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22 Teves 5761 - January 17, 2001 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
The Torah Returns to its Former Place
by Yated Ne'eman Staff

When one thinks of France, one might fondly recall the yeshivos of Rashi, Rabbenu Tam and other Baalei Tosafos to whom we owe much of the Torah as we know it today. The country was indeed a vibrant center of Yiddishkeit until Hitler, y"sh, destroyed a large part of our people.

Be'ezras Hashem, just as we have seen in Israel a rebuilding of Torah by the undefeatable such as the Ponevezher Rov zt"l, so too in France the voice of Torah was received in the yeshivos of HaRav Chaikin zt"l, a talmid of the Chofetz Chaim, HaRav Gershon Liebman, zt"l and other noted talmidei chachomim.

In the early sixties, North African Jews began to be persecuted and left their prestigious communities where they had lived for thousands of years. Around 300,000 Jews arrived then in France but, due to the absence of organized communities and educational institutions, a large part of them were exposed to the influence of the general society and were in danger of complete assimilation.

HaRav Yaakov Kohn zt"l, one of the foremost talmidim of HaRav Chaikin (rosh yeshiva of Aix-les- Bains) was born in Paris and, at eleven, he lost his father who was deported to Auschwitz. His soul thirsted for Torah and he abandoned his secular studies to devote himself to limud haTorah, being the first in France to do so at that time.

Two years after his marriage, he left France for Bnei Brak to learn in Kollel Chazon Ish in close proximity to the gedolei Torah. In 1963 the Steipler Gaon, zt"l encouraged Rav Kohn to return to France to attempt to halt the spiritual decline by forming a Kollel and mosdos chinuch in a true Torah spirit. The Steipler asked his son- in-law HaRav Barzam zt"l, to lead the group of bnei Torah who arrived in Strasbourg to establish the Kollel.

After his return to France, Rav Kohn succeeded, with an enormous amount of siyata deShmaya and tremendous self- sacrifice, to introduce the concept of a ben Torah in France, the same way as it is lived in Israel. With his profound example, foresight and fatherly warmth, he brought many thousands of Jews back to Torah observance.

The Steipler indeed foresaw the great change that the Kollel and its institutions would bring about in Strasbourg. A great deal of the present day Orthodox community is led by former members of this Kollel and their disciples.

During the sixties, about seventy thousand Sephardic Jews arrived in Marseille in the south of France, which became the second largest center of Jews in France. But who was there to guide them and to transmit to them the Torah knowledge which they so desperately needed?

In 1971, the Kollel left Strasbourg for Marseille and mosdos Mayonei Torah were established. Rav Kohn, at the head of the group of avreichim, began to rebuild the ruins and spread Torah and yiras Shomayim in the city and throughout the entire country, where many of its Jews returned to true Yiddishkeit through his influence.

Several years later, he founded a yeshiva ketana from where the bochurim go on to study in yeshivos in Israel and the U.K., as well as a cheder and schools for girls. Furthermore, at the request of Rabbi Miller zt"l of Gateshead, a seminary for girls on the lines of his world- famous institution was established by Rav Kohn's rebbetzin, who heads both the school and the seminary.

Marseille has also seen the development of several other frum communities, including yeshivos for baalei teshuva and frum schools, as a result of the influence of HaRav Kohn and Mayonei Torah institutions. The city has now become the center of Yiddishkeit in the south of France. A beis din has recently been established, headed by a renowned dayan from Bnei Brak.

However, the sun set at midday and, almost a year ago, HaRav Kohn zt"l passed away after a short illness, in his sixty-fifth year. As Chazal say, "Gedolim tzaddikim bemisosom yoseir mebechaiyeihem." Conscientious bnei Torah have assisted in expanding mosdos Mayonei Torah with HaRav Kohn's oldest son, HaRav Shmuel Kohn, taking his father's place.

Although a great deal has been accomplished, there is still much to be done, as many thousands of French Jews know almost nothing about Torah umitzvos. The gedolim in Israel are encouraging avreichim to spend time learning in France in order to strengthen the existing mekomos Torah and thereby answer the powerful cry one hears: "We must not let our brethren drown in the waves of assimilation! Let them know more about their holy heritage!"

Through that, may they merit to hasten the fulfillment of the long awaited promise "umol'oh ho'oretz de'oh es Hashem."

 

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