Finding His Spark

Now, at a military base in Haifa in northern Israel, a ceremony of pride and healing was underway. It was the unveiling of a landmark piece of military hardware that was vaunted to become a cornerstone of Israel’s defence capability, representing a momentous step in Israel’s efforts to secure its borders: the launch of the all-new Merkava tank.

Milling around were the best and the brightest of the Israeli defense establishment, including tank warfare expert and Merkava project initiator General Yisrael Tal, mingling with politicians and a smattering of journalists. But what was Mr. Yitzchok Dovid (Doddy) Gurwicz — son of venerated Gateshead Rosh Yeshivah Rav Leib Gurwicz and grandson of famed mashgiach Rav Elya Lopian — doing there?

It turns out that this scion of Torah royalty and talmid chacham in his own right had spent the previous two decades straddling both the halls of Torah and of scientific research and development. He’d traveled to the Israeli event from his native Torah town of Gateshead, because he’d actually played a significant role in the development of this shiny new piece of military hardware that would be a game changer for the IDF.

Forty-five years later, Reb Doddy still lives in Gateshead, and though it’s remained England’s flagship Torah community, the world has changed, and Gateshead along with it. In a town known primarily for its yeshivos, kollelim, and seminaries, there’s also a new demographic. Whereas historically most residents were attracted here for learning or teaching, the last two decades has seen a steady increase in people putting down roots to pursue business and enterprise, settling in alongside the kollel yungeleit and klei kodesh.