Spotlight on the Kollel

Will Friedman (Rosh Kollel): This is my third summer on staff. I spent my first summer on staff in the kollel in 2002 and then I came back last summer to teach in the bet midrash.

I originally found out about this program when I was finishing up college. I knew I wanted to spend time in Israel and study and go to some kind of rabbinical school. I heard about this program from some friends who had been in the kollel the year before. They talked about how great it was, and I was convinced that it would be a great introduction to my studying in Israel and a great opportunity to study in an intense environment.

The Kollel is basically an intensive summer learning program. For nine weeks, we take 4-6 usually college-aged students to come and learn full time in an intensive environment. Camp is sort of hermetically sealed from the outside world, so that gives them the opportunity to not just learn in an intensive way but also to be part of an intensive Jewish community. In the mornings we learn Gemarrah--we do chevrutah and shiur for about four hours. Then in the afternoons we have about two and a half hours of serious learning in a variety of subjects--halacha, Tanach, Zohar, midrash, etc.--to give them some breadth. We also have night learning two nights a week where the participants can do individualized learned projects. The participants also have camp responsibilties, which include teaching during one period of the day. That gives them the opportunity to put their learning into practice in the classroom, get some teaching experience, and integrate into the larger camp community.

I think the impact of the kollel is felt in both big and small ways. Some of the big ways are that it is a big deal to be able to have people here whose full time job is to learn. Some people are sort of puzzled by that at first--but it shows that camp is really committed to serious, ongoing learning. The small ways are the ways in which having people here learning impact people around them. The kollel brings their knowledge back to their bunks, for those that are living in bunks; they bring their knowledge to staff events. They also serve as exemplars of what it means to be serious, committed Jews. By osmosis, that seeps out into the rest of camp. Plus it challenges people who don't necessarily think that Jewish learning is a serious endeavor, and it gives strength to people who want to be exposed to Jewish learning. The participants in the kollel are a great resource for camp.

The Bet Midrash program is a way for campers to learn seriously. It is available for three periods in the morning. For Shoafim it takes the place of their text class--so they take their Hebrew class and the Bet Midrash. For Bogrim and Machon, it takes the place of both their Hebrew and text classes. The idea behind the Bet Midrash is to give the campers the opportunity to learn seriously in the original--to struggle through in the original Hebrew (and Aramaic when we do Talmud). The goal is to build their skills, comfort, and familiarity with the original Jewish texts and really give them a sense of ownership, that they are engaging with the tradition. That gives them power and an appreciation for being a part of this long tradition.