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"It's wonderful
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Partners In Torah from page 19
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Letter written by
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20
April 12 2007
children, like how to encourage them
to marry Jewishly," said Berger who
belongs to Temple Israel, a Reform
synagogue in West Bloomfield. "If I
can't bring Judaism into my life more,
how can I expect my kids to."
Berger has added a person connec-
tion by having Rabbi Burnham meet
her children and hang a mezuzah in
their home.
"A number of the people who come
to the home-based classes have invited
my family and I over for dinner:' Rabbi
Burnham said. "And we take them
up on it. We usually order in pizza
or something so that everything is
kosher."
Children's programming, too, is an
extension of the home study. "After a
few of the classes, the ladies would say
things like, CI wish you could teach our
children these kinds of lessons!' and
finally I took them up on it," he said.
Mentors often become more than
teachers for their partners, like Rochel
Lea Groundland of Oak Park, who
said, "My partner and I talk about our
children and our families and attend
one another's simchahs."
To Rabbi Cohen, that's a thrilling
component of the program. "Nothing
makes me happier than when a rela-
tionship is created and forms a friend-
ship."
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For some, it's the easy accessibility of
study that lures them.
Convenience is an important accom-
modation for Nick Karr, a third-year
medical school student at Wayne State.
Karr is part of other regular Jewish
learning programs, but says meet-
ing with Rabbi Burnham the past
11/2 years provides "a unique learning
experience."
"Rabbi Burnham has an incredible
ability to illuminate Torah in a way
that makes it personal to me said
Karr of Farmington Hills who belongs
to the Orthodox Ahavas Olam in Oak
Park. "We have spent many hours dis-
cussing other life issues not exclusive
to Judaism. His background in social
work and his sincerity make him an
important resource for me."
For U-M student Ethan Cohen,
"Rabbi Burnham's flexibility and
dynamic programming allows for
students of diverse backgrounds and
intensely busy schedules to meet and
learn about practical and engaging
areas of Jewish law."
Others learn with their partners by
phone when time is limited. As a mul-
timedia learning provider, Partners
also has started creating CDs of free
downloads and Torah podcasts to
ensure learning always is available to
fit any schedule. There's no cost for
the CDs because a CD duplicator was
donated by Yeshiva graduate and cur-
rent Tuesday night partner Mitchell
Ribitwer.
And the Weingarden Torah
Conferencing Center was created to
offer "big name" speakers to local stu-
dents via satellite hookup.
"Our goal is to touch everyone in the
community in a meaningful Jewish
way;' Rabbi Cohen said.
That includes the volunteer mentor-
ing staff, comprised largely of Yeshiva
teachers, staff and the parent body.
"Every single mentor also learns from
their partner:' Rabbi Cohen said. "They
also grow and enjoy it, as much, if not
more than the students. And they also
are always interested in becoming bet-
ter teachers, so we bring in speakers to
help them be better teachers for their
partners."
Rabbi Cohen, too, learns on a regular
basis. "For three hours each morning,
I study for myself' he said. "Then I get
up from my learning and I share it.
"The impetus for starting the
Partners in Torah program stemmed
from a desire on the part of the
Yeshiva to give back to the commu-
nity that supports us," he said. "We
could share the Torah knowledge that
we had in our staff with the greater
Detroit Jewish community and help it
be a better Jewish community.
"This was the noble beginning to
this great program, and it has succeed-
ed in many ways. Our society is inun-
dated with so much superficiality that
the opportunity to spend quality time
learning deep wisdom is a rare com-
modity," Rabbi Cohen said. "Education
is such an important part of life. And
people are really hungry for meaning
and substance that is difficult to find
— and we want to offer it to them.
Now we offer it in abundance."
With significant expansion in
a short amount of years, Yeshiva
President Gary Torgow said, "Partners
in Torah has achieved success and
growth in ways we never dreamed
possible. The Tuesday night learning
program has evolved into a full-time,
fully staffed enterprise that is reach-
ing Jews in every corner of Jewish
Michigan. How appropriate that this
division of the Yeshiva Beth Yehudah
is servicing in such a meaningful way
the very community that underwrites
the holy Torah study of the Yeshiva
girls and boys schools."