After the assault against yeshivos, gedolim encounter an outpouring of support

Photos: Yossi Goldberger, AEGedolimphotos

By Avi Blum, with reporting by Yosef Herz

Under leaden skies and a summer storm, Lakewood witnessed a historic outpouring of kavod haTorah with the arrival of leading roshei yeshivah on an urgent trip to rescue Eretz Yisrael’s Torah world.

On Sunday night, a crowd of thousands gathered in Beis Medrash Govoha’s parking lot to honor Slabodka roshei yeshivah Rav Dov Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rav Yaakov Hillel, Rav Don Segal, the Rachmistrivka Rebbe, and Rav Avraham Salim.

Under the awning hastily constricted over the dais as the storm approached, Lakewood rosh yeshivah Rav Malkiel Kotler opened the event speaking in pain about the hostile actions taken by Israel’s judges against the country’s yeshivos.

A stir ran around the giant crowd as Rav Dov Landau began to slowly read his address, first in litvish-accented Lashon Hakodesh, then translating to Yiddish.

“We’ve come here to distant America, to save the Torah world,” he said. “Fortunate are you, American Jews, that you have the merit to support and save the Torah world.”

Braving high winds and rain, thousands stayed for the rest of the event, hearing from Rav Yaakov Hillel about the threat to the yeshivos, a tearful plea from Rav Don Segal, and an uplifting, impassioned kabbalas ol malchus Shamayim by the Rachmistrivka Rebbe.

The unprecedented delegation of gedolim was brought together by the emergency that has gripped the Israeli yeshivah world, after the country’s High Court cut off the yeshivos from all government funding. The resulting shortfall — over $100 million — prompted a group of American philanthropists and askanim to embark on the largest emergency fundraising drive that the American Torah world has known. “Keren Olam HaTorah” as the new fund is known, has an immediate goal of more than $100 million.

A month ago, the giant figure seemed unattainable. Amid a severe real estate downturn in the United States, and with many communal initiatives struggling, the prospect of raising money on that scale from American donors for the Torah world in Israel seemed a distant dream.

But that’s exactly what happened over the past few weeks, as a campaign led by Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch got off the ground. From every platform, whether in front of an audience of thousands at the Adirei HaTorah conference in Lakewood, or before donors in private meetings, Rav Moshe Hillel distills the essence of the Torah outlook in one of the yeshivah world’s most challenging moments in Eretz Yisrael. He is careful to draw a clear line.

“This fundraiser is not a statement against the government,” Rav Moshe Hillel clarifies to donors. “We’re not saying that we’ll no longer accept money from the state or that we’ll manage alone, because we can’t. And the funds we get come to us fairly.

“Our obligation is to do everything possible to supplement at least some of the funds that have been taken from the Torah world, because for the first time, we’re dealing with a serious blow that could lead to yeshivos and kollelim collapsing. And that’s where I’m asking for your help.”