Another Good Doctor

I’ve known Kalman for over four years now, and I’m proud to count him among my friends.

I’d initially met him on my first visit to his yeshivah back in 2016 shortly after I made aliyah. As I stood outside the door of a run-down building in an Israeli neighborhood, I wasn’t sure what I’d find when I entered, or how the bochurim and hanhalah would take to the discussion I wanted to introduce.

But Kalman, who was the dorm counselor at the time, had heard about me and invited me to come down. He was cheerful and enthusiastic when he introduced himself and showed me around before bringing me in to meet with the mashgiach. This place wasn’t exactly Brisk — it was a place for boys who’d been struggling with their Yiddishkeit and wanted a turnaround, and while not all the bochurim here were beis medrash regulars, they were all clean; the no-drug, no-alcohol rule was strictly enforced.

So what was I doing here? Well, I’d heard a rumor from several patients — bochurim from a few different yeshivos — that one of the boys here was selling prescription Adderall to kids at other programs. With the mashgiach’s permission, Kalman invited me for an initial meeting to discuss speaking with the bochurim, but the mashgiach, who did agree to meet me, was a bit more hesitant.