Message from the Publisher

With the seventh edition of the BJL going to print, many people have been approaching me, amazed at how I could have pulled off something as big as this all by myself. Firstly, I tell them that I am not by myself, as Baruch Hashem I have the support of our community leaders and prestigious rabbis. Secondly, I tell them that you never know where Hashem takes an individual. With this in mind, I would like to take you back to the year 1990.

I was fresh out of high school, when a friend of mine, Rafael Pleshtiev, called me up and said, “Let’s go to Queens College and sign up for the fall semester.” I told him that I was planning to go to GIA, Gemological Institute of America, to get a certificate in grading diamonds and colored stones. It was the “Bukharian college” at the time. I was going to go through the course and become a diamond dealer or work somewhere on 47^th Street. At the time, 47^th Street was booming: The price of gold was low, and diamonds and jewelry were selling like candy. However, unbeknownst to me, there was a nine-month waiting list to get into the program. Since I didn’t want to wait that long, I agreed with Rafael to go to Queens College. I figured if I get in, I will stay–if not, then GIA is waiting. We went to the registrar’s office, filled out our applications, and took the placement exam. To my surprise, I was accepted but Mr. Pleshtiev was not. He ended up going to Queensborough Community College. Today, he is a successful PA, happily married, and a doting grandfather.

I stayed in Queens College for the duration of the four years, not missing intersession or summer session, and taking the full capacity of credits each semester. Besides wanting to be in the diamond business, I had also wanted to be an investment banker since I was a young man. When I was about 13, I saw a movie called Wall Street, which moved me very much. For years I dreamt of one day working on Wall Street and making big-money deals.

It was the fall of 1990, in my first class, sociology, where I met a student from the country of Colombia, Diego Mahecha. Throughout our college education we became very good friends. I asked him what he wanted to be and he told me he wanted to major in computers and become a programmer.  I asked if he’d ever taken a computer apart and put it back together. He said no. I asked if he’d ever bought books and tried writing programs and doing all sorts of things on his own. Again, he said no. At that point, I told him he would never become a programmer. I told him to follow me, and we would become investment bankers. Diego had no idea what an investment banker was, or where they worked. I should tell you that this Diego was fresh off the boat from Colombia and hardly spoke any English. He was in ESL classes, but slowly and surely progressed.  

To make long story short, he ended up following my footsteps. We took economics as a major to have a good foundation in accounting, statistics, law, etc.: the basic courses. We took BALA (Business and Liberal Arts) as a minor, and were on our way to becoming investment bankers. After lots of hard work, we ended up graduating within four years. I graduated with a 3.86 GPA and Diego had something like a 3.6 GPA.

Now came time for interviews. Many companies from all different industries came to campus to do their first-round interviews. One firm, European American Bank (which was later bought out by Citigroup), was doing interviews for a two-year training program. They would pick certain people with the grade point average and academic skills they were looking for. When I looked at the interview list, I was delighted to see my name at the end. I was almost always at the end of the list because of the “Y” in Yakubov. My friend Diego, however, was not on the list. But we were such good friends that I told him not to worry, as I would pencil him in. “On the day of the interview, since I am the last person,” I told him, “you come with me and I will make sure you get an interview as well.” When the interviewer finished with me, she came out and said, “Well, that’s it.” I said to her, “I think you have another individual to interview,” pointing to Diego. She looked at the list and indeed saw his name penciled in. She agreed to interview him. 

There were almost 40 people who were officially interviewed, and out of those 40 people, none were chosen–except the penciled-in Diego Mahecha. 

Diego went on for the second and third interviews. He began the two-year training program in Chicago, all the while keeping in close contact with me, and listened to my advice. After graduating from the program, he was picked up by a headhunter, and eventually became a successful investment banker traveling the world, living and working overseas. He currently works for Barclays Capital.

You are probably wondering why I told you this story and how this pertains to this newspaper. Well, it has a lot to do with how Hashem runs the world. Many of us think that we are on the path of a certain job or task, but sometimes things don’t go the way we want them to. We have to understand that we do not control our destiny. We can try very hard to be who we want to be or do what we want to do, but nothing will come about unless Hashem, our Father in Heaven, wills it. Looking back at my experience, I thank Hashem that I did not become–or better yet, He did not allow me to become–an investment banker. Although I was not religious at the time, Hashem knew that I was going to return to my Jewish roots. If Hashem allowed me to enter that field, I probably would have never found the time to do teshuva. I would have never met my lovely wife, and probably would not have the beautiful children I have today. Just like the story of Yoseph–which we read in the Torah portion at this time of year–who becomes the ruler of all of Egypt through avenues he never thought he would go through, so are we taken throughout life on journeys we cannot really say we chose.  

I went from managing a loan portfolio, to running a jewelry store, to managing a restaurant, and now publishing this newspaper. It was not something that was in my plans; it is Hashem’s will to take me through these channels to ultimately fulfill my tikun. Many times, our children – Hashem should bless all of them–worry about what they are going to be and what they are going to do. Should they become a lawyer, doctor, pharmacist, or teacher? I always tell my kids: You have to do your part and let Hashem take you where He needs to take you. We should not worry about where we are going to be years from now; instead, we must buckle our seatbelts and take Hashem’s rollercoaster ride to wherever He wants us to be.  

Until next time – yours truly,

Avraham Yakubov