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Alumni Profile: Yehoshua Blank ('91-'94)

From Bayswater to Beit Shemesh

Yehoshua Blank ('91-'94), now of Beit Shemesh, grew up in Far Rockaway, NY, attending the Yeshiva of Far Rockaway. He is the youngest of four Blank brothers who all attended Yeshivat Sha’alvim (the family holds the record for 14 contiguous years in the yeshiva). A Sha'alvim student for four years (including nine months in the IDF), Yehoshua made Sha'alvim his first stop on his return to Eretz Yisrael, joining our Kollel from 1998-2000.

In between his sets of Sha'alvim years, Yehoshua finished his BA in Computer Science at Touro College, studied with Rav Michael Rosensweig at Yeshiva University and continued to attend Rav Rosensweig's shiur during his first years in the working world.

Since moving to Beit Shemesh, Yehoshua has been an active member of the Nofei Aviv community, which is led by Yeshivat Sha’alvim’s own Rav Eliezer Schenkolewski. Additionally, Yehoshua is one of the founding members of Rabbi Avishai David’s night kollel, located in Beit Midrash Torani Leumi. Yehoshua enjoys a particularly close relationship with Rabbi David, with whom he can often be found deep in discussion.

Yehoshua is proud father of 4 wonderful children, Shmuel (who spent his first 2 years as a Kollel baby), Batya, Yehuda, and Moshe. His wife Dina has been a faculty member at Shaalvim for Women since its inception. And with three brothers as Sha’alvim alumni, along with cousins Rav Dovid Fendel and Rav Tzvi Grumet, Yehoshua is certainly part of a committed Sha’alvim family.

What led you to make aliya?

At the age of eight, my family came to Israel for a period of two years. During that time I became thoroughly integrated into Israeli culture, attending Beit Sefer Chorev in Katamon, and even helping my Israeli born friends with their Gemara homework This two year experience made Israel and Aliyah a focal point for discussion in my family, and, one by one, my brothers and I each made Aliyah with our families and were ultimately followed by our parents.

What was the most remarkable event during your Shana Aleph?

During the first Gulf War a siren went off as then-Mashgiach Rav Tzuriel started to give his Monday afternoon sicha. We ran back to our rooms, only to be released a short time later since it turned out to be a false alarm. As we came back to the Beit Midrash, we found Rav Tzuriel standing at the amud waiting to continue his sicha, signifying that no matter what, the learning of Torah continues without pause.

Can you share one of your Tzahal memories with us?

Before Chanukah, the Israeli government exiled over 400 members of the Hamas terrorist group to Lebanon. As a result, nearly 70 percent of the army was sent to the Gaza strip – myself included. On one of the nights of Chanukah, a whole group of Chabad Chassidim came into our base, handed out sufganiyot and started to dance with all the soldiers. The following day, I was stationed at a lookout post set up after the murder of Shimon Biran H”yd, and the Chabadnikim came again, this time leaving a box of thirty sufganiyot for the five of us.

What advice would you give today's  first year students at Sha'alvim?

I used to refer to my years in the ‘Vim as Gan Eden. Laundry was done for us, meals were given to us, our schedules were fairly flexible and the only thing that we were required to do was learn. This was a unique time in my development as a Ben Torah – and it doesn’t necessarily repeat itself -- so I would suggest to all students (whether Shana Aleph, Bet, Gimmel or Daled) to make the most of their time.