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Michael Laitner is enthusiastic when he considers his future: "I want to be either a communal rabbi or a Jewish educator. Both positions offer tremendous scope for helping to shape Jewish communal and religious life."

Michael, 27, is a student at OTS's Joseph Straus Rabbinical Seminary, which is training the next generation of young rabbis to serve communities both in Israel and the Diaspora.

Michael is no stranger to OTS, having spent a year at Yeshivat Hamivtar after finishing high school. "Having grown up with a strong Jewish background, it was important for me to study in Israel before starting college. I chose Hamivtar having heard about the yeshiva from friends and youth leaders of mine who had studied there before returning to Britain. They spoke highly about the seriousness of its learning on the one hand, and the approachability and warmth of the staff and students on the other."

During his year in Israel, Michael saw with his own eyes what it is that makes Hamivtar special. "My learning skills, and desire to live a religious life in the world around me deepened during that one year more than I could have imagined," he recalls.

He returned to England where he gained a degree in politics and international history and then worked in London for a year before deciding to return to Yeshivat Hamivtar. Back in the yeshiva, he began to seriously consider entering the rabbinate. "Not only did I love studying," he says, "but I developed a desire to share my love of learning as my teachers did with me." After a year and a half, he transferred to the Straus Rabbinical Seminary - the rabbinic track of Ohr Torah Stone - where he is now in his third year.

Approximately 25 students are enrolled at the seminary this year; they hail from all over the world, including Israel, the US, the UK, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Russia and Sweden. Aged between 25 and 40, the vast majority are college graduates. They are all committed, after receiving semicha, to work either as a community rabbi or in Jewish education.

Michael himself is keen to return to the United Kingdom. "I'm excited by the communal opportunities that are opening up in England, he says. "And the fact that I grew up there makes me want to contribute as best as I can to my own community."

He has been inspired by an earlier generation of Straus graduates who have assumed key positions within Anglo-Jewry, among them Rabbis Saul Zneimer, Jeremy Bruce, Gideon Sylvester and Shaul Robinson. "This group has already had a tremendous impact on the British Jewish community," he says.

Michael is convinced that the curriculum at Straus will hold him in good stead throughout his future career. "We acquire a huge body of learning through intensive Talmud and halacha study, while developing the skills to enable us to continue learning independently across the learning disciplines. In addition - and this is what is also attractive about Straus -- we cover a great deal of halacha outside of the traditional semicha syllabus, which will enable us to respond with knowledge and sensitivity to 'real-life' situations in our future communities."

He also appreciates the tranquil, pastoral environment in which the yeshiva is located - just outside Efrat in the beautiful hills of Gush Etzion. "We are shielded from the distractions of the city, and yet we're only half an hour away from Jerusalem."

He is full of praise for his teachers: "It is a tremendous honor to be taught by Rabbi Brovender and Rabbi Riskin, whose shiurim constantly challenge and expand our thinking and whose personal concern for every student is felt by all."

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