•

• 41,1P

agoi

Ir

Robbie Udman studies at the Kona before returning to Israel.

RELIGI

RE V

Machon L'Torah and
Lubavitch are
leading a return to
Orthodoxy in Detroit

ELLYCE FIELD

Special to The Jewish News

14

Friday, September 12, 1986 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Last September, 19-year-old
Robbie Udman left for Israel wear-
ing a pair of wild shorts, a T-shirt,
high-top Nikes without socks, and as
an after-thought, a tweed hat. He
was leaving Oak Park and his
sophomore year at the University of
Michigan, embarking on a journey of
self-discovery.
His journey took him to
Jerusalem's Ohr Somayach for a
six-month introductory course to
basic Judaism: prayer, philosophy,
Talmud, ethics, history, law and
Hebrew language.
He felt at home in the low-
pressure, give-and-take atmosphere,
and threw himself into intensive
study.
"I was davening three times a
day and studying six to eight hours
at a time," Ullman recalled.
For the first two months, he
went through the motions, trying to
learn as much as possible. "I was
taking classes to learn about
Judaism as a religion, not as a way
of life."
But then it clicked. "Until I un-
derstood what it all meant, I couldn't
have the emotional commitment."
Udman's quiet voice becomes in-
tense and excited when he compares
Ohr Somayach with U of M. At U
of M I was just getting a grade, but
doing nothing for myself. At Ohr
Somayach, learning is different. It
just builds and builds and gets de-

eper. I'm learning how to ask ques-
tions."
It was a question that triggered
his search. He had attended the
mid-week, Orthodox bar mitzvah of
one of his neighbor's sons during the
summer vacation after his freshman
year at U of M.
"I recognized that the Orthodox
families around me seemed to enjoy
a different quality of life. I wanted
to know more about them and I
thought it might be worthwhile to
ask some questions: Several men
suggested I talk to Rabbi Jacobovitz
(at Oak Park's Machon L'Torah).
That first night, we talked for over
two hours.
He invited me over for Shabbos
dinner. I kept coming back week
after week. At first it was the food
and conversation. Then, I started
taking an interest in the prayers.
Whatever I was interested in learn-
ing, Rabbi Jacobovitz helped me
with."
After his six-month stay in
Jerusalem, Udman returned home
"to check myself and my commit-
ment."
Several months ago, he left
again, for a year-long course of study
at Ohr Somayach. This time around,
his youthful face was framed with a
reddish-brown beard. He wore a
dark hat, dark suit and white shirt.
The tzitzit from his tallis katan, the
short jacket-like garment worn

.

