Israel's Supreme Court Halts Eviction from Major Yeshiva Amid Leadership Dispute

Israel's Supreme Court, known as the High Court of Justice (BAGATS), has issued a temporary injunction halting the eviction of a faction from the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak. The decision came after an appeal was filed against a lower court's ruling, which had upheld an arbitration decision in a long-standing dispute over the management of the ultra-Orthodox educational institution.

The appellants argue that their rights, established by a court ruling in 2000, were subsequently curtailed based on conditions not present in the original verdict. They stated that the eviction would affect 1,266 students, including hundreds of minors.

The Ponevezh Students Association welcomed the Supreme Court's intervention, describing the potential eviction as "unprecedented and irresponsible."

The conflict at the Ponevezh Yeshiva dates back to the 1990s, stemming from a power struggle over its leadership between Rabbi Eliezer Kahaneman, son of the yeshiva's founder, and his brother-in-law, Rabbi Shmuel Markovitch. This internal strife led to a split within the community into the "soinim" and "mehablim" factions, with periods of violence.

In 2025, an arbitrator ruled for the eviction of the faction aligned with Rabbi Markovitch, a decision now temporarily suspended by the Supreme Court.