Concert at Winspear and Torah completion set for March 22

By Deb Silverthorn

“Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek — be strong, be strong, and we will be strengthened,” traditionally recited upon completing a book of the Torah, defines this moment.

In the merit of a young child’s medical crisis, the Dallas community is uniting to write a Torah that will be shared by all.

The Dallas Children’s Torah, inspired by an accident that left Chaim Meir Zajac with lasting medical concerns, will be completed at a celebration beginning at 1 p.m., Sunday, March 22, first at the Winspear Opera House with a concert by Avraham Fried, followed by hakafot, dancing and more at Chabad of Dallas.

“It’s time to take faith out of the books and put it into practice,” said Rabbi Mendy Zajac, a native of São Paulo, Brazil and a Judaic Studies teacher in the upper school at Akiba Yavneh Academy. He is the son of Shoshi and Rabbi Zalman Zajac. He married the former Manya Dubrawsky in 2019. The couple are parents to two-year-old Chaim Meir as well as Hayshe, 6; Asya, 4; and Feivish, 8 months.

In the days following their son’s accident, the Zajacs called Children’s Medical Center Dallas home for more than two months. At first, they felt lost and broken. During visits from Mendy’s father, they clung to his optimism and studied faith together.

Moving forward, they held onto prayer and faith. Even as medical teams relayed worst-case scenarios, they chose to believe. When doctors, nurses and others came to the room, the Zajacs offered coins to put in their tzedakah box. Mendy helped many wrap tefillin, and the couple shared challah and chocolates they received each Shabbat.

“It became, despite our reason for being there, a happy place. A place of hope,” Mendy said. “We tried to make our time there positive and to show our appreciation for these angels who were helping us.

“Over one Shabbos early on, Manya and I studied and talked about how in the days of the Baal Shem Tov there was an epidemic in the land, with many people dying,” he said. “The Chosids came to him asking for blessings, and he told them they could help themselves. First, he said they must become connected to Torah, and second, they should write a Torah. They did so, and as the first two columns came to fruition, people began healing. With its completion, the townspeople were cured.”

The couple thought “maybe,” but in that moment kept the idea of creating a Torah to themselves. That Sunday, Mendy was approached by Nir Gaist, a community member with whom he studies. Gaist had his own suggestion of writing a Torah.

Within two weeks, Gaist coordinated bringing Rav Moshe Klein, a renowned sofer from Crown Heights, to begin writing the Torah at the hospital. In the days that followed, the Torah was also worked on before students at Akiba Yavneh Academy and Cheder Lubavitch of Dallas.

Klein left Dallas with the treasured scroll and sent it to Israel for the writing to continue. Nearly 10 months later, he informed Gaist and the Zajacs that the Torah was ready to return to Dallas for completion.

An afternoon of dancing wasn’t enough for Gaist, who told the Zajacs it needed to be big — for the whole community — grand, almost beyond measure.

“Mendy comes to my office to teach once a week and we were learning about faith. I looked at him and thought his spirit was unbelievable. In a crisis, you can go in any direction, and he chose to come talk to us and teach about faith,” Gaist said. “There’s nothing ‘too much’ about making this day — a one-of-a-kind day of unity — something we will always remember.”

Gaist secured the Winspear Opera House, which seats 2,300, and invited Fried, who has performed Chassidic contemporary music for more than 35 years and released more than 25 albums. He performs in Yiddish, Hebrew and English.

On stage with Fried will be a choir of more than 50 children from Akiba Yavneh Academy, Ann & Nate Levine Academy, Cheder Lubavitch of Dallas and Torah Day School of Dallas — voices from congregations throughout the community — in song, in prayer and hope.

“This is an opportunity for Ahavat Yisrael to share the love of one’s fellow Jew, and it’s just beautiful. This is a huge mitzvah, and together a collective one,” said Rabbi Adiel Nachshoni, who is coordinating the children’s choir. “We all understand the gravity of this mission, and our young people are learning how to face life’s challenges and to choose to lead in whatever the moment.”The Torah, dedicated to Chaim Meir Zajac, in the merit of another community child hospitalized at the same time and for all of Dallas’ children, is a source of pride for Manya, who hopes it will impact the community’s Jewish youth.

“I grew up here. My whole life is Dallas. It’s almost everything I’ve ever known and cared about, and to have something so tragic also turn into something beautiful is beyond words,” said Manya, whose parents Baila and Rabbi Mendel Dubrawsky brought Chabad to Dallas.  After graduating from Akiba Yavneh Academy, she attended seminary, worked in Melbourne, Australia, and then returned to Dallas, where she works with her family at Chabad of Dallas. She has taught Hebrew school, tutored b’not mitzvah girls and worked at camp.

 “This Torah is an everlasting gift to the community beyond our service,” she said of the kid-friendly scroll. “It’s small in stature and has a bright cover.”

That sense of service is something Manya grew up surrounded by. As her father has watched their anguish over the last year, he remains proud of how the couple carry their faith — and their community — with them each day. 

“The inspiration of this event — that this young couple, our own children, in the midst of what they are still facing — comes from believing in the greatest miracles,” said Rabbi Dubrawsky. 

“A level of self-pity is not something we can indulge in. As Jews, we are not self-centered but rather about what we can do to bring joy and happiness. A spiritual joy, a spiritual happiness and purposeful living make for a meaningful life,” he added.

“This is our Torah, every letter written with love, every word is a prayer,” said Mendy. “These are our children, and this is our blessing.”

To register for the March 22 event or purchase VIP tickets — which include a meet-and-greet with Avraham Fried and an opportunity to help write the Torah — visit dallasfried.com.