Miami Businessman Donates $1 Million to Israeli Yeshivas Inspired by 91-Year-Old Letter

In a remarkable story of providence, Miami businessman and Chabad Hasid Rabbi Zvi Bogomilsky revealed in a special interview on Radio Kol Chai how a 91-year-old letter written by Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz led him to donate one million dollars to support yeshiva students in Israel. Initially, Bogomilsky had no intention of contributing financially and agreed only to host a fundraising dinner at his home for the Olam HaTorah Fund, which aids yeshivas and kollelim in Israel.

The turning point came on the 20th of Sivan, the yahrzeit (anniversary of passing) of Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz, when Bogomilsky discovered a rare letter his great-grandfather, Rabbi Tzvi Kaplan, had received from Rabbi Yerucham 91 years earlier. The letter was written after Rabbi Yerucham had arranged the marriage of his daughter to Bogomilsky’s ancestor, Rabbi Shmuel Pesach Bogomilsky. Rabbi Yerucham returned a $30 matchmaking fee, refusing to keep it personally and instead asking that the money be used to help yeshiva students avoid conscription into the Polish army, and to raise funds for a special fund dedicated to this cause.

Moved to tears by this discovery during a family conversation on his grandfather’s yahrzeit, Bogomilsky felt a deep connection to the mission. At the fundraising dinner, he shared the story and announced a surprise donation of one million dollars to the Olam HaTorah Fund, despite his earlier declaration that he would not donate. The interview, hosted by Deputy Mayor of Bnei Brak Gadi Silman on the "Tzav Me'aser" program, highlighted how a letter from nearly a century ago continues to inspire efforts to support Torah study and yeshiva students in Israel today.