"We Waited Eight and a Half Years for a Child, But We Never Called Ourselves 'Childless'"

Pleased to Meet You

"Meni Vakstok, 34, married and a father of one, resident of Bnei Brak, director, photographer, producer, editor, actor. In short - a video creator and one of the creators of Bardak".

A Mitzvah I Observed and Will Not Forget

"There is a mitzvah that I strive to observe with precision, and it amazes me every time – I try very hard to adhere to the mitzvah of tithing, and also 'round up' upwards. Each time I'm amazed by the immediate and tangible effect it has on the business. Sometimes, during less active periods, I review my tithing status and without fail, whenever I distribute the tithes – the next day, or even the same day, things move, new clients call, and deals close".

A Distant Memory I Will Not Forget

"About 15 years ago, some friends from my yeshiva days approached me. They wanted help to make a funny film for the yeshiva camp. Those days, I wasn’t into filming or movie-making. In fact, it hadn’t crossed my mind. However, I always loved computers, music, and humor, and apparently, people noticed. Several years earlier, I was involved in directing and writing improvised plays, which is probably why they approached me. With Hashem's help, the film turned out excellent and funny, thanks to many talented, funny people who acted, wrote, and edited, and I was fortunate to be part of its production as its director.

"One day during the camp on summer vacation, the film was shown to the whole yeshiva, students, yeshiva participants, and even some staff. With Hashem's help, it was a huge success. I sat in the middle of the hall, and the memory of the whole yeshiva bursting with laughter around me, enjoying and rejoicing, knowing that I had a significant part in this – this memory is etched deeply in me. With Hashem's help, today, within my satirical clips of 'Bardak' – with the help of my fantastic partner, Efi Skakowski – I get to make people laugh and happy. With Hashem's help, I also receive loads of feedback from people telling me how much they enjoy, but I no longer get to hear 300 people laughing together at the creations."

A Jewish Figure I Won't Forget

"I consult and receive blessings from the Rebbe of Tolna in Jerusalem. With Hashem's help, I have the privilege to visit him from time to time, to be blessed by this holy Jew, and to seek his advice on crucial decisions. There were quite a few matters he advised me on and blessed me with, and I did not always understand why that particular advice was offered or did not fully believe things would work out due to his blessing. Yet over time, I saw how right he was. I followed the Rabbi's advice out of faith in Torah scholars, and with Hashem's help, everything worked out exactly according to his words. I feel an immense privilege to know him and to be in contact with him."

A Longing I Cannot Forget

"I miss my grandfather, Rabbi Shimon Vakstok, of blessed memory. My firstborn is named after him, and to this day, he is a significant inspiration to me. Grandpa was a genuinely God-fearing Jew, a Chassid, who despite working as a factory manager also learned endlessly, and on the day he retired, he returned to the kollel naturally, as if he had never left. Although Grandpa survived the Holocaust as a child, he never lost his sense of humor, and with great nobility, he interwove a lot of humor and joy in his book about the Holocaust. Phrases Grandpa said to me and things he taught me accompany me every day."

A Meeting I Will Not Forget

"My first meeting with my wife. It's been ten years, but I remember every second of that meeting, almost every sentence, every joke, and every moment. Mainly I remember seeing something different in her, a rare kindness, a great strength hidden within a slightly shy and quiet girl, something I hadn’t seen in anyone before. I probably don’t forget it because every day, once again, this strength drives me, assists me, and propels the home, the work, and my success."

A Funny Moment I Will Not Forget

"I finished a day of filming in Jerusalem; it was shortly after the wedding, and at that time, I had quite an old car. A few days earlier, something in my car's wipers broke, and they stopped working. At the start of the drive, it wasn’t raining, but pretty quickly, starting on Highway 443, the heavens opened, and there was a wild rainstorm. With two friends in the car, visibility through the front windshield was impossible, so we pulled over and waited. That night was one of the rainiest nights of the decade, and even after an hour, the rain showed no sign of stopping. We were really stuck – couldn’t exit the car, no place to run. Leaving the car and going a different way wasn’t possible either, and we couldn’t leave the vehicle there because it was full of expensive photography equipment.

"It started to get very cold; the heater wasn’t working, and we were at a loss. Suddenly, an idea was sent to me from above, which I initially suggested jokingly, but then I said, 'Well, what's to lose.' I pulled my shoelaces out of my shoes, tied one lace to the right wiper and one to the left, and threaded them back through a small window slit. I, the driver, pulled the wipers left with my left hand, and the one sitting next to me pulled right, and so we alternately moved, right-left, right-left, effectively operating the wipers 'manually,' allowing us to see through the windshield. I started driving with big prayers, one hand on the wheel and the other pulling the string through the window. This is how we traveled for about half an hour until the rain subsided. A bizarre, funny, but true story."

A Song I Won't Forget

"The song 'Thank you hashem' by Joey Newcomb and Moshe Storch. My wife and I waited eight and a half years from the wedding until we had a child. Everyone deals with this matter differently, but we never called ourselves 'childless'. I always said to myself that I don't have a Lamborghini either, yet I don't feel 'Lamborghini-less'. What’s meant for us will come to us, and Hashem will send it when it's time. With Hashem's help, after eight and a half years, we had a firstborn son, Shimon Michael.

"The birth was very emotional, a day and a half in the ward, extremely happy, but not much time to think. On Friday, we left the hospital, arrived two hours before Shabbat, and suddenly, for the first time without people around, without nurses or visitors, just me, my wife, and the little baby in the car seat. I turned on the stereo, and the song playing was 'Thank you Hashem', and suddenly a huge flood of emotions – happiness, gratitude, excitement, overwhelming, realization, all mixed in the air. I sang with a smile, in a storm of emotions, and a crazy burst of tears of joy: 'Thank you Hashem'. Our son is only a year and a half, but he’s heard this song hundreds of times and knows it well."