New Home For Grodna Yeshiva
The 400 talmidim of the Grodna Yeshiva in Israel’s Be’er Yaakov neighborhood have relocated.
With the new z’man fast approaching, the yeshiva had faced a great challenge. The roshei yeshiva, HaRav Yitzchak Hacker and HaRav Tzvi Drevkin, were informed by their landlord that the yeshiva will not be able to stay in its current building.
The yeshiva is originally from Ashdod. It split off into a new yeshiva, headed by Rav Hacker and Rav Drevkin.
The building’s landlord, Rav Eliyahu Raful, informed the yeshiva that he needed to use the building for his yeshiva, Knesses Shalom, due to its own eviction from its building. Before the crisis was resolved, Rav Drevkin called for the recitation of tefillos in a plea to Hashem for help.
Yeshiva Students Treated As Equals
Following intervention by two Israeli Knesset members, Zvulun Kalfa (Habayit Hayehudi) and Rabbi Moshe Gafni (Yahadut HaTorah), the director-general of the ministry of transportation announced that yeshiva students in the Sderot/northern Negev area will receive the same price discounts from Israel Railways that are currently enjoyed by area residents and students of Sapir College.
An Israel Railways spokesman had initially explained that, unlike institutions like Sapir College, yeshivos are not recognized as institutes of higher education.
Shuls Vandalized In Ramat Beit Shemesh
In recent acts of vandalism, Sifrei Torah were thrown to the ground, and their covers, along with other items, were desecrated at two shuls in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Horrified mispallelim arrived at the Beis Aaron shul on Rabbi Tarfon Street to find the damage, along with strewn sifrei kodesh and other Judaica. A nearby shul, Beis Knesses Leah Imeinu, had its Sifrei Torah thrown in nearby bushes.
Annual Lev L’Achim Asifa
The recent Lev L’Achim annual asifa in Bnei Brak, chaired by Rabbi Eliezer Sorotzkin and Rav Baruch Schapira of the Hanhalah of Lev L’Achim, featured an address by the renowned maggid, HaRav Chizkiyahu Mishkovsky, mashgiach of Yeshiva Orchos Torah.
Another program feature was the Ma’amad Maranan v’Rabbanan, the entrance into the hall of gedolei Yisrael and scores of roshei yeshiva.
Among the asifa’s attendees were the following roshei yeshiva, mashgichim and other Torah luminaries: Rav Tzvi Drevkin of Grodna in Be’er Yaakov; Rav Yaakov Hillel of Ahavat Shalom; Rav Aharon Chodosh of Mir; Rav Moshe Yehudah Shlesinger of Kol Torah; Rav Dov Yaffe of Kfar Chassidim; Rav Aryeh Finkel of Mir – Brachfeld; Rav Meir Zvi Bergman of Rashbi; Rav Shalom Cohen of Porat Yosef; Rav Yaakov Edelstein, mara d’asra of Ramat HaSharon; Rav Chaim Kanievsky; Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman; Rav Gershon Edelstein and Rav Berel Povarsky of Ponevezh; Rav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi of Ateres Yisroel; Rav Shmuel Yaakov Borenstein of Kiryas Melech; Rav Eliyahu Raful of Neve Eretz; Rav Yisroel Meir Weiss of Nachlas Halevi’im; Rav Aharon Feldman of Ner Yisroel in Baltimore; Rav Dovid Cohen of Hebron; and Rav Eliezer Yehudah Finkel of Mir.
Other Torah leaders in attendance were: Rav Moshe Chodosh of Ohr Elchonon; Rav Aviezer Piltz of Tifrach; Rav Yigal Rosen of Ohr Yisroel; Rav Chaim Kluft of Chazon Yechezkel; Rav Uri Weissblum of Nachlas Halevi’im; Rav Yochanan Toledano of Shearit Yosef; Rav Gavriel Yosef Levi of Be’er HaTorah; Rav Avraham Salim of Meor HaTorah; Rav Yitzchok Ehrenfeld of Bais Shmuel; Rav Baruch Weisbecker of Bais Matisyahu; Rav Aryeh Levi of Yeshivas HaNegev; Rav Avrohom Yitzchok Kook of Meor HaTalmud in Rechovot; Rav Bezalel Edelstein of Ahavas Aharon; Rav Chaim Feinstein of Bais Yehudah; Rav Bunim Schreiber of Nesiv Da’as; Rav Meir Zvi Berlin of Rabbeinu Chaim Ozer; Rav Yosef Chevroni of Hebron; Rav Chaim Walkin of Ateres Yisroel; Rav Bezalel Pinchasi of Birchat Ephraim; and Rav Yehudah Amit of Kiryat Malachi.