Visionaries and Builders

On the day before Walt Disney passed away, a reporter found his way into his hospital room in Burbank, CA, determined to get an interview. Mr. Disney invited the reporter to lay next to him, because he was only able to speak in a whisper. At one point, Disney pointed to an imaginary map on the ceiling of the yet unbuilt Magic Kingdom theme park, while he described his vision for the park and the attractions in great detail. At the opening of Walt Disney World six years later, someone asked CEO Mike Vance, "Isn't it too bad that Walt Disney didn't live to see this?" to which Vance replied, "He did see it. That's why it's here."

Over 30 years ago, a group of visionaries came together to share their image on the ceiling, which would become Katz Hillel Day School. It would be hard to believe that anyone could have foretold where KHDS would be after our first 30 years, with our growth, our campus, thousands of students, and our impact on their lives and on the community. Those pioneers, however, certainly did; and that's why we're here. Like Disney, they not only had and shared that vision, but they also led the way by pouring their time and resources into our success.

There is a well known story about President Kennedy's visit to the NASA space center in 1962. Along his tour, Kennedy stopped to introduce himself to a janitor carrying a broom, and asked what the man was doing. "Mr. President," he replied, "I'm helping put a man on the moon." This janitor recognized that it would take the contributions of thousands of people filling a variety of roles to achieve this historic feat, and he was one of those critical components.

Torah commentators famously debate the reasons why Avraham Avinu was greater than Noach. Rav Eliyahu Dessler explains that although Noach cared for the animals over the course of their year together in the ark, his kindness was merely reactive since he didn't want the animals to starve. Noach rebuked the wicked in his generation during the 120 years that it took to build the ark, but in all of that time, he never went the extra mile to inspire them to repent, seemingly getting by with just the bare minimum of effort. Avraham, on the other hand, was proactive by nature. He went to great lengths to seek opportunities to perform acts of kindness and spread the Torah and Hashem's oneness throughout the world. That characteristic was key to his greatness, and his legacy as the "av hamon goyim" — the father of many nations.

It would have been difficult in 1989 to predict the challenges and opportunities that KHDS would face in our first three decades, just as we may not be able to predict what KHDS will look like in another 30 years, or the path we will take to get there. More than simply reaching the moon, we are aiming to change the course of generations and secure the eternity of Klal Yisrael, and a task of that magnitude will require the efforts of many people in many different roles. But we will have a new generation of pioneers to proactively assure that we fulfill our vision of what KHDS can be in 2049 and beyond, and I'm eager for you all to join our team.

Please contact me to discuss how we can best utilize your unique vision, talents, and resources in this endeavor. Let your legacy mirror that of Avraham Avinu and partner with us to endow thousands of children with a Jewish education, and secure the eternity of Klal Yisrael.