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The crown jewel of the community, The Rebbe and Reb Ben Zion, only answers.
and indeed, the catalyst for the educa- joined by a large crowd from the shul, Everything just makes sense.
tional framework, is the kollel. The start to sing, and the old people draw The Rebbe tells me a little bit of the
Milwaukee Kollel Center for Adult close. Many of them remember the history of the kehillah.
Jewish Studies opened when Reb Rebbe’s great father, these Milwaukee The Rebbe’s father, Reb Yaakov Yis-
Michel realized that, like so many other old-timers who revere the Twerski roel, son of Reb Leibele of Hornisteipel,
communities across America, Milwau- name; he belongs to them. arrived in New York in the 1920s, and
kee was a victim of its own success. Reb Michel speaks. quickly realized that he wasn’t suited to
Though twenty-five years of leader- “Today, we read about the giving of the the big city. He travelled to Chicago,
ship had yielded beautiful Torah fami- Torah, the commandments. Do you know where there was a large group of Ukraini-
lies, the children of these families were that before Moshe Rabbeinu would teach an immigrants, Yidden from the towns
opting to settle in Eretz Yisrael, in the Jews a new mitzvah, he would first go near Kiev.
Lakewood, and in New York. to discuss it with the elders, the zkeinim? After a short stay in Chicago, he trav-
Reb Michel called together his peo- Each mitzvah was first exposed to the wis- elled to Milwaukee, where he was asked
ple and shared his vision with them. dom and experience of the elderly leaders, to serve as the Rav in the Anshei Sfard
Milwaukee would have a kollel of its the ones to whom we owe everything. shul. After a decade of service, he realized
own, and a new elementary school “We thank you for all that you, the old- his dream, opening his own shul, Beth Je-
would have to be formed to provide the er people, have given us. You have built hudah, in 1939.
children of these families with a suit- this community and other communities; Rabbi Twerski emerged as a key fig-
able educational environment. we look at you with such respect and grat- ure in Milwaukee Jewish life, earning the
Milwaukee is by no means a wealthy itude. Thank you.” respect and admiration of all types of
community, but its members are people The Rebbe sits back down and an el- Jews, and indeed, the wider non-Jewish
of spirit and resolve. Once Reb Michel derly woman raises her hand. “Rabbi, can population as well. His warmth and kind-
spoke, they were galvanized into action. I say something? I have never been happi- ness endeared him to everyone; when the
The Rosh Kollel, Reb Mendel er in my life. Thank you so much for your patriarchal Jew with the soft smile walked
Senderovic, is a respected posek and words, for the music.” down the streets of Milwaukee, everyone
mechaber seforim. He had achieved zzz would wait respectfully for his greeting.
world renown as the author of the stan- I sit down to speak with the Rebbe on Rebbetzin Devorah Leah was a per-
dard text for divorce documents that are Motzaei Shabbos. I had prepared ques- sonality in her own right, an heiress to the
given in Lakewood, a thorny and com- tions to ask and topics to discuss, but noble traditions of Sanz, a woman of gen-
plex halachic issue. Since the communi- somehow, once Shabbos is over, there are erosity. A wise and perceptive lady, she
ty made that historic decision to “jump
in,” committing themselves to forming
the kollel and school, membership has
“My father had correctly diagnosed the state of affairs in
tripled, with families coming to live in this country, and realized that in America of the 1940s, a
Milwaukee from across North America.
Today, the community boasts some rabbi without a degree would be disregarded and ignored. A
160 families, approximately double Rav needs to have devarav nishmain, his word must be taken
what it was ten years ago. In recent
years, several young couples have opt- seriously, and in those years, a college degree was the only
ed to stay local as well.
There are many reasons for the
way to achieve that goal” — Rav Michel Twerski
community’s newfound popularity, but
after speaking to the people, however, I
see clearly that it isn’t the education,
the economy, or the sense of belonging
and community.
It’s the Twerskis.
zzz
My interview with the Rebbe is

scheduled for late Motzaei Shabbos,
and I ask if I can accompany him to the
old-age home. Reb Ben Zion graciously
reorganizes car seats and several chil-
dren to accommodate my request.
Watching Reb Michel relate to the
old folks, the tired, hopeless Yidden for
whom this event is a break in the sad
monotony of their lives, is an experience.
For each, he has the right words, the
proper tone, the perfect message. As he
The Rebbe dancing at a Chasuna with his son in law on the right R' Mordche Katz
moves through the crowd, he leaves a and a nephew Rabbi Hager on the left
path of chizuk and healing in his wake.
31

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My interview with the Rebbe is

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