Kollel is Going Extinct

During the difficult financial situation we find ourselves, kollelim are begining to close – making it very difficult if not impossible for an older yungerman to find a “well-paying” kollel that will accept him.

For years, anyone who was considered good in learning and who wanted to stay in kollel “long term” was always able to rely on finding a higher paying kollel to join and manage to stay in learning longer. Not anymore. Kollelim are finding it harder than ever to meet their payroll, as donations have been drying up. In the eyes of donors, there are things that take priority over supporting a kollel made up of “older” yungerleit.

In Brooklyn, 2 of the premier kollelim for yeshivishe yungerleit have closed their doors in recent years, under the guise of “moving to Lakewood”. The remainding ones are struggling mightily to stay afloat. In Lakewood, kollelim abound, but they don’t pay hardly anything. Even the always-to-be-relied-upon “out of town” kollelim have to shut their doors to new applicants as their local support base struggles with supporting the existing local institutions. In Detroit, where Gary Torgow just opened a new kollel, there is a din torah over its opening, as the existing kollel claims that the new kollel will drain support away from them.

When there is too much of something, move away from it. Seek out the forsaken territory and excel there. In the land of the blind, the man with one eye is king. Instead of trying to stick it out in kollel like everyone else is scrambling to do, show the world that you can learn while being in business. It has been done in the past, and it can be done in the future.

Who knows? Maybe we are being taught a lesson – its time to take things back to the good old days, before this insanity began.

Kollel is Going Extinct

Filed Under: Going to Work • Inspiration

Tags: detroit • extinct • gary torgow • lakewood • long term • out of town