T hat I’m attracted to people of passion especially when that passion involves changing the world in some meaningful way is no secret to regular readers. Dayan Yonason Abraham of the London Beth Din is one such idealist possessed of the energy to make dreams happen.
Recently Dayan Abraham was appointed nasi of Shuvu the network of schools for children of olim from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) created in response to the impassioned appeal by Rav Avraham Pam at the 1989 Agudath Israel of America convention. I have accompanied Dayan Abraham on visits to a number of Shuvu schools over the last few years and have seen announcements that he would be the featured speaker at Shabbatons in different communities.
Still I was a bit surprised when I read that he had been appointed nasi of Shuvu. I could not imagine how he would have time for such a task in addition to his duties as dayan and rav of a shul in London. I asked him whether the title only meant that he was to be the new public face of the organization. He replied that the likelihood of his ever being selected to be the “face” of anything was remote.
He fully intends to be actively involved in setting the direction of the organization in every respect he assured me. He has agreed to undertake yet another major responsibility only because he is convinced of Shuvu’s potential to have a transformative impact on Israel society.
