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May 5, 2000/30 Nisan 5760, Vol. 52, No.35
Pair of kollelim being established in Valley
CHRIS GARIFO
Senior Editor
The Valley could be going from kollel famine to feast, as two traditional Torah-study institutions are being planned here.
The Phoenix Community Kollel, being developed with the support of the National Society for Hebrew Day Schools (Torah U'Mesorah), will comprise four rabbis, three of whom will be moving here from Jerusalem. The rabbis with their families are expected to arrive in the Valley by the end of May.
"We're very excited about their arrival," said Dr. Steven R. Kanner, president of Young Israel of Phoenix and of the kollel's board of directors. "This is the culmination of a lot of work by a lot of people."
Meanwhile, Beth Joseph Congregation's Rabbi David Rebibo also has been working to establish the Greater Phoenix Community Kollel, which would be part of the Kollel "Torah MiTsion" program overseen by the Religious Zionist Forum in Jerusalem, a nonprofit organization established in 1996.
According to material provided by Rebibo, the first Kollel "Torah MiTsion" was established in 1994 in Cleveland, with several more added in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Uruguay and Venezuela.
"It's quite an ambitious program we're coming up with," Rebibo said. "We've been working on this for nearly two years in the hope of bringing it here."
Rebibo said the kollel was being established in partnership with the Bureau of Jewish Education. Aaron Scholar, BJE executive director, was unavailable for comment.
The first newsletter published by The Phoenix Community Kollel reported that Rabbi Zvi Holland, who will be the kollel's director, met with Rebibo in Jerusalem.
Rebibo confirmed that such a meeting took place but stressed that he is not involved in that kollel and, in fact, raised "several objections" about it. He said that it is not "really a community kollel because it doesn't have the elements of the community."
Rebibo suggested that the kollel is an effort mostly by Young Israel, an Orthodox congregation in Phoenix, and will not be "all-inclusive" while the Greater Phoenix Community Kollel will reach out to all Jews, especially the unaffiliated.
"It's not my goal to bring in a kollel to serve the Orthodox community," Rebibo said. He added that, while the $3 million needed for his kollel is being raised within the community, the other kollel is receiving much of its funding from outside the Valley.
Having two kollelim, Rebibo said, is "going to confuse the people; but ultimately people will know what each one is."
Kanner disagrees with Rebibo's suggestion that two kollelim could be problematic. "If we can have two kollelim here in Phoenix, that's good," Kanner said. "The more, the better."
Kanner did agree that his group's kollel could be seen as more Orthodox but doubts that people will avoid the institution because of it.
"The key to the kollel's success is the ability of the individuals involved to connect with people on a personal level," Kanner said. "We're all reading pretty much the same Torah, so I think the effectiveness of the kollel will be directly linked to the ability of the (rabbis) to connect with individuals in the community."
Kanner added that that the kollel's goals would include outreach to all Jews, regardless of their denomination or affiliation.
Kanner noted that, while Young Israel's Rabbi Chaim Silver and some congregation members sit on the board, it also includes a member of Rebibo's Beth Joseph Congregation.
"The kollel group from its inception was organized as an entity both philosophically and legally separate from Young Israel," Kanner said. "We have, in fact, invited individuals, and will continue to invite individuals, from Beth Joseph to be involved."
Kanner said that, while some funding for the kollel has come from outside the local community, "a significant portion has come from local contributions." Kanner said board members hope someone in the Valley will donate rental or office space for the kollel's rabbis to use for their studies.
The rabbis who will comprise The Phoenix Community Kollel are:
- Zvi Holland of Jerusalem but originally from Scranton, Pa. A graduate of the Mir Rabbinical College, he received his ordination from the chief justice of the Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem. He and his wife, Zima, have two young daughters, Dalya and Yaffa.
- Raphi Landesman of Jerusalem. Raised in Queens, N.Y., he was ordained by the Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem. His wife, Cindy, is a native of Lawrence, N.Y.
- Yakov Bronsteyn of Far Rockaway, N.Y. He was ordained by a senior member of the Jerusalem Rabbinate. He and his wife, Esther, currently live in Jerusalem.
- David Goldman of Baltimore. He was ordained by Ner Israel Rabbinical College. His wife is Shira Goldman.
The kollel initially will offer three programs: The Kollel Academy, which will provide adult education at all levels; the Sunday Beit Medrash, an open forum on a variety of topics; and From a Woman's Perspective, a series of classes taught by women that will cover topics such as Prophets, Jewish thought and halachah.
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