Ezra Seplowitz lives in Teaneck, NJ, and graduated from TABC in 2020. He then studied in Yeshivat Sha’alvim for two years and is going to be returning to Yeshiva University for his second year this Fall. This is Ezra’s second summer on Kollel and his first time as a Madrich.

There are currently four budding תלמידי חכמים in Ezra’s Chaburah: Ezriel (Ezzy) Brandwein, Elisha Rodin, Michael (Mordy) Rosenbaum, Avraham (Shimmy) Wellikoff. Ezzy, Shimmy, and Mordy are from Passaic, NJ, and just finished their sophomore year in Heichal Hatorah. They were all in Rabbi Komet’s Shiur (a relative of Ezra’s). Elisha is from North Woodmere, NY, and just finished his sophomore year in MAY. Elisha is the diligent notetaker and Tzaddik Yesod Olam, but Shimmy is a lowkey sleeper (pun intended?) who shteigs away late at night on the ball court. Ezzy is the focused one who loves spending time in Meah Shearim while Mordy bangs on the table and asks bomb kashyas.

The Chabura is learning about the depths and meaning of קריאת שמע and תפילה as well as other recurrent מצוות. The Chabura focuses on distilling the יסוד המחלוקת in order to formulate a meaningful understanding of the סוגיא. Additionally, the guys spend time remembering “Cash Torah” which they can take with them wherever they go.

Overall, it’s been an incredible summer thus far, and the remaining weeks in Beit Meir will only get better!

Danny Weinberger, the fourth year veteran, has returned to be a madrich on NCSY Kollel for the second time in a row. After shteiging away in Frisch and Shaalvim, he made his way to the University of Pennsylvania, where he tries his best to spread the light of Torah that he gained from his summers on Kollel.

His chabura is composed of six super-stars who attend Yeshiva University affiliated High Schools, with three from each of MTA and YULA. Starting off the MTA trio from Teaneck, NJ is Noam Sheffey. Noam is always locked in and engaged, ready to take our chabura to the next level. Feel free to be amazed when you test him on Super Bowl statistics. Next up is Ben Safier from Bergenfield, NJ. The motivation and consistency that Ben brings to the chabura is unparalleled. In addition, his easy going attitude enables the chabura to run smoothly. Rounding off the MTA crew from Teaneck, NJ is Gavi Pinsky.  Gavi is a Torah savant and is most likely to be found during chaburas being mechavein to Rishonim. The three YULA members all represent the community of Los Angeles, California. The trio includes Moshe Uretsky, a true mevakeish who inspires the chabura with his desire to keep growing. They also have Raphi Mark, a professional air-sipper who never fails to enlighten the chabura with a Hasgacha Pratis story or Thank You Hashem moment. Last but not least they have Elisha Feldman (AKA danger). Elisha is the rock of the bura, as his contagious smile always keeps everyone happy.

This summer they are learning Shabbos sugyas. Instead of delving into intricacies of the melachos and the Shamor side of Shabbos, they are spending their time on the positive commandments of shabbos, the Zachor aspect. The different sugyas range from To’ameah, which kicks in right before Shabbos begins, all the way to Melava Malka, escorting out the Shabbos Queen with celebration as she departs.

The summer has been amazing so far and the boys cannot wait for what’s more to come!

Yonah Tarzik could not have asked for a better start to his first summer as madrich and second summer overall on NCSY Kollel. He has the privilege to call Bergenfield, NJ home for the last 17 years of his life. He attended Heichal HaTorah, Yeshivas Sha’alvim and plans on taking his talents to YU this upcoming year.

Yonah’s chabura has had incredible chemistry since day 1. While all living in the Bergenfield/ Teaneck community (and 4 of the 5 attending the same high school) definitely helps, there is something special brewing in this chabura. We got some of TABC’s finest. To start off we got Akiva Mittel, who brings great vibes to the chabura with his exquisite vocabulary and humor. Next up is Shia Forgash, that when not behind the net or looking for his room key, is always involved and making insightful comments. Then we have Aryeh Eizikowitz who always brings the energy and a proud member of the 7am hockey club. Next is Moshe “heshy” Strulowitz who’s always there to stir up the pot (shoutout to the rice) and always got the chaburah on their toes with his witty comments. Then we got Nochi Book, the high flying and ambidextrous star from MTA. We were also blessed with the mid season acquisition of NCSY Kollel legend Menachem Grossman all the way from Bet Shemesh.

In Chabura time, we have delved into the sugyas of the עשרת הדברות along with other important topics such as the torahs perspective on failure and the secret to simcha. For each dibra, we learn a sugya in depth and also discuss practical tips and advice how to apply it to our daily lives.

The summer has gotten off to an unbelievable start and I’m certain it will only get better from here!

Judah Schanzer is returning to NCSY Kollel, this time as a madrich, after having participated in the Kollel in the summer of 2018 as a camper. Judah lives in New Rochelle, NY, and attended SAR for both Elementary and High School. After graduating in 2020 he went to Yeshivat Torat Shraga for two years through May 2022 and then spent June 2022 at Birchas Hatorah. In the Fall, he will be bez”h attending YU, where he plans on studying Business.

The guys in Judah’s chabura are some of the best guys around with each bringing a special ingredient to this extra-special group of shteigers. The chabura includes Avi Becker, Noam Azaguary, Josh Canner and Arei Kanguon. Avi Becker (Memphis, Cooper) is an intellectual superstar destined to become probably the first Talmid Chacham to have spent some of his childhood years in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Memphis. Noam Azaguary, (Pittsburgh, Hillel) is the man who keeps everyone on their toes both with his fascinating questions while learning and his intimidating sunglasses when playing ball. Josh Canner (Boston, Maimonides), despite being a big man with a sweet shot, is more notable for his genuine desire to learn Torah and grow in both mitzvot ben adam lamakom as well as ben adam lchavero. Finally, Arei “koolest kid in Kollel” Kangoun (Boston, Maimonides) lives up to his name by probably being the most outgoing, honest, and infectiously happy person, who also is at davening before minyan even starts almost EVERY DAY. Despite the five of us coming from different backgrounds both geographically and otherwise, we have meshed to such a great extent that we must be front-runners for “Chabura of the Year”.

This year, our Chabura learned the deep and hidden messages planted in the Shemonei Esrei by Chazal. Through learning different mekoros, from pesukim to Rishonim, we have been working on connecting to the Avodah in order to find greater meaning and strengthen our passion for Avodas Hashem. Every day, after reviewing everyone’s ball game the day before and sharing some mak’s cakes (thanks Noam), we first learn the words of the bracha. Afterwards, they go through an intriguing question or two about why the loshon of the text is the way it is. Finally through Kangoun reading pesukim and Gemera’s inside, to Avi pointing out ideas that make your brain thump, to Josh answering our original questions, we find ourselves learning a beautiful lesson about how to be better a friend, son, and Eved Hashem, only to be further uplifted by a deep philosophical discussion raised by Noam.

As we come towards the end of the summer, the Chaburah recognizes that collectively they have grown to unimaginable heights, which come with its pros and cons. On the one hand, they have gained an appreciation that if they focus on our growth, they can achieve great things, especially when working together. On the other hand, they have come to appreciate how much more they have to work and grow to fulfill the incredible potential within each of them.

Julian Kofman is loving his second summer as a madrich on NCSY Kollel. Julian grew up in Manhattan, NY, and went to SAR High School before spending a year and a half at Yeshivat Orayta. He is sad that he will soon be leaving the wonderful Kollel campus in Beit Meir, but is excited to return to Yeshiva University for his senior year.

Julian’s chabura is made up of incredible guys from all across the map. Yehuda Horowitz is from Brooklyn, NY, and goes to Margolin Hebrew Academy in Memphis, Tennessee. Also from Memphis is Dovid “D.R.” Wogan, who goes to “The Yeshiva” of Skokie, Illinois. Dovid is thrilled to be in Chabura with his classmate from Chicago, Shlomo Applebaum. Spicing things up even more is Netanel Polatsek from Houston Texas, a student of the Mesivta of Houston. The Chabura’s proud representative of the east coast is Avigdor Steinberg of Columbus, Ohio, who goes to Columbus Torah Academy.

Beyond the Chabura’s liveliness which is fostered by its ‘out of town’ nature, the learning and discussion that takes place is truly special. The Rambam’s Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah serves as the springboard for learning topics that are the utmost foundations of a Torah life. By dissecting primary mitzvos such as Emunah, Ahavas Hashem, and Yiras Hashem, the Chabura dives into a unique mix of Halacha and philosophy. This blend naturally sparks intelligent questions and insights from the Chabura’s thoughtful members. The discussions are kept fresh with occasional miscellaneous Chaburas on relevant topics such as Tisha B’Av, attending sports games, and Q and A.

This Chaburah has already grown tremendously together and is excited to close out the summer strong!

Not only was Isaac Schertz a rockstar as an NCSYer, but he is also currently dominating as a madrich. Born and raised in Woodmere, he boldly decided to attend Ramaz for high school. Subsequently, he spent two years in Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh; for university, he will be attending The Cooper Union, where he will be majoring in Electrical Engineering.

The boys in Schertz’s chabura are not good… they’re GREAT!! Coming in hot representing the city of Stars, Ezra Helfand (Beverlywood, Shalhevet), representing the Lions, Yisroel Kirshner (Teaneck, MTA), and Yehuda Pfeiffer (Teaneck, MTA). Lastly, from the towns, they have Jacob Ostroff (Bay Park, MAY) and Shmuel Weiss (Cedarhurst, MAY). Although the group of guys’ backgrounds is diverse, their connection and interactions with one another are inspiring. They truly represent what friendship symbolizes. The bond amongst the guys is- electric.

Throughout the summer, the young men in the Schertz squad have been on a wild ride. The theme for the summer was Mencishkeit. At first, they deeply analyzed hand-selected Mishnaots in Avot while raising profound philosophical questions that coincide with worldly views. Although Schertz mediated these sophisticated discussions by channeling the guys in the proper direction, once the debates began, the rest was history. Towards the midway point of the summer, the chabura transitioned into apotheosis topics of Jewish life. Such as, דרך ארץ, בין אדם לחברו , כיבוד אב ואם, גזל, גובה, תיפילין. They analyzed several Talmudic texts about the subject. Then they broke down the Gemara with commentaries, learned what the Halacha is, and finally discussed as a chabura on a personal level how each individual connects to this idea. Before each shabbos, the boys heard from Isaac a simple yet complex notion from the Parsha that they could apply to their lives to become the best version of themselves.

In all, through grinding in Torah, the bond amongst the Schertz squad is an eternal one. And the chabura is stoked for the final week!

Ami Mashiach is currently enjoying his fourth summer on NCSY Kollel. He attended Fasman Yeshiva High School and Sha’alvim and is attending Landers College for Men this coming year. This is Ami’s second year as a Madrich.

Ami’s chabura includes some of the best guys around: Reuven Drazin from Montreal (Hebrew Academy of Montreal), Yishai Rosenblatt from LA (YULA), Shmuel Schon from Detroit (Farber), and Yishai Shapiro from California (Southern California Yeshiva High School).

This summer, Ami’s chabura will be focusing on growing in our Bein Adam Lachaveiro. They are learning about a variety of topics including Onas Devarim, lifnei Iver, Kibud av v’em, and much, much more. The goal of the learning is to learn how to treat our chaveirim with respect.

The chaburah is vibrant, energenic and adds so much to the beis medrash. They are truly an amazing group of guys who add so much to the kollel in and out of the beis medrash.

All of this has combined for what continues to be an incredible summer!

This chaburah spotlights Yitzchok Lowy’s chaburah, which is the team to beat and hasn’t lost a game all summer.
Coming in at PG, all the way from Baltimore (TA), is Yair “the archive” Ziffer. Constantly writing notes, he can tell you anything that’s been said this summer.
At SG, also from Baltimore (TA) we got Yaakov “the fact-checker” Levenbrown. Always making sure nothing false is said during chaburahs, he contributes greatly to emes aspect of chaburahs.
At PF standing at 5’11 is the Israeli himself Adir Seiferas. Living in the holy city of Yerushalayim, Adir is making sure none of us chas v’shalom decide to live in chutz la’aretz full time.
Coming in at SF, also from Baltimore (TA), is Noam “yidius” Schulman. Always bringing raayas and questions left and right, enhancing the quality of what’s being said.
Lastly, standing at Madrich is Yitzchok Lowy. Freshly out of Shana Bet, at Yeshivat Hakotel this marks his 2nd summer on Kollel. Originally from NY, he starts his YU journey this upcoming fall.

This summer, the burah has been discussing more fundamental topics that help them grow both on and off the court. This includes the importance of happiness, simplifying why people should be keeping mitzvos in general, how we can be taking more advantage of our time, why it’s so important that we use our speech in a positive way and the value of Talmud Torah and Olam Habbah.

This chaburah has been killing it so far and hopes to keep up the good work as the summer comes to a close.

Ving Levy is back for his second summer on Kollel. After one year as a camper, this is Ving’s first summer as a madrich. Ving is from Teaneck, went to TABC, spent two years in Mevaseret, and is now in YU.

Ving’s chabura really covers the map. The dynamic duo from Texas of Cooper Sutton and Yosef Yavner are yet to be seen apart. Avi Stotland is the Vegas representative of the chabura. Hailing from the East Coast is Oliver Ferber from Bethesda Maryland in addition to Isaac Zelermyer from Boston. This core five has become tremendously close and love hanging out together.

The Beatles once said, “all you need is love,” and Ving’s chabura took that to heart, learning in depth about the topic of ואהבת לרעך כמוך. They have explored the different understandings of the term, the different applications in the Gemara, and more. Each member of the chabura provides wonderful insights daily to enhance the learning of everyone.

Ving’s chabura has had an incredible start to the summer and is looking forward to closing out strong!