Days after Maj. Gen. David Zini was appointed as the new head of the Shin Bet, his father, Rabbi Yosef Zini, shared a moving and inspiring personal story about his son’s early path, which was anything but smooth.
“Thank G-d, our son David, may he be protected, is a graduate of the Morasha Talmud Torah in Jerusalem,” Rabbi Zini, who serves a neighborhood rabbi in Ashdod, said.
“Despite glowing recommendations from the Talmud Torah rabbis, led by the late Rabbi Hillel Plesser, he was not accepted to Yeshiva Letze'irim, not to Or Etzion, and not to Nehalim.”
According to him, only after extraordinary efforts was young David accepted to the Hispin Yeshiva — and even then, into the remedial class intended for students who struggled with reading Rashi script.
Rabbi Zini chose to turn this family story into a powerful message: “Dear parents, don’t despair if your son isn’t accepted into a particular program. It’s not you who failed, but those who failed to see the light within him. The institution that rejected him is the one that truly lost out — big time.”