Tens of Thousands Rally in Lakewood for Torah Support Drive

Tens of thousands gathered in Lakewood, New Jersey, on Thursday evening for a major rally led by leading Israeli rabbis, in support of Torah study in Israel. The event drew men, women, children, yeshiva students, and married scholars from across the city, filling the streets and the venue in what organizers described as one of Lakewood’s largest religious gatherings in years.

The rally was part of the “World Torah Fund” fundraising and solidarity tour across the United States. On the honor platform sat Rabbi Dov Landau, Rabbi Dan Segal, Rabbi Avraham Salim, Rabbi Yosef Hillel, Rabbi Moshe Kotler, Rabbi Shalom Galai, Rabbi Yisrael Binyamin Shreiber, Rabbi Chaim Meir Ozband, and Rabbi Yaakov Hevroni. The evening opened with Maariv led by Rabbi Hevroni, followed by words of encouragement, Psalms, and public declarations of faith.

Fund director Tzvi Bielski told the crowd that Lakewood was standing with Torah institutions in Israel at a “fateful” moment. Rabbi Landau delivered the main address, saying the delegation had come to America on behalf of “yeshivas and kollels” in Israel, where “tens of thousands” study. He said Torah students in Israel were learning “in fear and dread” because of state threats and “harsh decrees” that, in his words, were “taking away their very bread.” He urged everyone in Lakewood and elsewhere to donate generously, adding that even those with limited means should support at least one scholar.

A particularly emotional moment came when the crowd sang Rabbi Dan Segal’s melody “Tattale, come home already,” and he later spoke about the sanctification of God’s name created by such a massive show of support. The rally ended with singing and dancing. The tour has already visited Chicago, Baltimore, Monsey, Brooklyn, and Lakewood, and it is scheduled to continue next week in Florida, Boro Park, and Deal, with additional rabbis expected to join.