PHOTO S BY DAN IEL LIPPITT

Stogie Sessions

Jokes, drinks and lots of cigars make for an interesting "drash" at
Midtown Cafe.

LYNNE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER

T

hey started in a private, glass-en-
closed room at the Radisson Hotel
but had to move to Midtown Cafe
after they almost burned the place

down.
Well, actually, Rabbi Steven Weil's now
two-year-old cigar smokers' schiur mere-
ly set off the fire alarms and forced the
hotel to evacuate all its guests. The man-
ager's response: Sorry, you don't bring
enough business to warrant this type of
scare.
So now they meet on Monday nights,
once a month, on the upstairs level of the
Birmingham eatery. The mission: to study
Jewish text while puffing on stogies and
sipping a drink or two. The group: any-
one who appreciates cigars and wants to
learn a little about Judaism.
Honoring dietary restrictions, the
restaurant allows the cigar smokers to sit
and study without eating, although they
agree to buy two drinks apiece.
Not everyone who comes is religious.
They run the gamut of observance levels,
and women are invited to attend — al-
though thus far, not one has shown up.
It all began with Rabbi Weil, who took
up cigar smoking as a means of halting a

tobacco-chewing habit, and Henry
Dworkin. Mr. Dworkin, 87, who is known
as the CEO of the schiur, starts each ses-
sion with an impromptu D'var Torah.
This week, he recounted the story of
how he met Rabbi Weil: He asked the
young rabbi if he had ever met a cigar-
smoking, Republican, Orthodox Jew (Mr.
Dworkin). Rabbi Weil pointed to himself.
That tete-a-tete has grown into a
monthly schiur with a 30-some-person
mailing list. Those involved say the cig-
ars and alcoholic beverages lend a relaxed
air to the session, and the central non-
synagogue setting brings in people from
Elly Meisler holds his cigar as he follows along.
across the Jewish spectrum.
The restaurant kicks on fans before the iar texts.
smokers light up, making the room frigid
"I don't smoke cigars, but I see that it
but the air almost breathable. The mem- really gives a relaxed posture to the whole
bers ash into glass ashtrays scattered gen- setting," says Mr. Aisner.
erously among the tables.
"It's a locker-room feeling," says
Pop music tunes by Chris Isaak, the Houman Banooni, 24. "It's male bonding."
Eagles and others pump softly from back-
A cloud of smoke engulfs the upper lev-
ground speakers as Rabbi Weil waves a el of the Midtown Cafe. Whether smok-
stogie, sips beer and lectures on Jewish ing or sitting cigarless on the periphery,
text. This week's topic: the Haggadah.
eyes will sting and clothing will smell for
David Aisner, 28, learned of the ses- days. Many of the men's wives require
sions from a friend. He says they provide that they leave their smoky garments in
insight into and new meaning for famil- the garage before entering the house.

D A

Mike Dworkin, 56, has been attending
with his father since the schiur began.
"We would welcome anybody from any
background who's interested in a relaxed
evening [and studying] Jewish text," he
says.
Notes Dr. Iry Gastman: "This is what
we call break-the-ice-and-learn, getting
people to open their minds to Jewish con-
cepts without feeling they have to do it.
People come here and want to learn."

STOGIE page 12

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