Over 2,000 Elderly Scholars Unite for Massive Talmudic Tractate Completion in Jerusalem

More than 2,000 senior members of the "Tiferet Zekenim Levi Yitzchak" kollelim network, operated by the Bukharan Jewish Congress, gathered on Wednesday evening at Binyanei HaUma in Jerusalem to celebrate the completion of the Talmudic tractate Chagigah. This event is considered one of the largest tractate completions ever held. For several months, participants studied the tractate across 225 kollelim in 95 cities throughout Israel. On this night, they convened under one roof for the first time, culminating in a moving moment when all stood and declared "Hadran Alach" together, filling the hall with emotion.

The event was led by Rabbi Asher Zigdon, the chief rabbi of Harish and head of the local kollel. Throughout the evening, video testimonies from learners nationwide highlighted how the kollelim serve as centers of meaning, community life, and spiritual renewal. Rabbi Zvadia Cohen, the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, noted that areas with kollelim show positive effects on family units and emphasized the role of Torah study in personal and communal resilience.

The network currently operates 225 kollelim with over 2,000 elderly learners daily. A highlight of the evening was a speech by Lev Leviev, chairman of the Bukharan Jewish Congress and financier of the kollelim network, who celebrated his 70th birthday that day. Leviev pledged support for any community wishing to open a new kollel within the network. In recognition of his ongoing support, Rabbi David Yosef, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, presented Leviev with a special parchment scroll signed by more than 2,000 kollel members.

The event concluded with a performance by singer Ishay Lapidot, after which thousands returned home following an evening that celebrated Torah study and the vital role of senior citizens in the world of Torah learning.