Since his son Dovi perished in Meron last Lag B’omer, Shloimi Steinmetz has become a model of how a Yid reacts to catastrophe

Photos: Family archives
In the Mir, Dovi segued into the familiar role of caretaker, dirah manager, seudah supplier and networker. His entire life was about doing things for others — and in his death, he removed all the barriers

While many of us have been raised with the concept that things are exactly the way they should be even when we don’t understand, the real challenge comes when painful realities interfere with that intellectual knowledge.

And maybe that’s why Reb Shloimi Steinmetz, a self-proclaimed “poshute Yid” from Montreal, one of those community-conscious “regular” guys from shul who do daf yomi every morning and give tzedakah generously, has over the last year become an international ambassador for faith and resilience.

He’s not a mechanech or a public speaker or a rebbe — he’s a businessman who manufactures doors — but since his 21-year-old son Dovi perished in Meron last Lag B’omer along with 44 others, Shloimi Steinmetz has become a model of how a Yid reacts to catastrophe and how he can use a personal tzarah to create something way beyond himself or the loved one he’s mourning. With fortitude he never knew he had, Reb Shloimi issued a cry of emunah that has reverberated across the world, expressing faith in the precision of the Divine plan when we understand — and mostly, when we don’t.

You might have seen the Ani Maamin cards he’s printed (over 150,000 to date), l’illui nishmas Yissachar Dov Berish ben Shlomo, and maybe you’ve already joined with the hundreds of thousands who have taken on a 90-second daily commitment to recite the 13 Principles of Faith after davening each morning. And you might have noticed that although it was initially about creating zechuyos for the neshamah of Dovi Steinmetz and the other niftarim, it’s changed your life a bit as well. Who couldn’t use a little more emunah to start the day, creating a cocoon of tranquility and confidence for whatever lies ahead?

WATCH: Take 2 with Shloime Steinmetz