Rare 1969 Footage Shows Rabbi Hadari Leading Kotel Yeshiva Students in Traditional Song and Dance

A rare video from 1969 has surfaced showing Rabbi Yeshayahu Hadari leading students of the Kotel Yeshiva in a procession from the yeshiva to the Western Wall. Even then, the tradition of walking with singing and dancing to the tune "Yismachu Bimalkhutcha" was already established, a practice that became a hallmark of the yeshiva. Every Friday evening, students would gather and march together to the Kotel, singing and dancing, often joined by passersby.

Avi Rat, a former student, recalled that the highlight of the week was the Friday night procession, with Rabbi Hadari standing at the front. The tradition extended beyond Jerusalem; during the 1982 Lebanon War, many alumni fought in Lebanon. After a fierce battle at Sultan Yaakov, wounded soldiers imagined themselves returning to the familiar scene of the yeshiva procession, drawing strength from the song.

Today, over fifty years later, the tradition continues under the leadership of the current head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Wider. Rabbi Reuven Tradburks shared an anecdote about Rabbi Hadari explaining the significance of the dance to young students who wanted to stop it. Rabbi Hadari said the song might one day inspire a Jew disconnected from tradition to return to his roots. This was later confirmed when a Holocaust survivor who witnessed the dancing at the Kotel decided to send his children to Jewish schools in Los Angeles after returning home.

This enduring custom symbolizes continuity and spiritual connection for generations of Kotel Yeshiva students and beyond.