He looked at me. For the first time, there was no hate in his eyes. Only panic. And fear
When you’re recruiting for a yeshivah, you can categorize kids under the three Ps. Pursue — this is the kind of kid we’re looking for and will do well with. Pass — not our kind of guy, refer him to a more suitable school. The third group is Possibly — can go either way, speak to his references.
If you’re smart, you don’t evaluate the kids based on grades or talent. Those factors don’t hurt, but what you really want to know is if their personality will work well with your staff and current student body. A kid who feels accepted can always work on his Gemara skills and behavior. So barring extreme circumstances, the main criteria I looked for when I was recruiting for Yesod was whether or not the applicant would fit in with our rebbeim and the guys. To achieve success, relationship is everything.
That’s why, about four minutes into my interview with Mike, I knew it was a pass. A big pass.
“Look, I just want a year off,” he told me bluntly. “I’m not into keeping Shabbos or praying or anything like that. And I’m going to have a serious problem if anyone tries forcing me to be religious.” He peppered his speech with vulgarities, was snide and sarcastic, and aside from displaying zero interest in making a better life for himself, he was deeply resentful toward… well, basically everyone, everywhere.
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