Rabbi Bregman finds that his twin goals of Torah and networking often feed into each other.
“I have had kids who want to spend a few weeks in Israel but their first responsibility is to build their resumes by landing a summer internship,” said Rabbi Bregman. “I speak to the kids and ask them if they will agree to spend those few weeks in a yeshiva in Israel if I can get them a summer job. I get in touch with one of my professional contacts and offer them a free summer intern. They get free help so they are happy. The parents are happy that their son has that important internship to add to his resume. The kid is happy because he gets to go to Israel and, quite often, once they spend those few weeks in a yeshiva, they get turned on to yiddishkeit. It is a win win situation for everyone.”
Joshua Kaller, an attorney who is licensed to practice law in both New York and Florida, is one of Rabbi Bregman’s success stories.
“I was doing data aggregation for the Washington DC based Gather the Jews, when Rabbi Bregman contacted us to do a shiur,” said Kaller. “That was the key moment in my life when things changed.”
With Rabbi Bregman’s infectious personality and enthusiasm, Kaller found himself drawn in and he relocated twice, first with a six month stint in Lakewood, then with another six months in Flatbush.
“I became more exposed to yiddishkeit which until then had been more like the exterior of my life,” explained Kaller. “Now it is the marrow of my existence and every day is about growth.”
Kaller went on to spend a year in Machon Shlomo in Jerusalem, and after a six week visit back to America this summer, is ready to board a plane back to Israel for another year at Machon Shlomo, where he will also keep up his duties as assistant director of the JELN. He credits Rabbi Bregman for his ability to nimbly balance his commitment to the Torah world with his professional life as an attorney.
“He has a sense of vitality that invigorates the Jewish world and is a paragon model in his personal life,” observed Kaller.
For Rabbi Bregman, juggling the many different facets that comprise his life is just part of who he is and what he does.
“At the end of the day, I am just a nice yid, who likes to teach and be of benefit to people. I like to learn. I like to write. I like to say shiurim and I like to help people in any way I can. I am almost like a professional developer of Jewish male potential on all fronts.”
To find out more about the JELN, contact Rabbi Bregman at [email protected].