Summer 2022

Avi Weitz is attending NCSY Kollel for his second summer and his first as a Madrich. Avi attended DRS for high school, followed by two years in Yeshivat Sha’alvim. He is about to start his first year at YU.

Joining Avi in his Chabura this summer is an amazing group of guys. Each one brings unique characteristics to the table that create an awesome atmosphere for the Chabura. Yosef Harkham is from Los Angeles, CA, currently serves as the president of the LA region NCSY day school board, and brings a leadership aspect to the Chaburah by always being the first to comment about the matter being discussed. Simon Bitton is from Woodmere, NY, and definitely brings some fun and life to the Chabura with his unique ability to always make jokes and references that make the Chabura laugh. Ilan Nissel is from Monsey, NY, and brings an intellectual edge to the Chabura, adding key thoughts and insights into the discussion. Last, but certainly not least, Ezra Berman, from Woodmere, NY, is the key to solidifying the Chaburah, and is always down for a nice chill or discussion as well as a nice kumzitz.

The Chabura focuses on the topic of Shabbos, specifically the customs and practices that are done surrounding Shabbos. Whether it’s through the limud or our discussions, the energy throughout the Chaburah is always there. Some of the topics that we’ve done this summer are “Zemirot at the Shabbos table” and “Proper clothing to wear on Shabbos”.

The chevra has been enjoying tremendously so far, and are looking forward to keeping it going for years to come!

All the way from down south, deep in the heart of Texas, is where Noah Diner grew up. He attended Robert M Beren Academy for high school and spent two years at Yeshivat Hakotel in the holy old city. This upcoming year he will be attending the Harvard of Jewish Universities (YU).

Next, we welcome the Goon Squad also commonly referred to as the All-Star NCSY Kollel Chabura. The guys are Reuven Schlanger (Cleveland, Fuchs), Yonatan Meyers (Cleveland, Fuchs), Gideon Fishman (Los Angeles, YULA), David Ehrenburg (Los Angeles, Valley Torah), all unbelievable tzadikim in and outside the beis midrash whether it be on the mini tiyulim, the basketball courts or shteiging away until late hours of the night. Each and every one of the guys has grown a tremendous amount over the summer blossoming into young talmidei chachamim thirsty for more.

The chaburas that Noah has been teaching this summer have been focused on enhancing our relationship with parts of Judaism that we do all the time but struggle to understand the why and true meaning behind it. The chaburas goal was to reveal the true joy of Judaism and all that it has to offer, while also allowing the guys to create an authentically personal and meaningful relationship with Hashem and Judaism as a whole. As a group, they discussed havdalah, נטילת ידים and topics of the sort while engaging in conversation and asking deep questions allowing for the guys to individualize their connections. With all of our amazing daily chabura learning, hopefully, as a group we are able to walk out of the summer finding more meaning and experience a deeper connection to the topics they discussed.

So far they have had unbelievable summer of fun and growth with even more upon the horizon as they head into the final week of Kollel.

Joey Kaplan is making his NCSY Kollel Debut as a madrich. Born in Manhattan, Joey went to Ramaz for high school, followed by Yeshivat Orayta. He is now entering his second year at Columbia College.

The guys in jkap’s chabura hail from all across the globe. Aaron Banks and Ari Gopen are both from Newton, MA. Aaron goes to Maimo while Ari goes to the rival Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael. Levi Minkin, originally from Providence, recently moved to Cleveland and goes to the Yeshiva of Cleveland. Finally, born in the deserts of South Africa, but now residing in the holy land (Baka, Israel), we have Shai Jawno attending Choreb. These guys have come together over the summer, bonding over innovative hashtags, jokes, and most importantly, Mak’s cakes.

These guys are not only great hockers, but also really know how to shteig. This summer, they explored topics focusing on the incredible value of man. After visiting the 8th Perek of Sanhedrin and analyzing life and death decision-making in a Torah context, the guys pivoted to Sefer Breishit to find how the stories they have known since their youth contain gems about middot. This chabura excels at thinking and debating the topics before delving into the sources from the Gemara to the Poskim to find out what the Torah has to say on some of life’s biggest questions.

The first few weeks of the summer have been incredible and the guys are looking forward to an incredible last stretch of the summer!

Elli Spinowitz is very much enjoying his fourth summer on NCSY Kollel, his second as a madrich. Hailing from Teaneck, NJ, Elli has attended TABC for high school, Yeshivas Sha’alvim for two years, and will soon begin his second year at Yeshiva University. When people ask him why he comes back year after year, he has no other response but to exclaim, “how can I not come back?!”

Elli may be a fine madrich, but without his amazing chaburah, he would be nothing. Starting from the top, coming from Boston, MA, Michael Wald has been a foundational member of the group. Moving down the coast, we find another core piece of our program, Zev Epstein, coming all the way from Philadelphia, PA. Noam Berman, yet another foundational component of the chaburah hails from a city even further south, known as Potomac, MD. As we hit our most southernmost point on the map in Boca Raton, FL, we can find two more key aspects of the team, Meir Lanner and Elyada Shabtai. While on paper the group may seem geographically dispersed, in reality, there couldn’t be a more tight-knit group. Whether it’s during chaburahs or not, the chevra will frequently be seen hanging out with each other, both in laughter and in deep conversation.

In the chaburah slot, while we definitely do get to work, we try to do everything bisimcha and with a real ruach. We have been going through different sugyas that generally come up as we go through a regular day, such as netillas yadayim, bircas hatorah, shomeah ki’oneh, and tfillah. What happens at the end of school if someone offers you a ride home? Are you obligated to split the cost of the gas? This is how we got to the sugya of zeh neheneh v’zeh lo chaser. The goal of the chaburah is to develop a deep love for learning as we get more and more comfortable reading through the mekoros and discussing the topics at hand.

This summer has been beyond phenomenal and we can’t wait to take it to the next level this coming week, as we close out the summer strong!

Effie Klein is here for his fourth summer on NCSY Kollel (second as a madrich). Originally from West Hempstead, NY, Effie has attended Rambam Mesivta and Yeshivat Sha’alvim before spending 2 years in Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan in Rav Eliakim Koenigsberg’s shiur. After the summer, Effie will wrap up his undergraduate studies in YU, while also pursuing semicha and a Master’s in Jewish Education from Azrieli.

Effie’s chaburah consists of a large range of guys, even if it may not seem like it at first. Joseph Andron and Yaakov Malk both hail from Los Angeles, and go to school in YULA. Gavi Ness is from Hillside, NJ, and goes to JEC with Avi Salomon, who comes from East Brunswick, NJ. Lastly, we have Yitzy Loew, who is originally from Highland Park, NJ and went to JEC, but who recently made aliyah with his family to Beit Shemesh, and will be starting in Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh in Elul. When these guys are together, they bring a lot to the table, and everyone contributes something tremendous to the chaburah as a whole.

This year, Effie’s chaburah is analyzing sugyos regarding mesorah, such as הלכה למשה מסיני, paskening from a בת קול, and other interesting sugyos. As we learned about from רבי יוחנן and ריש לקיש, the material is sharpened through the give-and-take during chaburah, and everyone’s amazing insights and questions.

While the summer is nearing its end, Effie’s chaburah is ready to take on the home stretch and finish off the Best.Summer.Ever on a high note!

First camper, then Shoel U’meishiv/Jr Madrich, and now back for his 3rd summer all the way from the city of Angels is Jake Fishman. It all started in YULA Boys High School; Jake then took his talents to the Ayalon Valley attending Yeshivat Shaalvim for two years, and now is pumped for his first full zman at Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchonon (YU) this Fall.

A fabulous chevre of out-of-towners makeup Jake’s Chabura. First, all the way from Rav Soloveitchik’s neck of the woods, from Brookline, MA, we got Robbie Jaffe. Also, repping the Makom Ha-tea party, we got Jonathan Greenberg from Newton and Binyamin Orkaby from Brighton. The three of them spend their days at Yeshivat Rambam, AKA Maimo. Continuing down the coast all the way to the 3rd state in the union, the place where the lightbulb was invented is a small town in New Jersey called Hillside. It is in this little village (it’s definitely out of town) that our other two rockstars hail from. Aaron Schwartz and Gershon Friedman, friends from youth and natural ba‘ar plugtas to the likes of Rav and Shmuel or Rabah and Rav Yosef, these two bring the heat to Chaburas, always trying to find the Emes. They spend their days in Mesivtas Heichal Hatorah.

This summer, Jake’s Bura is diving into the Sugyas that divide Klal Yisroel: Is there a mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisroel? What is the Satmar Perspective? Why do people wear hats and jackets during davening? What was the driving force behind the philosophy of the Rav, just to name a few. This is all in an attempt to highlight how although Jews may dress, act, and practice differently, we‘re all united around Torah and Mitzvot: “Shivim Panim L’Torah…Eilu V’Eilu Divrei Elokim Chaim”.

We’re in the final stretch of the summer, and this group of rocking guys isn’t slowing down. We’re pushing harder and learning longer, and we won’t stop growing together. The summer may be coming to an end, but this is just the beginning of a long story for this all-star Bura.

Noah Mogyoros is on Kollel for his second summer, first as a madrich. Noah, from the city of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, went to the Mesivta High School of Greater Philadelphia, followed by two years in Yeshivat Hakotel, and will be taking his talents to Yeshiva University in the fall.

Then we got the squad. The chaburah is made up of four amazing guys, all representing the southern region of the US. Avi Isaacs and Noam Landman hail from Atlanta, Georgia, and go to AJA. Avi Rosman and Yoni Oppenheimer come from the deep south, all the way from sunny Boca Raton, Florida. Rosman goes to Katz Yeshiva High School, while Oppenheimer goes to TTB (Teferes Torah of Boca). They wave the out-of-town flag high and proudly.

Throughout the summer, Noah’s chaburah has focused on the why behind the what- taking different mitzvos and discussing why we do the things that we do. They have focused on all different types of mitzvos, from tefillin to shemittah and so many others. The chaburah starts off with a discussion- everyone really thinks about why they do that mitzvah, and shares their perspective with the group. They then dive into Chazal and other mekoros to see what the Torah’s perspective is on that mitzvah. When combining the perspective of the guys and that of Chazal, the guys walk out of chaburah with a much deeper understanding of the why behind the what.

Noah and the guys have had an unbelievable summer so far and are looking forward to the final stretch!

Ari Pollack is currently enjoying his second summer on NCSY Kollel. All the way from sunny Los Angeles, CA, Ari attended Valley Torah (Let’s go PACK!) and then spent three years in Netiv Aryeh. Ari is currently entering his 4th semester at YU. This is Ari’s second summer as a Madrich on Kollel.

Ari’s Chaburah is an energetic, passionate group of guys looking to grow in their learning and ruchniyus. The chaburah consists of some of the most amazing guys, hailing from both ends of the East Coast: Shuey Silkin and Mendel Kahn representing Boca Raton, FL (KYHS), Yitzy Nissani representing Queens, NY (Rambam), and Eli Bruckenstein representing Cedarhurst, NY (Rambam). Together, the guys create a fun, vibrant atmosphere that allows the chaburah to reach higher and higher heights in their growth.

The Chaburah is focused this summer on understanding the true meaning of גדלות האדם and how to tap into their true potential. They are accomplishing this goal by using Gemara, Halacha, and Machshava to truly understand what shapes the way they act day to day – their middos. The Chaburah is focused on how to use (or not to use) honor, anger, jealousy, and happiness to change the way they treat others and themselves, to appreciate their self-worth, and ultimately strengthen their relationships with Hashem.

As the Chaburah finishes off the last week of this spectacular summer, they are looking forward to learning new topics, strengthening relationships, and getting ready to continue the journey after the summer and beyond!

Binny Freundlich is currently enjoying his third summer on NCSY Kollel. He attended Hebrew Academy of Montreal followed by Sha’alvim, and he just completed his first year of YU. This is Binny’s second year as a Madrich on Kollel.
 
Binny’s chabura includes some of the best guys around: Moti Schreck from Woodmere (DRS) shteiging up a storm, Adi from Cleveland (Fuchs Mizrachi) able to read with his glasses, Daniel Lebowitz from North Woodmere (DRS) writing notecards in Hebrew, Yehuda Rubenstein from Woodmere (YFR) giving chazarah shiur with his hat and jacket and Zevi Burg from Bergenfield (MTA) wearing his Kippah on the side from Bergenfield.

This summer, Binny’s chabura will be focusing on various thought-provoking topics and sugyas, ranging from Birchas Hamitzvos to breaking down the Halachos of the 4 Shomrim. The Chaburah has a heavy emphasis on Chazarah and the importance of retaining the information learned. They summarize each Chaburah on a beautiful 9 x 13 note card followed by a quick voice note detailing the new things we learned.

The guys have really come together to create an awesome and growth-oriented environment. All of this has combined for what continues to be an incredible summer!

Tani Konig is enjoying his debut summer as madrich at NCSY Kollel. From Woodmere, NY, Tani attended DRS Yeshiva HS and just wrapped up his second year at Yeshivat Reishit Yerushalayim. He will be continuing his education at Yeshiva University.

The Chaburah is comprised of four top-tier prospects: David Bitton (Engelwood, TABC), David Benisz (Monsey, TABC), Pinchas Stanislavsky (Fair Lawn, MTA), and Yosef Schonfeld (Woodmere, MAY). These awesome NCSYers are stars for their respective squads during the school year, and this summer they have joined forces to create the ultimate super team. Although they’ve just recently met, their interactions and chemistry are inspiring as they navigate the sugyas Tani presents.

The Limmud this summer was to gain a better understanding of daily actions and modern-day halachic scenarios through the Torah’s lens. This chaburah was ready from the beginning and was already Shteiging from the word “GO.” Early on, they learned Mishnayot in Pirkei Avot and various Gemaras that stressed the importance of surrounding themselves with a super team to achieve their goals. Next, they learned a Gemara in Eruvin, which taught them the importance of acting like a חסיד on the ball court and discussed the meaning of the pasuk in Mishlei, ״.מות וחיים ביד הלשון״ Though the summer is almost over, their passion for learning is surging; the guys’ thirst for more modern-day halachic scenarios has forced Tani to take the Limmud to new heights. The sugyas of “better seats at a ball game” and ״נזקי ספורט בהלכה״ have this team fired up and are creating camaraderie and memories among the young men.

With one week left in the season, this super team looks to capitalize on all of their victories and end the season with a BANG!!