Bnei Brak Hosts Special Ceremony for Hundreds of Eighth-Grade Sephardic Students Entering Yeshiva
A special preparatory event titled "Provision for the Journey" was held this week in Bnei Brak for hundreds of eighth-grade Torah students from Sephardic communities. The ceremony aimed to support their upcoming transition into small yeshivas during the month of Elul. The event was led by Rabbi Masoud Ben Shimon, the city's chief rabbi and head of the yeshiva, alongside yeshiva heads, supervisors, and educators from various Talmud Torah schools across Bnei Brak.
The gathering was organized with the involvement of Bnei Brak's Mayor Rabbi Hanoch Zeibert and representatives from the Shas party, including Deputy Mayors Rabbi Shlomo Elharar, responsible for education, and Rabbi Eliyahu Shoshan, responsible for culture. Rabbi Moshe Rosenthal, director of the city's education administration, also participated. The event was coordinated by the city's elementary and secondary education departments and the 360 program under Rabbi Shimon Kashash, in close cooperation with the Shas-founded "Shavti" organization, which supports yeshiva students in the city.
The ceremony aimed to provide the young students with educational and spiritual guidance for their future Torah studies. Rabbi Masoud Ben Shimon delivered an inspiring speech offering encouragement and direction. Other yeshiva leaders and educators also attended to strengthen the next generation of Torah scholars. The event was moderated by Rabbi Michael Zechariah, a respected educator and host of the "Shaarei HaYeshiva" program.
Deputy Mayors Elharar and Shoshan addressed the students with blessings and announced their integration into the "Shavti" organization's activities. Each student received a special and meaningful gift from the organization as a symbolic provision for their first days in yeshiva. The event concluded with a moving moment as hundreds of students passed in an orderly fashion before Rabbi Ben Shimon to receive his personal blessing for success in their Torah studies and spiritual ascent.
