of Migdal Ohr go on to become teachers, as well as professionals in various fields, and others become tradesmen. With all the love, respect and education they receive, they become respectable, productive members of Israeli society. Many of them are chosen for the select units of the Israeli Defense Forces and Israeli Air Force. Some of them eventually join the Migdal Ohr staff.
Migdal Ohr stays in contact with its students even after graduation, as all good families do, and when the time is right, helps marry off its graduates, enabling them to build fine, stable, happy Jewish homes. It’s not surprising that in 1991 Migdal Ohr won the “Best of the Decade” award for being the best educational institution in all of Israel. Rav Grossman describes his success succinctly: “They’re like my children,” he says, “I have to take care of them in the best way possible. That’s what a parent does.”
An extremely interesting fact is that none of the families of Migdal Ohr students pay for tuition, or anything else. Another fact: Rav Grossman doesn’t receive any money from Migdal Ohr. He is the chief rabbi of Migdal HaEmek and as such receives a salary. Everything he does for his fellow Jews, whether through Migdal Ohr or other ways, is totally voluntary! Nor does he have any political affiliations. It’s all a matter of ahavat Yisrael, loving one’s fellow Jew. “We’re all family,” says Rav Grossman once again, this time adding: “It doesn’t matter if they’re religious or not, from what country they come, or anything else. We’re all part of one big family and so we have to love, respect and help each other. It’s that simple.”
Rav Grossman is always looking for ways to help. During the various wars and military operations in Israel, he is with the soldiers, helping them in any way he can, and amazing stories, what some would call miracles, have beentold about these interactions. Rav Grossman also has a project, Chag Savea, which distributes tons of food packages to needy families before Rosh Hashanah and Pesach. During Operation Protective Edge, he teamed up with Rav Simcha Krakovsky of Beis HaTavshil in Bnei Brak, and sent thousands of food packages to families in the South who were unable to get out of their shelters long enough to buy or cook food.
Throughout the year, Rav Grossman also runs a unique rehabilitation project, Shaked, which operates in all of Israel’s prisons. It gives prisoners the opportunity to learn with a group of rabbanim for a few hours a day while, at the same time, their families are mentored and prepared for what life will be like when the prisoner comes home. It’s not surprising that in the year 2004 Rav Grossman was awarded Israel’s highest award, the Israel Prize, for his contributions to Israeli society.