Thousands of Seminary Girls Mobilized for Massive Fundraising Drive for Yeshiva Students

Amidst a budget crisis in the Haredi yeshiva world, approximately 25,000 seminary girls were mobilized on Wednesday to participate in a massive fundraising event for the "Olam HaTorah Fund." This fund supports yeshiva students who are exempt from military service. The girls were taken out of their studies for the day and directed to "fundraising halls" where they engaged in telephone fundraising, ultimately collecting over 11 million shekels.

Each student was assigned a personal fundraising target of approximately 8,400 shekels and received no compensation for their participation in this large-scale operation. Rabbis delivered sermons to the students in the halls, encouraging them to fundraise vigorously. A curtain separated the rabbis from the students during these addresses. One of the senior rabbis from the Degel HaTorah council reportedly told those who felt ashamed to ask for donations that "the more ashamed you are, the greater the mitzvah (commandment)."

The "Olam HaTorah Fund" was established to provide funding for yeshivas after the state ceased its financial support for yeshiva students exempt from military service. Since its inception, the fund has raised millions of shekels monthly through donations. The article also briefly mentions related topics, including temporary passports for evaders and a directive from the Admor of Gur permitting Hasidic women to work in the IDF.