Thousands Gather at Ponevezh Yeshiva Founder's Grave Amidst Legal Dispute

Thousands of students, alumni, and supporters of the Ponevezh Yeshiva gathered on Tuesday at the grave of Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, the institution's founder, to mark the anniversary of his passing. The event, described as a "cry of protest," aimed to pray for the preservation of Torah study in Israel and to protest a recent court ruling.

The gathering included recitations of Psalms, "Avinu Malkeinu," and penitential prayers, led by Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, the yeshiva's supervisor. The prayers were intended to avert a perceived decree against the yeshiva, stemming from a court decision mandating that the faction led by Rabbi Gershon Eidelman vacate its premises on the yeshiva's "hill" campus.

Rabbi Chanoch Hillel, a senior lecturer at the yeshiva, addressed the crowd, emphasizing the need for the yeshiva to operate strictly according to Torah law. "We are here to declare loudly that the yeshiva must be run solely according to the Torah, and according to Torah law, and this is the only thing we ask for, the observance of Torah law," he stated.

The dispute centers on control and property within the prominent Lithuanian-style yeshiva, a major center of Orthodox Jewish learning. The court ruling favors the faction led by Rabbi Gershon Eidelman, requiring the opposing faction, associated with Rabbi Shmuel Markowitz, to leave the disputed area. This gathering signifies the deep divisions and ongoing legal battles affecting the leadership and operation of the historic institution.