“Times Square Rabbi” Hits Washington Heights

Originally published in Yeshiva University Commentator, written by Avraham Sinensky

A series of discussions exploring touchy personal guidance questions has begun at Yeshiva. The program, entitled “The Real Dope,” takes place every other Thursday during club hour with Rabbi Yehuda Fine, known to many as the “Times Square Rabbi.”

All it takes is one look at Fine and his Yankees cap to realize that he is not your average Rabbi. In fact, he insists he be addressed as Yehuda, stripping himself of his rabbinic title. For over a decade he has dedicated his life to helping teenagers in trouble fix up their lives.

“Caring about teenagers is not a popular concept, but it’s immensely important. When I was out on the streets, so many people told me I was wasting my time, that I was throwing away so much to help kids who were already goners,” says Fine. “But if we don’t pay attention to our kids, who will? We must put as much prime time into our kids as we put into our jobs.”

Fine is the author of a book entitled The Times Square Rabbi: Finding the Hope in Lost Kids’ Lives. The book’s central message is that even when a teenager’s life is in crisis, caring can produce profound transformation. “While it may be difficult to achieve in many circumstances, redemption is possible for every person,” says Fine.

In his discussions, Fine draws on his real-life stories and experiences to relay his message to students. He conducts an open discussion with questions that range from how to deal with a potentially suicidal friend to the handling of the case of Rabbi Baruch Lanner. He warns students to avoid the fatal flaw of many Jewish communal leaders who insist that the Jewish community must be perfect and that acknowledging otherwise would be a chillul Hashem. Rather, he encourages people to be honest about the problems that the community faces and to embrace those in distress.

The program Fine has introduced at Yeshiva focuses on how to deal with issues that he thinks “will inevitably come up” on campus. For example, what should one do if a friend is depressed or is having a drug or alcohol problem? How should one deal with a friend who has gone through a devastating trauma? Fine’s goal is to give students the basic guidelines of what it means to be a friend and how to stick by someone in his or her times of trouble. Considering the importance of this program and its publicity on signs throughout campus, the turnout to the most recent meeting was surprisingly low, as less than a dozen students attended. One student attributed this lack of attendance to naivete on the part of Yeshiva students.

“Most of the kids in Yeshiva come from well-off families, have lived relatively easy lives, and therefore think that they and their friends are untouchable,” he explained. “What they don’t realize is that these problems can find anyone, and everyone should be ready to confront them if necessary.”

Fine is not hurt by his program’s lower attendance, attributing it to the busy schedule of Yeshiva students. He also emphasizes that a program should be considered a success if it results in a high-quality, intense discussion, not if it draws a lot of students.

Students who have gotten to know Fine and have interacted with him closely share their praise. “He is an absolutely unbelievable individual. I feel like he’s seen it all, so I feel comfortable talking to him about anything,” says YC senior Gennady Gelman. “I was going through a story with him, and he was able to stop me in the middle and guess exactly what happened.”

Fine loves to share his unbelievable stories. One is about a young girl he met on the street who had resorted to prostitution. Fine was able to rescue her from a pimp and bring her to a social service system. The girl mentioned to Fine in passing that she was Jewish, and so two weeks later he visited her on Chanukah, bringing a Menorah as a present. When the girl saw the Menorah she burst out in tears, exclaiming that she had wanted to light the Menorah and learn about Chanukah. This small Menorah helped her start a new life. Today she is married with two children, and she works in an adoption agency, helping other kids who might get in trouble.

This story, like so many of Fine’s favorites, illuminates the message of how important it is never to give up. “Never giving up brings hope to the world,” he says. “Lives can change. Good things can happen if we just care.”

Students interested in taking advantage of Fine’s experience can look forward to the next installment of the discussion series on March 13 during club hour. Fine stresses that even students who are unable to attend are free to make appointments to talk with him or any other member of the guidance office, for any reason at all.

Rabbi Fine’s office is located in Student Services at Furst Hall 419, and he can be reached by phone at 212-960-5480.