Mt. Zion Reborn

one of the Jewish people's three holiest sites lay in ruins until one man together with the grace of a rabbi did something about it today is April 17th 2018 I am Steven shlussel and along with my wife my mother my sister's my entire family we are dedicating a new section for Jewish learning on Mount Zion next to King David's tomb in honor of the 50th anniversary of the passing of our father Schmo Alfheim I say a new section since this is the fourth public dedication finishing major projects I started here over the last 13 years I was introduced to Mount Zion ins tremendous head rabbi Rob gets a gold state by Allah and pomelo claiming to help create for their charity toward Siham temporary housing for soldiers near the old city of jerusalem for my first visit here something struck me deep inside maybe it was the opportunity to build that I knew for my real estate construction background maybe it was being a direct descendent of King David maybe it was the opportunity to help rejuvenate good whatever it was I went forward in earnest Kadima our Father was born May 4th 1926 in Krakow Poland in 1932 because of anti-semitism and economic reasons they migrated to Berlin which was a progressive City talking about this place it's really hard to figure out where to begin this place always had potential but it was never built so is pretty much a pile of rocks you would go in here there was no lights you felt like you're gonna get mugged literally if you walk through here at night these stairs were not here every little stone we had to work on this whole plaza was not here this whole roadway wasn't here importance in this target place Mount Zion is a very special place for the entire world especially for the Jewish people like Christians and the room last supper and they would come here and droves there were no Jews nothing was attracting the Jews to what is considered in a very holy place the Ten Commandments were 22 years on Mount Zion saviola temples being built you know the Jews have three holy places Horeb ayats the Temple Mount and western wall of it the City of David here doesn't even hear Mount Zion Mount Zion somehow was left on the side for many many many years and thank God last 30 years from the help of this Russell family has been the tremendous and we just started building here but one thing that I always wanted to do was building a higher standard and what antiquities and all these groups consider to be the standard fixing infrastructure and make it beautiful and accessible for Jewish youth in the general public what another mass of the Jewish people here on the floor I decided I want to have toboggan daddy we did over a thousand cuts of stone there's about while he summoned them around the place it kind of symbolizes return to the Jewish people yes in a big way the point is they suddenly touched the heritage they can touch that you feel they can walk around it and connect to the past and that gives them strength of the future you see the symbolism the Magan Devi the music of King David they know they're in a Jewish place in 1948 they fought for this area this was all bombed down this whole wall did not exist none of it and the room on top was blown apart all this was wiped out this what was a room of course and I got hit by some missiles we're dedicating this room to a soldier who fought in 1948 and to his wife we're trying to heal this place restored back to Jewish people after the struggle that they've had for it and this is real part of the struggle missiles hit this room all this is brand new and we're going to go now up into the room damn it exists and you'll see what we did to fix it what we're really looking to do is bring the Jewish people back to mouth so we turn where nobody could sleep into it is silly that you've slept at night sometimes 350 400 people a night missing this war we put in a drop o to the second floor see where the railings are it was completely filled here and we lowered the floor and you know created these rooms each room it's a whole complete story this was a intense room it took us a year and I have to figure everything is a handmade everything here you see I dedicated this one to my son David see the guitar on the sink we just do these little things just little touches little alcoves they come in they feel we're in Israel can you feel such space right there big people every one of them was a challenge maybe 60 rows 6 illusion structure from getting water to the building to electric to sewage I've put in went through all the city regulation may be a viable building the whole concept of the rules when you see them and we did what they call zucchini but we made all four couples the place could make real money what we put in kids and we put in groups you know occasion we charge them like nothing I know like in a few dollars a night few shekels and you know it changes their life you'll see when you sleep here you'll always remember sleeping on that side and they said this was their best sleeping experience that they've had in the military [Music] we've had groups that trompe or put innocent alley get balanced from King David and they they've come here and they say this is a better experience and staying at the King David hotel this is what we want for our groups for the Jewish youth to experience this probably the biggest center of education definitely in Jerusalem maybe in Israel as far as education every weekend we have here about almost three hundred college students or army personnel soldiers have come here and can then she came in and be part of Jerusalem part of Mount Zion heritage King David spouses Jewish education center located in a heart Jerusalem outside and surrounding King David's tombs tens of thousands of students have passed through it's gradually if you multiply that by the year comes out maybe thirty or forty thousand students and army persons come here through me here then for last twelve years just lead the numbers last 12 years I made a schedule maybe 150 thousand people bathroom slept here 150 thousand will slept here in last 12 years can imagine tonight we're gonna have 90 soldiers in here they're gonna sleep in this room they're gonna come now after a week of soldiering and they're gonna come fresh into Shabbat they're gonna love it you see when they come in they go crazy [Music] stuff wasn't here no windows no nothing we're ready for the groups one of the best parts of this place is the roof so we allow groups to really experience themselves here the room we're in right now right over here is King David's tomb and often there be weddings there and I'd see the bride on the side of the wedding like getting ready they'd had makeup behind mine somebody holding a jacket or something and it made no sense to me that a bride on her wedding night a wedding day would have to be put in such an awkward position so I decided to build this room not only to be a room that the bride could come in and change and get herself ready with her bridesmaids and her family but to also be a influence room for the time period after they get married that they sit with her husband and also a room that they're after they could be in an enjoy Mount Zion and the first day of starting a Jewish life that's a symbol of a start of a new Jewish life for the Jewish people I asked a woman like what do you really need when you have a when all the women are here blowing their hand everything you need possess with this warm spa they said we never have enough well being in this room that it's dedicated to me for married couples is very humbling and just makes me very emotional and I think it's a it'll be a great way for a couple to start out I just didn't want to average room I wanted to have the nicest gift this room in the Jewish world and frankly in the world because we're in Jerusalem should be and Isis in the world probably a thousand years this room wasn't touched and we completely redid it it's a wonderful Roman as a bathroom tremendous shower with great order pressure as a kitchenette and it's just a really great living space in the middle of everything right besides here we have that place was called they Hal Devine the hall of King David were there we make weddings and big music events and lectures etc and a lot of ultram and Jewish culture events he and outside this room we took out 150 truckloads of debris before we could get to the bottom of this thing uncovered the room it was crazy and the way we did it in the middle of night we knock it out completely fixed the room if you look at the ceiling work you look at the Magen Davi this has turned into one of the high level meeting rooms but if you see the chairs this is constantly being used in and out in and out during the holiday times lectures here non-stop about the holidays and things of that nature today it's a place that 200 people can have a meal also it's a stage and all the acoustics were changed in this world and the lighting everybody's been in Netanyahu came two months ago to visit for half an hour he's here two and a half hours he couldn't believe this place him and his wife Sarah were here and they just flipped out Lanza he mystic activity happens here just the other night we had Yama Showa event here which a thousand people maybe seven on it soldiers came here and this our own is the closest to it the Jewish people have really turned to Mount Zion there's things in here that don't exist in Yad Vashem or any of those places this place the survivors they put up Plex it's a very emotional place this is built by survivors would he see here a blacks a very unique besides her was poor but has survived themselves right after the war there's the first place in the world right after the war there was a memorial place for the Holocaust and some of the plaques the survivor has made a decision what is the day of the outside of the city that most of the Jews got murdered in that day that's what the day of the altar they come here like what's inside now a group that they come here and that day and they mourn and pray for those souls now we designated the beautiful projects right across the center oil I'm Lane tenth of the Kings because 10th represents the 10th of Abraham Abraham symbolized a set which also is having kindness and also being very giving welcoming of people attentive Abraham had four doors all different size of the world any person that passes by and come in and enjoy the hosts of Avila who connect his understanding of a ship and bringing God so like we have different doorways from all directions so this is the doorway to the east there's 18 domes like you see this dome here there's 18 there's some of the quotes about Sam from his former colonies they described him as Sam was much more than just a highly capable individual in his work he was a remarkable man a dear friend who was blessed with an abundance of warmth understanding generosity good humor and gentle nature he was a very kind person and I think they came basically from his from his youth and he saw all the wickedness and evil and unkind acts that occurs so I my wish for this place and the way it's constructed is for it to be a place of kindness place of simca place where two friends could come and sit or somebody can invite somebody else so it's built in that manner especially we celebrate for him a dedication of this beautiful sacred place of Jewish learning in our spiritual we were trying to count up businesses so after the rabbi's speaks we're gonna put up some business but there's six outside doors there's from all directions north east south and west and there's actually a need for 24 misses I also want to thank the rabbi can't build without the rabbi thank you for letting me build such things does anyone have know Steve he's entrepreneur he's a starter is it a beginner he knows that it carve and build the foundations it's unbelievable passion at the social Food Matters my wife always tells me she never saw such a thing that a daughter runs after the person daylight to perfect in the donation and then it's something unbelievable that's Manish a real Romany I feel for the Jewish people feel for my own continuity of family in my heart you steamed to me is like why you my father he tried very hard to during the 50 years to build but in the last 10 12 years when calm and serene Steve came in here and I listened carefully to the words on my father must be that Steve each listen has a great merit to have American to this place my father brought many well Thank You people to try to build Mel's life they didn't have the merit he knows here in mountain every little screw that is being done his heart is here he knows every little details what's going on and what stage of work when we did this place where we hold it and that's I think that's the greatness of Steve I think that's the reason he had the merit to build this special place with a George I have no real terms just pay for things I think are important and that's it I don't really seek out anybody or organize all these plans but they never execute I'm into facts on the ground and executing I want to give something a present for my heart this picture it's a picture about this area it's not the only area that they fix but this you're in my vision from our heart to you Karen and Steve I really feel that he's like my father because it's like I've had of you that's true you have 100 adjacent my father-in-law there's no words I mean to say just to give you a blessing as your sister said it's no greater blessing that your children will continue the same good deeds that you are doing and I'm sure all this comes from your father was his memory that he had those characters as you sister said didn't come from nowhere our father is honored so today isn't so much just about this wonderful room as it is about studying its books and the learning that what better way to perpetuate her father's memory that just study in this wall the toilet here Sam shlussel enjoys eternal life side-by-side with those who will study the Torah quemic see Allah takes a Torah from Zion kaltura this is a key thing that we're restoring here on the mountain so Steve creating this place of study and learning was your idea and you and Karen are its primary benefactors and we thank you on behalf of our family this beautiful tenth of Kings will carry on our father's much less learning I what a wonderful tribute you are playing to our bus so yes God smiling down on your family may we your three children your eight grandchildren your eight great-grandchildren and your nieces and nephews and others who are here today be blessed to be like unto you to carry on your values of caring and commitment to family friends our Jewish people and the traditions to all [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Shlomotions

Views: 4,974

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Mount Zion, Har Zion, Mt Zion, King David Tomb, Chamber of the Holocaust., Mt. Zion, King David, Steven Schlussel, Rabbi Yitzchak Goldstein, Sam Schlussel, Jerusalem, Israel, Mt. Zion Reborn, Diaspora Yeshiva, Toras Yisrael

Id: 4SN6OqcPMgM

Length: 19min 28sec (1168 seconds)

Published: Thu Dec 20 2018