Doni Brodie was in his second year at Toras Moshe when, inspired by Rabbi Twersky zt"l Hy"d, he decided to make a siyum haShas. Over the next twenty years, he never lost sight of that goal – pushing himself to make progress every single day, until he finally accomplished it. It is a trait that has spurred him to accomplish throughout his life, whether in his personal learning, giving a chaburah in his community, or in his work as a successful portfolio manager.
A Monsey native, Doni credits Rabbi Rubin, his 12th grade rebbi in Ohr Hachaim in Queens with encouraging him to attend Toras Moshe, describing it as a place where Doni would be pushed to his maximum. In his two years at Toras Moshe, from 2002-2004, Doni had the zechus to learn in Rabbi Shurkin’s and Rabbi Twersky’s shiurim, gaining a unique appreciation of Torah learning from each. From Rabbi Shurkin, he learned what it means to truly enjoy learning, while Rabbi Twersky gave him an appreciation for the depth and clarity of Torah. He gave him life clarity as well, guiding him through his decisions as he moved on to his next stages, learning at Ner Yisrael while attending UMBC.
Three years into his time at Ner Yisrael, Doni married Leah Krauss from Chicago. Today, the couple lives with their six children in Wesley Hills, where they are a part of Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Twersky’s kehillah, Torei Zahav Hornestiepel. Leah works as a PA in Pediatrics, and Doni works as a portfolio manager at Loews Corporation in Manhattan.
Despite his heavy work responsibilities, Doni dedicates a significant amount of time to giving back to the community. In addition to involvement in various community causes, he volunteers at Living Smarter Jewish (LSJ), a project of the OU that helps families achieve financial freedom through education and guidance. It’s a cause he feels deeply about, having seen the way people often struggle with their personal finances.
Yet his primary focus is on Torah – both learning and teaching. For the past few years, he has been giving a Daf Yomi iyun chaburah every motzaei Shabbos, which has strengthened his own learning by forcing him to plumb the depths of a sugya throughout the week. This is in addition to his many other regular chavrusas – including his long-time daily seder with R’ Zev Flaumenhaft, a friendship that began in Toras Moshe.
At the siyum, Doni distributed copies of a kuntrus he’d written, based on his weekly chaburahs – yet another example of a goal he was determined to accomplish, pushing himself to write up his notes each week.
For Doni, the event was marked above all by an overwhelming sense of pride. It’s not often in life that we can look back at a goal we set for ourselves twenty years earlier and say, “I did it!” Now, with this major accomplishment behind him, he’s on to his next target: to complete Talmud Yerushalmi. Because, when it comes to growing in life, the most important thing is to keep working, keep advancing – and to never lose sight of the goal.