Yonah Lebowitz is 19 years old and is currently enjoying his third summer on NCSY Kollel. He attended DRS and Shaalvim and is currently planning on attending YU next Year. This is Yonah’s first year as a Madrich.

Yonah’s Chaburah is made up of 6 of the best guys around: Shimmie Green from Hamilton Ontario (Skokie Yeshiva); Mordy Greenland from Chicago (Skokie Yeshiva); Aryeh Levenbrown from Baltimore (TA); Yechiel Lerner from Baltimore (TA); Jonathan Boxer from Woodmere (Haftr); and Ari Needle from Passaic (TABC).

This summer, Yonah’s chaburah will be focusing on Aseres Hadibros. They will be learning about a variety of topics including Emunah, Shabbos, Kibbud Av Veim, and much, much more. The goal of the learning is to try and understand the Aseres Hadibros in a deeper way and make them relevant to our daily lives .

The summer has been great so far and it should only get better from here!

Ezra Wildes is 19 years old and is currently enjoying his 3rd summer on NCSY Kollel. He attended MTA and Sha’alvim and is currently planning on going to YU next year. This is Ezra’s first year as a Madrich.

Ezra’s Chaburah is made up of 5 of the best guys around: Elimelech Wachsberg from Passaic (Heichal Hatorah); Gabriel Rothenberg from Passaic (Heichal Hatorah); Itiel Wilk from Passaic (Heichal Hatorah); Ean Fish from Los Angeles (MBY); and Akiva Galimidi from Ramat Beit Shemesh (Ohr Moshe).

This summer, Ezra’s chaburah will be focusing on Themes of שמונה עשרה. They will be learning about a variety of topics including Goals, כוונה, Purpose of גלות, Transformative Effect of Tefillah , and much, much more. The goal of the learning is to gain an excitement for Torah, a sensitivity for its depth, and an appreciation of its relevancy .

The summer has been great so far and it should only get better from here!

After an exciting week of learning, trips, and sports, Kollel packed out of Beit Meir and into Yeshivat Hakotel for shabbos. The weekend started off on a high note with words of introduction from Rabbi Josh Grajower followed by Kabaalat Shabbat by the Kotel.

Dinner was followed by a tisch in the kotel plazza and several smaller post-tisches. Shachris was by chaburah as many decided to daven vasikin or with Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl. Then came kiddush and chaburot followed by lunch and menucha.

There was an optional seder before mincha highlighted by a special discussion with Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin on the role of  failure in our lives. After mincha, Kollel treked to Aish Hatorah to hear from the hilarious and entertaining Rabbi Gav Friedman. 

An awesome shaleshudos with inspiring singing and words from Rav Turetsky close out shabbat and Kollel loaded the buses back to Beit Meir.

Shabbos was incredible and we expect nothing less from the upcoming week!

Today was a rocking day on the Kollel. After breakfast, we began the morning learning by spending time discussing and processing the incredible leil iyun from the previous night. After that, we continued the morning with the regular daily shiurim and chavrusa learning. After mincha, the beis was electric during chaburas. 

The afternoon had its own set of exciting activities. Sulam joined Kollel for the day and we played them in 2 basketball games, a soccer match, and a very exciting triple overtime hockey game in which Kollel won in shootout fashion. 

After playing Sulam, there was a Kollel vs. TJJ Ambassadors basketball game which was followed by a beautiful siyum and bbq dinner. The day ended with a great night seder, the legendary Rav Burg Thursday night shiur, and then a popping tish.

Welcome to Rabbi Yisroel Feld, Director of Sulam and Rebbe in Yeshivat Torat Shraga!

Following yesterday’s tremendous tiyulim, the Kollel started off with a bang this morning! For the Post-11th graders, today was the start of the explanatory minyan for Shachris! Led by former head Madrich Josh Fagin, the minyan is an opportunity for the boys to learn more about davening and make it more personal. The minyan was slightly slower and more quiet, plus, afterward there was delectable rugelach and ice coffee! Many other chaburahs will have the chance to participate in the minyan in the near future.

TJJ ambassadors joined the kollel this morning and will be here through Thursday night. Rav Sobolofsky, introduced both the kollel and TJJ with some divrei torah about how to look for and find hashem through every day life. Also, TJJ joined in on today’s mini tiyul…. which was biking!

For the most part, morning shuirim were regular, however, there was still a major highlight, as three shuirim went on a trip!the three shuirim of Rabbi Grajower, Rabbi Gormin and Rabbi Friedman had the privilege to go to Mitzpe Yericho and hear from Rav Uri Pilichowski about his experience living in israel and how he has helped build up his community.

Other than a regular day of sports, it was still a bittersweet afternoon as the kollel said goodbye to Rav Schachter, who is heading back to America. Everyone sang and danced around the beis medrash as Rav Schachter departed. It was truly an amazing experience having Rav Schachter learn with so many people and give over daily Halacha shuir for the last two weeks. His presence in the beis will surely be missed!

To cap off the amazing day, during the usual night Seder time, we had our first official Leil Iyun! Following mincha, Rabbi Israel Leshak spoke about the importance of the different topics and sessions. There were many options to choose from, but the overall theme was temptation and addictions. All of the sessions during each of the three time slots were packed and everyone was talking about them throughout the night!

What an amazing jam packed day on kollel!!

What an exciting Tiyul Tuesday on NCSY Kollel!!!! The roosters of Beit Meir were woken up this morning by more than 6 full buses of NCSYers and staff getting ready to go on their respective trips. A 4:45 Shacharis kicked off the day and the trips departed almost immediately after. Black Canyon- the epic and highly anticipated hike of rappelling around waterfalls, treacherous wadis and most importantly towering cliff jumps into the crisp water pools- did more than just live up to the hype!! The trip resulted in at least one NCSYer to proclaim “This day made my summer, best trip ever!!! The next trip began rafting down the Yarden. Although the Yarden is filled with seemingly calm, grade-1, rapids the NCSYers thought otherwise. Jumping boats and enacting scenes from the latest Pirates of the Caribbeans movie the Kollel had anything but a very calm boat ride down the River. The third trip of rappelling and rock climbing let themselves slowly down into a blissful view of the mountains surrounding them. At first,nerve racking and intense, trusting their lives to a rope and a grappling hook, each member of the Kollel made it down safely. The final tiyul boarded to visit Kivrei Tzadikim!! The trip was gifted with R’ Sobolofsky, Efraim Shraga Wexler, and our very own Akiva Ackerman (Ack) to increase our knowledge about the greats of our past like the Rashbi, Arizal, Beis Yosef and the Rambam.

The rafting trip made a quick stop to visit the famous De Karina Chocolate factory where the delicious Israeli chocolate company makes their chocolate. A workshop took place where everyone was able to make their own chocolate bar, truffles, and other chocolatey creations. They quickly moved over to the pizza shop next to make some handmade pizza and then everyone moved out to the highlight of the day where everyone would meet up, AQUAKEF!!

Aquakef is a water amusement park stationed on the Kineret with huge lake toys which feature slippery watersides, huge trampolines and an intense obstacle courses which featured races of the Kollel’s finest athletes. After the chevra tired themselves out and were running low on fuel the amazing schwarma bar filled them all back up. With plenty of food to serve the masses and all kinds of ways to customize their laffas we were able to get back on their buses satiated and ready to rest. With another tiyul down in the books Kollel continues its hot-streak of capitalizing on every opportunity to make a day great.

The memories and energy generated from this tiyul should carry the NCSYers through the rest of the week and far beyond!!