Personality Builder

When the door opened to Dr. Yaakov Fuchs’ classroom last month, the longtime Boys Town Jerusalem English teacher welcomed a tall, slim young man. As he shook Dr. Fuchs’ hand, the visitor, 36-year-old Ronen Atia, barely resembled the boy he had been twenty years earlier – a weak student plagued by a lack of confidence and very low self-esteem.
As Dr. Fuchs was delighted to hear, this belief has inspired Ronen Atia to reach great heights indeed. Now married and the father of three, Ronen has worked for the past seven years as an educator in the “Kedma Youth Village,” an educational and therapeutic facility for adolescent drop-outs, delinquents and other youth at risk.
Ronen, a native of the port city of Ashkelon, notes that Boys Town Jerusalem principal vacation Rabbi Elimelech Yaakov has been a great beacon to him as well. “Rabbi Elimelech imbued us with the spiritual strength and knowledge for life. These two teachers had a tremendous influence on my life, and their examples guide me to this day.”