A vital bridge for young men and women rebuilding their lives.
Yerushalayim · supportive homes, nightly drop-in centers, professional care and Torah connection under one relationship.
They have already shown strength by choosing change. Lev Eliyahu provides the stable environment, healthy relationships, practical support, Torah connection, and professional resources that allow that growth to continue.
Not crisis management. A life.
Lev Eliyahu works with Jewish young men and women in Yerushalayim who have faced serious challenges and are working to rebuild their lives. Our starting assumption is never that a person is broken. It is that they are capable, that the circumstances were hard, and that they have already made the most difficult decision — to move forward.
The goal is not simply to get someone through tonight. It is to help a person build stability, independence, healthy relationships, employment, responsibility, community, connection to Torah, self-respect, and a meaningful future. That takes years, several kinds of support at once, and people who do not disappear.
Practically, that means supportive homes, nightly drop-in centers in central Yerushalayim, mentorship and case management, mental-health care and subsidized therapy when it is needed, employment and apartment placement, sober growth experiences, chesed opportunities, and a warm Shabbos to be part of.
Four commitments that shape everything.
01
Dignity first
No one here is defined by what happened to them. We do not describe the people we serve as broken, at-risk, or hopeless — in private or in public.
02
Relationships over programs
Programs open doors; people keep them open. Staff, madrichim, and mentors stay in a person's life well past any particular stage.
03
Professional where it matters
Licensed clinicians, group therapy, case management, and therapy subsidies sit alongside mentorship and Torah learning. Warmth is not a substitute for expertise.
04
Independence as the goal
Every part of the work points toward employment, housing, healthy relationships, and a life a person runs themselves.
The people behind the work.
Leadership
R' Yitzy Tendler
Founder and Director
R' Yitzy Tendler received semicha from R' Yitzchak Berkowitz and has spent approximately fifteen years working with Jewish youth, building relationships rooted in personal growth, connection, and acceptance.
The Lighthouse team
Leah Pearl
Programming Director
Formerly a seminary director, Mrs. Pearl guides Lighthouse programming and has created an environment of nurturing support while building deep, lasting connections with residents.
Atara Dzikowski, LCPC
Mental Health Director
Atara Dzikowski brings more than twenty years of experience as a licensed clinical professional counselor, with particular experience in depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and self-harm.
Rivka Guttman
Madricha
A licensed social worker with extensive experience, Rivka Guttman serves as a trusted friend and resource to residents in the day-to-day life of the home.
“I urge everyone to support R' Yitzchok and his lifesaving work. It is extremely important to ensure that these girls have a place to grow and find themselves.”
R' Yitzchok Berkowitz
With the support of
R' Elya Brudny
Rosh Yeshiva, Mir Brooklyn