They're still home, but Shuli Halpert won't quit until they all have a school
He’s not a member of Hatzalah, a volunteer firefighter, or an ER physician. But ask anyone who knows Shuli Halpert, and they’ll tell you that he saves lives on a daily basis, making phone calls and arranging meetings on behalf of the alarming number of kids whose elusive dream is to be able to go to school just like everyone else. Over the past 17 years during which he’s been deep in the trenches finding places for kids who aren’t accepted to any yeshivah or Bais Yaakov, Halpert, or simply “Shuli”, as he’s affectionately known, has seen how being left schoolless can shatter a child and devastate their parents as well.
A businessman who lived most of his life in Brooklyn where he’s served as a manager for real estate company Century Holding for nearly four decades, Shuli and his wife Pamela moved to a development in Jackson, New Jersey two years ago, settling in a place filled with young families instead of going to a 55-plus community like many of their friends. Despite being more than twice as old as most of the other mispallelim in his shul, the great-grandfather with the trim white beard and kind eyes says he feels very much at home in Jackson, a place where he can keep his finger firmly on the pulse of the younger generation.
“It’s perfect for me,” says Shuli. “I’m one of the guys.”
Because building a rapport with kids is a key element in identifying a school that would be a good fit, being relatable is a priority for Shuli. His colored shirts make him more approachable, and instead of farhering boys on a masechta, the 69-year-old quizzes them on sports instead.
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