Rabbis Celebrate Birthdays, IDF Promotes Officers, Injured Soldier Returns to Yeshiva

Two prominent rabbis of Religious Zionism, Rabbi Dov Lior and Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, celebrated their birthdays this week, with Rabbi Lior turning 93 and Rabbi Ariel turning 89. Meanwhile, the Beit Moreshet institutions, led by Rabbi Eli Kaplan, have expanded significantly, now operating seven Torah institutions, with four established in the past year, driven by grassroots initiatives.

In military appointments, two graduates of the Atzmona institutions have been promoted. Yair Attias, formerly deputy commander of the Givati Brigade, is now commander of the Northern Brigade in Gaza, and Yoni Dehan has been appointed commander of the Ephraim Brigade. Additionally, Colonel Tom Peretz, son of former Chief Rabbi and Atzmona head Rabbi Rafi Peretz, was appointed commander of the Jordan Valley and the Valleys Brigade.

A deeply moving event took place at the preparatory yeshiva in Yerucham, where Yochai Badlov, a Golani fighter severely wounded in Gaza, returned to the study hall. Badlov, who sustained nine bullet wounds in a battle in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood in late June 2024, has undergone extensive rehabilitation after a critical spinal injury.

Other notable events include Matanya Shenar, a member of the Beit El council, praying at the Rebbe of Lubavitch's tomb in New York. Elisaf Peretz, a candidate for the Yashar party and brother of fallen soldiers Uriel and Eliraz Peretz, was seen putting on tefillin in Tel Aviv. Artists including Avraham Fried, Yishai Ribo, and Avraham Tal are rehearsing for upcoming "Tzama" events. A family celebration occurred at the circumcision of Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf's son, where ministers and Knesset members were present. Channel 13 journalist Michael Shמש and his wife welcomed a baby daughter.