An Open Discussion of Why We Choose Judaism
Oct 9, 2026 · 47 min · 8 segments
A community presentation in memory of Chaim Leib and Dena Chana Lubin
- Speakers
Reuven BrandHost
Oct 9, 2026 · 47 min · 8 segments
A community presentation in memory of Chaim Leib and Dena Chana Lubin
Reuven BrandHost
So it's definitely an honor for me personally and The Kollel collectively to gather and honor your parents' memory, and the fact that you chose and choose The Kollel as this avenue is a tribute to th- to them and to what they have taught you.
And every year, I have tried to find an aspect of my learning that relates in a way to something that Chaim has shared about his parents and the legacy that they bequeathed to him, and what he's trying to share from them to his children.
And so this theme tonight [clears throat] of why choose Judaism is something that I've been thinking about and talking about in a particular context.
But it really resonated in terms of this evening, as your parents were people, like you said, who you have talked about so many times, even in their own families, different from their siblings, made this choice, and that's why you are where you are today.
And so over the past couple of years, The Kollel has done many different projects, some of them that we advertise broadly, and some of them are more smaller types of projects.
And one of the experiences that I have benefited from in the past couple of years has been the opportunity to have really profound and meaningful conversations with young couples in the neighborhood.
These couples are kids who I knew when they were in high school when I started here.
They contribute a little bit, and The Kollel sponsors the majority of the cost of the dinner.
Everybody gets a babysitter, and we just sit around a table, usually in the back room in shallots, where no kids are crying and no one is screaming, and eventually everyone gets there by the time their babysitters arrive and whatever.
And one of the macro threads that have gone through these conversations with these couples who are probably in their-- most of them are in their late twenties, is the question of choosing Yiddishkeit.
And some of those peers had a similar background to them, similar upbringing, similar schooling, and many of those peers are making different choices.
You know, most of the couples in this group are choosing to send their children to a day school, to a beautiful day school, to Hilot Torah.
At some point, we should consider why we choose what we choose." You know, maybe we're doing it just out of rote or because that's what our social circles are doing.
But somebody at some point may say, "Why are we still doing this?" And the truth is, if we're honest with ourselves, at different points in our own lives, we probably have stopped doing certain things because we couldn't figure out why to keep doing them.
So it's definitely an honor for me personally and The Kollel collectively to gather and honor your parents' memory, and the fact that you chose and choose The Kollel as this avenue is a tribute to th- to them and to what they have taught you.
And every year, I have tried to find an aspect of my learning that relates in a way to something that Chaim has shared about his parents and the legacy that they bequeathed to him, and what he's trying to share from them to his children.
And so this theme tonight [clears throat] of why choose Judaism is something that I've been thinking about and talking about in a particular context.
But it really resonated in terms of this evening, as your parents were people, like you said, who you have talked about so many times, even in their own families, different from their siblings, made this choice, and that's why you are where you are today.
And so over the past couple of years, The Kollel has done many different projects, some of them that we advertise broadly, and some of them are more smaller types of projects.
And one of the experiences that I have benefited from in the past couple of years has been the opportunity to have really profound and meaningful conversations with young couples in the neighborhood.
These couples are kids who I knew when they were in high school when I started here.
They contribute a little bit, and The Kollel sponsors the majority of the cost of the dinner.
Everybody gets a babysitter, and we just sit around a table, usually in the back room in shallots, where no kids are crying and no one is screaming, and eventually everyone gets there by the time their babysitters arrive and whatever.
And one of the macro threads that have gone through these conversations with these couples who are probably in their-- most of them are in their late twenties, is the question of choosing Yiddishkeit.
And some of those peers had a similar background to them, similar upbringing, similar schooling, and many of those peers are making different choices.
You know, most of the couples in this group are choosing to send their children to a day school, to a beautiful day school, to Hilot Torah.
At some point, we should consider why we choose what we choose." You know, maybe we're doing it just out of rote or because that's what our social circles are doing.
But somebody at some point may say, "Why are we still doing this?" And the truth is, if we're honest with ourselves, at different points in our own lives, we probably have stopped doing certain things because we couldn't figure out why to keep doing them.
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