Rabbi Diskind established Achim in 1989, when a wave of Jewish Russian immigrants arrived in Baltimore, following the fall of the Iron Curtain. “I never intended to go into kiruv, but I am fortunate to be passionate about being a member of the Jewish People, and having a relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu,” explained Rabbi Diskind,  “After the fall of Communism, I saw that the gates of the United States opened with welcoming arms – offering refugee status to close to half a million Jews from USSR, as well as help with resettlement. This was a miracle- Hashem was involved in His children. However, we saw that no one was doing anything to welcome them. I understood that Hashem did His part, to bring His children here.  We have the responsibility to do our part.”

Rabbi Diskind realized  that it would be difficult to successfully bring the Russian immigrants close to Torah immediately, as they were coming from seventy years of an anti-religious environment, but at least he could relate to them as a friend and hopefully, a role model.

Rabbi Paysach Diskind, director of Achim (R), with friend Alex Berezin

After learning Russian so that he could properly communicate with the new immigrants, Rabbi Diskind set out to create genuine friendships with the Russian immigrants, built on absolute acceptance. Working with the Jewish Family Services, he became involved in the intake process for the new immigrants, and thereby developed relationships with almost 3500 families.

“We offered classes, tutoring, summer camp, and after school programs. During these initial years, the immigrants were so overwhelmed with orienting themselves they were not interested in pursuing Jewish knowledge, but that was not my goal. I stayed with them as a friend. “

Most of the Russian Jews that he met were deeply impressed with Rabbi Diskind's warmth, and  indeed, some ultimately followed his example and adopted a Torah lifestyle.

After 2000, the dynamics began to change. The newcomers were a bit more settled, there was a more visible movement toward getting involved in the Jewish community, learning Torah, and becoming connected with traditional Judaism – especially on the part of the younger generation.

Today,  Rabbi Diskind has a relationship with 5000 families, and Achim is offering more classes and events. In Baltimore alone there are over 40 Russian speaking frum families that are totally integrated in the larger community. There are many young families who are living outside of Baltimore as well. However, there was so much more that needed to be done.  When Rabbi Diskind recently heard that Rabbi Yitzi Weiner, former Rosh Kollel of the Sharon Community Kollel, was looking for a position in the Baltimore area, he realized that this was the man that could assist  him in expanding Achim's programming.

“I knew I could greatly increase my programming, but I would also double my budget. However, I drew courage from Harav Naftali Neuberger, zt”l, who told me many years ago that when something  must be done, do it! Hashem is there to help. So I swallowed hard, and hired Rabbi Weiner.”

Rabbi Weiner joined Achim a few months ago, and as expected, it was a real game changer.  The number of programs that Achim offers has doubled, as well as the number of participants.

“Rabbi Weiner is a warm, sensitive, intelligent person, who develops genuine relationships with people. He is also extremely blessed as a talented and prolific writer, and uses these talents to teach beginners as well as learned people.”

 “Achim is now in a more mature position,” remarks Rabbi Weiner. “Close to thirty years after it was first established, the second generation is mostly Americanized, but still benefits from associating with the sub-group of Russian speaking Jews within the community.  We aim to create  engaging learning opportunities on many levels, and a sense of achdus and community that will propel itself to grow.”

To meet these needs, Achim created an array of programs to service every part of this community, including children, teenagers, young adults and seniors.  Classes are given by Rabbi Diskind, Rabbi Weiner, and others.

One of Rabbi Weiner's more popular classes is “Connecting the Dots of Judaism,” based on the a major work that Rabbi Weiner has authored, soon to be published by Feldheim,  “In His Image.” This monumental, eye opening work is based on Harav Hirsch's Nineteen Letters. It begins with an overview of how the Torah is an organized system, and describes the halachic and hashkafic background of each mitzvah, with incredible content that is valuable for every level. It continues with an explanation of how all mitzvos fit together, make us close to Hashem, and help perfect the world.

Rabbi Weiner explains the motivation behind the sefer. “I was inspired to write 'In His Image,” when I was working with someone who was not frum, and I was seeking a source that not only showed how to live as a Jew, but also explained the philosophy and hashkafah behind the mitzvos. Using the system of Harav Hirsch, zt”l,  I divided the mitzvos into nine categories, and explained how they are really a holistic system that brings us close to Hashem.”

“I am proud to have joined Achim and the Baltimore community, although I do miss Sharon,” continues Rabbi Weiner.  “There are so many kiruv opportunities here. We are here to help any Jew who is inspired to come and learn Torah, and we are thrilled to provide these opportunities for them.”

A Testimonial

Mrs. Sara (Svetlana) Bakaev recalls her experiences with Achim. “We came to the United States about 23 years ago, and did not know much about the United States or Judaism. One of the first people that we met at the JFS was Rabbi Diskind. He came over and introduced himself, and we were so surprised that he was speaking Russian- he actually went out of his way to learn the language so that he could form friendships.  We were eager to ask questions about Judaism, and he answered. We are now fully religious with our children in Bais Yaakovs and yeshivos. He was there for us for our entire journey, and he is still there for us and our children, as he conducts a weekly group for teenage girls in our home, where he answers their questions.  However, his interest was not just in our potential for observance, but as people.  His goal is to build relationships, with a sincere interest in every Jew. Achim is not an organization – it is a family.”