JEWISH FUTURE page 3 Snider, who is on the presidium of Machon. "What really brings people in is a sincere thirst for Jewish knowledge." Operating out of a small house on 10 Mile Road in Oak Park and an historic house on Hill Street in Ann Arbor, Machon does not charge for classes and charges only a nominal fee for programs, to cover costs. Rabbi J does not want to associate religion with money. "Synagogues charge high dues per family. I wanted to break that notion," he says. From day one, Rabbi J insti- tuted a policy in which Machon completely separates fund-rais- ing campaigns from learning. "We want all Jews in town to know that if they want to study, they don't have to worry about fi- nances." The organization currently op- erates with a $350,000 budget, but that figure is growing, says Rabbi J, who plans to hire a third full-time staff member this spring. Most people say it is Rabbi J who attracts people to Machon. "He's just got an infinite love for Jews. And he'll go anywhere and do just about anything to aid a Jew he sees in trouble or in dis- tress spiritually," Mr. Snider says. "He's not out to transform the world. His perspective is, if you're going to make a choice, make an informed choice. He's very good at what he does because of his complete love of Jews, and he'll go to any length to try to save a Jewish soul. I don't know when the man sleeps — his phone rings off the hook. He's a pretty re- markable guy." Over the years, Rabbi J has turned down offers to leave Ma- chon. He figures it is "much more effective to speak to Jews wher- ever they are. `The real problem of the Jew- ish future begins at the college- age level," says Rabbi J. When individuals are young, they re- main under the influence of their parents. But in college, they "be- gin to look for direction in life." In 1981, Rabbi J began going to Michigan State University to reach out to Jewish students. On average, 25-30 students would turn out for his weekly Torah class. When Rabbi J first visited the AEPi fraternity at MSU, word spread quickly that "the rabbi from Oak Park" was there. "It was the first time a rabbi had stepped foot in the house," says Rabbi J, who established an on- going program with the fraterni- ty. "The real problem of the Jewish future begins at the college-age level." Today, Machon has a presence on the campuses of Eastern, Western and Central Michigan universities and, with the 1994 purchase of a building in Ann Ar- bor, at the University of Michi- gan. For about 14 years, Rabbi J and, since November 1995, Rab- bi Naftoli Kirzner have focused on U-M because it has the most Jewish students — 6,000 — of the Michigan colleges. For years, Rabbi J "dreamt" of having a place in Ann Arbor. He used to drive by the house that eventually became Machon's out- post and think how nice it would be "if I could get a house built like that." Because it was not in great shape —"wires hanging from the ceiling" — Machon got the 100- year-old building for $215,000. The inside of the building was gutted and now programs are held there, and five upstairs rooms are rented to Jewish stu- dents. But initially, Machon ran into zoning problems and neighbors complaining that Machon didn't have a permit for its activities. Barrier-free issues also came up, with some saying the wheelchair ramp was too steep. Although Machon has inhab- ited the building for about a year, it received final zoning approval about a month ago. Apparently, Machon's pres- ence is needed on Michigan's campus. Even with a nationally known B'nai B'rith Hillel just two doors away, Michigan students are lacking- in terms of Jewish ed- ucation, says Rabbi J. "I'm very strong on the logic of Judaism," he says. Jewish learn- ing should happen in a non- threatening environment, "not judgmental. Don't tell what to do. People come to us, I think, be- cause they know they are never going to be told what to do." Joshua Opperer first heard of Machon from a law school pro- fessor who directed him to Rab- bi J's reference library. Then Rabbi J told Mr. Opperer about Or Samayach, a yeshiva in Israel, where Mr. Opperer spent three weeks studying while he was in law school, thanks to a Machon scholarship. "I would definitely say that [Rabbi J] provided information and inspiration; most impor- tantly, he opened up to me a whole world of Judaism, a way to enjoy Judaism which I never had before, a richness about some of the usual things like Shabbos," Mr. Opperer says. JEWISH FUTURE page 28 HILLSIDE OFFERS THESE INCREDIBLE SAVINGS FOR 10 DAYS ONLY! Authentic imported Italian chairs in slick finishes with sleek profiles. The styles shown here are in stock. You could also special order for a custom look. Save over 50% until March 29th, so don't sit still! - • SALE 949 Mahogany finish. 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