Six mornings a week for 1000 cycles, TorahWay has brought light and lomdus to London’s workday

Photos: Torah Way

Chol Hamoed morning in Kehillas Ohel Moshe, a bustling shul in the heart of Golders Green, London. As Shacharis ends, the mood in the crowd shifts; friends greet each other over coffee, younger men kibitz about the cost of outings. At the front, a shtender, microphone, and camera are set for the special expanded Chol Hamoed “Start Your Day Torah Way.” A distinguished rav enters, the room hushes, and the 30-minute shiur begins.

From humble beginnings, Torah Way’s year-round program of daily half-hour shiurim has become a recognized communal institution. Nearly 5,000 shiurim have been delivered over 20 years, with the 1,000th week arriving after Succos. Local rabbanim and international names such as Rabbi Paysach Krohn, Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman, Rabbi Zev Leff, Rabbi Yaakov Hillel, and Rabbi Yissocher Frand have graced the podium. Torah Way, as it’s known, punches far above its size, having become a premier venue for rabbanim and roshei yeshivah visiting North West London.

Finance professional and longtime attendee Alan Perrin recalls: “Everyone gained something from that 30 minutes, and the breadth of Torah topics was astonishing. Visiting lamdanim were always popular, and all attendees came away with a deeper appreciation of shivim panim laTorah.”

The powerhouse behind Torah Way was Duddy Iczkovits, who was just 47 when he passed away recently after battling illness.
In his short life, his projects touched every corner of the North West London community, but Torah Way was his proudest achievement — and his family backed him all the way.

Manchester businessman Menachem Dovid Salzman had the initial vision for a daily half-hour shiur to start the day, and Duddy Iczkovits turned the idea into reality for North West London.

“What Duddy achieved in 20 years of running Torah Way, I don’t think an entire team could achieve,” says Salzman. “I spoke to him almost weekly. The very last message he sent me was from the ICU, requesting sponsorship for the upcoming Shas-a-thon, hours before he was placed in an induced coma. That was Duddy — still working, despite the challenges.”

Duddy didn’t just duplicate the Manchester model. He expanded it: small pre- and post-shiur segments, special Chol Hamoed and public holiday programs, and bein hazmanim slots for bochurim to flex their speaking skills.

“The beauty of Torah Way is that each of the six weekly shiurim cover completely different topics,” explains Salzman. “In one week there might be shiurim on parshah, halachah, hashkafah, a Yom Tov theme, and medical ethics, all with catchy titles.”

The website’s archive shows the creativity: “Poisonous Cats and Kidney-less Cows,” “The Deeper Message of Maftir Yonah,” “Issues of Milah and Modern Medicine” are among the offerings.

“I would certainly say that the energy that Duddy put into the program paid dividends,” says Perrin, who for a decade served as Torah Way’s MC for listeners online. “It provided a boost in attendees’ love of Torah. It also created camaraderie among a broad spectrum. This was a special feature of Duddy’s legacy.”

The Right Man for the Job

Duddy’s energy and drive came from a passion to make Torah accessible as people began their workday. From the start, shiurim were livestreamed and recorded. Even as crowds gathered in person, scores more tuned in during their commute.

Dayan Shmuel Simons of the London Beth Din recalls a memorable shiur before Shavuos on the idea that birchos haTorah might belong to birchos hanehenin — blessings said over things we enjoy.

Duddy followed up with a text: “Firstly, I really, really enjoyed your shiur on Shavuos. If there are any notes you can share with me, I’d love to learn the sugyos and mekoros etc. Also, would Torah Way be possible maybe next week or the following week?”

This blend of gratitude and relentless forward-thinking was typical for Duddy. Beyond Torah Way, his “Duddy’s Events” company brought Avraham Fried, Baruch Levine, and Zanvil Weinberger to the UK, concerts where Torah content always featured alongside music. It exemplified Duddy’s constant mission to present fresh ideas and material.

Josh Frankel, a Golders Green surveyor who later helped arrange the weekly lineup, felt that charge firsthand. He remembers Duddy bursting into a shiur and challenging: “What’s important about Torah Way? It’s not about what happens in the room. It’s what happens after. People stop coming because they’ve been inspired to start another kevius elsewhere!”

Josh was first drawn when Rabbi Daniel Glatstein appeared on the schedule. “That week had an amazing lineup,” he says. “I attended every shiur and I was hooked. I thought I was a good balabos — I was koveia itim laTorah an hour a day bent over my Gemara. Sometimes it was geshmak, sometimes a struggle. But Torah Way dazzled me with variety, opening horizons in Tanach, tefillah, hashkafah, and halachah.”

His passion ignited, Josh began preparing and delivering his own shiurim.

“Duddy, you changed my life, and the life of my family for dorei doros,” he said at a hesped. “Torah Way taught me that a balabos can acquire his cheilek in Torah, too. Just because you’re not sitting in kollel doesn’t mean you’re outside Olam haTorah. You can own the Torah and discover your cheilek in it.”

Torah Way’s commitment to less-explored areas also stood out. “In the run-up to Yom Tov, we ran a series on the haftarahs due to be leined,” says Josh. “We’ve covered eiruvin, kashrus, maaser, tevilas keilim, shatnez. Currently there’s a series on arba minim.”

Getting It Right

The same novelty Duddy achieved with shiur topics he also applied to his advertising. His weekly Friday poster — with a parshah or Yom Tov theme, featuring professional photos of every speaker and topic — still runs 20 years later.

“Having photos of rabbanim wasn’t the done thing,” says Josh Frankel, “but Duddy knew today’s generation needed something catchy and engaging. His concept has endured.”

The subliminal message was clear: What are you doing with your mornings? Could you learn more?

Duddy was selective about speakers, setting a bar that drew serious bnei Torah. “I am constantly surprised at who listens,” says Josh. “From rabbanim and avreichim to successful businessmen. They expect high-quality, well-prepared shiurim, and Torah Way delivers.”

Doody Rosenberg, a regular, praised Duddy’s exacting standards: “His goal wasn’t just six speakers a week, 52 weeks a year — they had to be just right. The balance of halachah, drush, Erev Shabbos parshah, Yom Tov introductions, all kept participants engaged.”

Duddy’s foresight in digitally archiving every shiur now allows listeners to revisit or search by topic. “One of the main maalos is the 30-minute length,” notes Dayan Yehoshua Posen of London’s Federation Beis Din. “People often go back to the website as a reference, which is a standout feature.”

Among Dayan Posen’s own exceptional shiurim on the platform, one holds a special place. During Covid, a regular Torah Way attendee passed away tragically. Dayan Posen, scheduled to deliver the next shiur, set aside his prepared topic.

“I spoke about the mental health crisis and the validation we need to give sufferers,” he says. “Everyone was focused on government regulations, but people’s loneliness and struggles weren’t being addressed.”

The shiur went viral. “I’ve never had so much feedback — from rabbanim, community members, everyone. People wanted to hear they weren’t alone — whether in mental health, parnassah, or chinuch. They wanted acknowledgment spoken out loud.”

For Dayan Posen, too, it was transformative: “It was a personal awakening, realizing how much people need to hear certain concepts, even if simple. Thanks to Torah Way, I was able to give that message.”

Cultivating Speakers

Torah Way was also a platform for younger rabbanim and mechanchim.

“Duddy cultivated some of those speakers,” says Doody Rosenberg. “When they came, he noticed their potential and invited them again and again. Some evolved into remarkable orators because he gave them the chance.”

“Torah Way definitely gave budding speakers the opportunity to spread their wings,” adds Menachem Dovid Salzman. “Many in good positions today mentioned that we gave them the chance to deliver a quality shiur and be noticed.”

Josh Frankel notes that mosdos even use the archive to assess prospective staff. “And the bochurim slots on Chol Hamoed look good on a shidduch résumé.”

Despite illness, Duddy kept pushing. Rabbi Paysach Krohn sought to help bring Torah Way to the US, with discussions in Monsey and beyond.

As Torah Way reaches its 1,000th week, organizers know Duddy’s legacy: to keep blazing the path he forged, spreading Torah daily. That, they say, will be the greatest tribute to his life.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1082)