In Tribute To Our Youth
The community of friends and supporters of Priority-1are
united in paying tribute to the youth of our communities. They
are truly worthy of honor and we are privileged to pay tribute
to them. They are growing up in difficult times. The negative
influences of society are stacked against them and the
temptation, pressure and challenges that they face are rarely
fully understood by their parents and teachers. So many have
flourished despite these difficulties and even those that have
strayed seem to be turning around and coming back.
Shlomo Hamelech , in Shir Hashirim, refers to the Jewish
people living in the distant exile as blackened and beautiful.
Blackened on the outside and beautiful on the inside. Rashi
explains that even though on the outside we appear so far
away from Torah and the traditions of our ancestors, it only
takes an outside cleansing to reveal the full greatness of our
forefathers that lies intact beneath the camouflage.
The positive reversals in the lives of our youth at risk are living
proof that all we have to do is remove the darkened covering
and the full radiance and beauty of our glorious forefathers
shines brightly in the lives of their descendants. Though the
credit truly belongs to our youth themselves, it should be
shared by their parents and teachers who instilled within them
the deep connection to Torah. They worked hard and waited
patiently for the beauty of Torah to shine once again in these
young lives. In the long run, we are all very fortunate to be able
to look forward to these young men and women becoming the
future leaders of the next generation.
May your parents and teachers be privileged with continued
nachas and may you, our dear youth, be blessed with every
measure of honor and success.
With heartfelt tribute, friendship and love,
The Friends and Supporters of Priority-1
Lawrence Country Club, Lawrence, NY
Septemer 14, 2005
REACHING THE NEXT GENERATION
