Three hundred guests mingled at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis, MO, for Missouri Torah Institute’s Dedication Dinner. MTI is a growing mesivta and bais medrash program in Chesterfield, a suburb of St. Louis.
From around the country, guests traveled to celebrate this milestone with the yeshivah. Notable visitors included HaRav Akiva Grunblatt, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim in Queens, Rabbi Aaron Kotler from Bais Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, Rabbi Boruch Neuberger from Ner Yisroel in Baltimore, Rabbi Yitzchok Ehrman from Agudah Midwest in Chicago, and Rabbi Bunny Freedman from Detroit.
The event paid tribute to Rabbi Aaron Winter, zt”l, who was niftar this past year. Rabbi Winter single-handedly built Chesterfield’s Torah kehillah. In addition to bringing MTI to the community and serving as Rav of Tpheris Israel Chevra Kadisha Congregation (TICK), he helped build an eruv and mikvah,and most recently, founded Chesterfield’s kollel. Under his leadership, countless individuals increased their mitzvah observance and connection to Torah. Rabbi Winter was known for his focus on mussar and uncompromising commitment to raising the banner of Torah. The entire community sorely misses his sound guidance, powerful drashos, and mesirus nefesh for the klal.
Even as they reflected soberly on the past, guests also honored the yeshivah’s future. This year’s dinner celebrated the dedication of the Deutsch Family Campus, made possible by Mr. Charles and Mrs. Naomi Ruth Deutsch, pillars of the community, who are proud and staunch supporters of MTI. The state-of-the-art spacious campus—previously a school for the deaf—includes a dorm, gym, basketball court, music room, and art room, giving talmidim a wide range of wholesome outlets outside the classroom. A master builder, Mr. Deutsch challenged the yeshivah to dream big, and then helped that dream become a reality. The new building enabled the yeshivah to move out of TICK, the shul which had hospitably housed it, so that it could expand and work towards fulfilling its true potential. A video recognizing the Deutsches for their contributions to MTI and to the community included divrei brachah from Harav HaGaon Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, as well as marbitzei Torah from around the globe.
MTI also celebrated the naming of the Fox Family High School by Ambassador Sam and Mrs. Marilyn Fox in memory of their son, Greg Fox, a”h. Greg had a special connection to MTI during the difficult years of his illness, and Ambassador and Mrs. Fox, along with their children Aba & Pamela Fox Claman, Cheri Fox and Merle Fox, have been generous supporters of the yeshivah. In addition to the Deutsches and the Foxes, MTI expressed tremendous appreciation to Mr. Michael and Mrs. Carol Staenberg, who also made large contributions to the yeshivah during a “Million for MTI” Charidy campaign earlier this year.
Other honorees were Mr. Douglas and Mrs. Lisa Baron, Community Service awardees. Mr. Baron, a prominent attorney, worked indefatigably to help secure MTI’s new facility. Mr. Baron went above and beyond the call of duty during the acquisition process in order to obtain favorable terms for the yeshivah.
Dinner guests were enlightened by words from by Rabbi Shmuel Wasser, one of MTI’s roshei yeshivah, and were graced by inspiring divrei Torah from guest speaker Harav Akiva Grunblatt, rosh yeshivah of Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim in Queens. Later in the evening, attendees enjoyed a melodious choir accompanied by a violinist and a pianist, all MTI talmidim, and a special presentation expressing hakaras hatov to Mr. Yigal and Mrs. Erica Sasportas for their many years of mesirus nefesh for the yeshivah. Mr. Sasportas’ vision, creativity and dedication were the driving forces in making the Yeshiva’s dream of their beautiful campus become a reality, and have helped MTI become the Yeshivah it is today. MTI thanks the dinner chairmen, Dr. Craig Reiss and Mr. Jonathan Spetner, and everyone who helped make the evening a great success and beautiful kiddush Hashem.
