The Story
Rabbi Eli Scheller: Inspiring, educating, and empowering the next generation of Jewish children worldwide.
Most stories begin with “once upon a time.”
Mine begins with “One time, one time.”
I wasn’t supposed to become a storyteller. I wasn’t supposed to become a rebbi. I definitely wasn’t supposed to become the voice in thousands of kids’ rooms every night. I was the kid who struggled in yeshivah, bounced from place to place, and never quite fit the system — until a few “one time” moments changed everything. One time, someone believed in me. One time, someone gave me a chance. One time, a door opened — and a whole world opened with it.
Those moments shaped me. After learning under Rav Yitzchak Berkovits in Yerushalayim, life took me from Lakewood to Los Angeles and eventually to a small classroom in Baltimore, where I walked in with a guitar, faced a wild fifth grade, and began, “One time, one time…” That first story froze the room and quietly launched OneTime OneTime — a global classroom built on the belief that every child has greatness inside, waiting for the right spark.
Since then, OneTime OneTime has grown far beyond a single classroom: daily stories kids replay again and again, shiurim watched around the world, and messages of hope for kids (and adults) who feel like they don’t fit. I’ve heard from mothers in Eretz Yisrael during wartime, teenagers in their darkest moments, fathers rediscovering learning, and children who fall asleep to these stories every night.
All of it comes from one truth:
Every child is one “one time” moment away from discovering who they can become.
Welcome to the story.
Welcome to the movement.
Welcome to OneTime OneTime.