This summer marks Jesse Langer’s first time on NCSY Kollel as a madrich. Jesse, originally from West Orange, NJ went to Kushner for high school. He then went to Yeshivat Reishit in Beit Shemesh for 2 years, followed by the YU Post Pesach Program. Jesse will be beginning his sophomore year in YU after the summer. Hashem has blessed Jesse with the zechus of being the first madrich ever with a chabura of guys all from the same school.
Jesse’s big 4, comprised of Dani Konigsberg (Springfield), Binyamin Leiter (Passaic), Yaakov Goldberg (Clifton), and Baruch Landa (Hillside), run the halls of JEC. The JEC chevra are a tight-knit group with a lot of energy, so the chabura was able to jump-start right away. The ‘Bura usually begins with some hock on the current events and latest sports updates. The JEC Chevra does not mess around when in comes to sports. Inevitably, there are usually some machlokes and rivalry about which teams are the best, Yankees or Mets, and Giants or Jets (obviously Yankees and Giants).
After the fun and games, the guys lock in and discuss some major fundamentals of Judaism, namely Emunah (faith) and Bitachon (trust) in Hashem. The chabura utilizes texts ranging from Tanach and Gemara to Rishonim and Achronim, attempting to explore philosophical questions and debates about Free Will, Hashem’s divine providence, and each individual’s unique purpose in this world. The guys also explore interesting questions such as why bad things happen to good people. Through real-life stories and interesting mashals, the guys are able to easily engage and relate to the lofty ideas being discussed. On Shabbos the chabura likes to discuss ideas on the parsha over some marzipan and popcorn.
Over the course of the summer, Jesse’s chabura has worked on strengthening their connection to Hashem, as well as with their peers. There is no doubt that the guys will return to JEC with a fire, lighting up everyone around them. The chabura is privileged to all live close together, and looks forward to reuniting for more chills and good times.
