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."
