THE KOLEL IN AMERICA (TORAH, POST-GRADUATE)

Abstract

The unit of Jewish education in America which serves as the postgraduate division of many yeshivot as well as an independent institution of higher learning is the kolel. The significance of the kolel for Jewish education makes this study important.;A description of fourteen American kolelim, their structure, program of study, faculties, students, their goals, achievements, and shortcomings has been presented. The subjects are representative of the more than sixty such institutions in America today. They were divided into a typology of four groupings for the purposes of comparison and analysis. Five of the schools with European antecedents are categorized as Lithuanian types. Four are hasidic in nature. Three are termed as "new" because of their individualistic innovative programs. Two are called Community kolelim because their expressed raison d'etre is to involve their students in the Jewish community activities. Their common denominators and individual differences are portrayed.;The data describing fourteen institutions are preceded by two chapters which present the problem, the methodology of the study, and the history of the kolel in Europe prior to the American experience. The last two chapters are devoted to an analysis of the kolelim in this study which draws inferences to enable educators to predict trends in this area of higher Jewish education. A statistical correlation and cross-tabulation study is followed by a summary, observations, and recommendations.;The kolel is a relatively new phenomenon in America which has shown amazing growth and vitality. The research introduces us to the founders of the schools, their history, goals, similarities, and unique features. The surprising outreach programs and the problematic lack of accountability are depicted. The heroic wives of kolel fellows state their opinions.;The researcher suggests that these institutions are the Ivy League schools of higher Jewish education, and that yeshivot should gear their curricula to prepare younger students to be qualified to enter the kolelim in the future. The study depicts the status of the students and faculty, their successes, sacrifices, and future prospects, as well as challenges which face them, the level of scholarship, the demanding intellectual stamina, and the credit deserved by the teachers.