A weekday evening service at the Kollel
outside of the United States.
"The Kollel is truly responsible for bringing
young, Orthodox families to Oak Park," said Rabbi
Avraham Cohen, director of special programming at
the nearby Yeshiva Beth Yehudah in Southfield.
"The founding group was a magnet for other young
families. And because of the Kollel, Orthodox kids
who go away to school know they can come back
home because there is a place to always learn."
Who's In Charge
With the Kollel combining both a learning compo-
nent and a synagogue, Rabbis Schwab and Irons
share the title of Roshei HaKollel (deans of the
Kollel) .
Rabbi Irons spends all day teaching and advising.
"He is a talking, talmudic, rabbinic encyclopedia
with an in-depth analysis of Jewish history," said
Rabbi Avraham Jacobovitz, director of Oak Park-
based Machon L'Torah: The Jewish Learning
Network of Michigan.
"Rabbi Schwab is the powerhouse of the Kollel,
the brilliant, low-key, behind-the-scenes leader
deserving credit for the whole infrastructure and
master plan and development of the Kollel."
Rabbi Schwab is the congregational rabbi, spiritu-
al leader and fund-raising dean.
"He is the oil that makes the Kollel move," Rabbi
Green said. "He is very much the heart and soul and
public face of the Kollel. The two have different
roles, but they do crossover in that they both learn
and teach and they both fund-raise."
Both also are known worldwide. "Rabbi Schwab,
who comes from an illustrious rabbinic background,
is called from around the country to address com-
munity issues and give advice," Rabbi Green said.
Rabbi Irons is contacted as a scholar for advice on
everything from interpreting Talmud to answering
questions on Jewish history
"Rabbi Irons is one of the primary Torah scholars
in America," said Rabbi Boruch Yehudah Gradon of
the Los Angeles Kollel, where Rabbi Irons' mother
attends women's programming. "He is very pro-
found in his knowledge not just of Torah, but as a
historian and an intellectual."
Study Atmosphere
Avi Beneson rarely misses a scheduled evening of
study. He is part of the most highly attended learn-
ing component of the Kollel: the Night Seder, a
one-on-one community study program.
With him on a typical weeknight are 75 students
ranging from bar mitzvah age to retirees, all from
various educational backgrounds and professions.
Most already have learning partners; others are
paired with another student or a rabbi.
For Beneson, 19, and his study partner, Ellie
Rothstein, 20, both of Southfield, Kollel attendance
is actually a continuation of Gemara [Talmud] learn-
ing begun together during the last school year at
Hakotel in Jerusalem.
While one might think it would be easier for
paired learners to study in a quieter setting than the
Kollel, Beneson said, "learning at the Kollel is a
more conducive environment, with more resources
— and you're in a place where everybody actually
wants to be there."
Rabbi Green said, "They come for the atmos-
phere. There is nothing better than studying with
100 other people."
.
In the midst of the partners are small round-table
discussion groups for five or six students and a
Kollel rabbi.
"I prefer to learn in a smaller class," said Fred
Ferber, a member of the Conservative Congregation
Beth Ahm and the Orthodox the Shul-Chabad
Lubavitch, both in West Bloomfield. "We learn
from each other, especially when the rabbi answers
questions someone came to class with.
"I always walk away from Rabbi Irons' classes with
something inspirational on how to be a better
human being. We talk about so many different,
interesting subjects — not just the week's Torah sec-
tion — but warm-hearted stories about life. He
doesn't base his classes on his religiosity, and he
never judges anyone."
Seminary Life
Day and night, the Kollel is filled with a core group
of students participating in the three-year Seminary
for Advanced Biblical and Talmudic Study.
Because the intense program is attended full time,
students do not take paying jobs, but are hired dur-
ing their after-class hours as teachers in the commu-
nity program.
"These students — there are currently 12 — are
the creme de la creme of the graduates of other pro-
grams, mostly from the yeshivah in Lakewood,"
Rabbi Green said. "Most will go on to Jewish com-
munal work, becoming congregational rabbis, teach-
ers in Orthodox day schools or leaders of adult edu-
cation programs. Some may go on to more secular
careers, becoming attorneys or businessmen."
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2003
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