MK Uri Maklev Presents Historic Ponovezh Yeshiva Documents to Its President

MK Uri Maklev recently delivered a historic binder containing original ownership documents of the Ponovezh Yeshiva in Ponovezh, Lithuania, to the yeshiva's president, Rabbi Eliezer Kahaneman. The documents were located by Lithuania's ambassador to Israel, Audrius Bruzga, who compiled official records from Lithuanian courts and municipal offices dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. These include a 1922 building permit for a three-story dormitory and a 1937 court ruling affirming the yeshiva's rights to a 1,537-square-meter property on Remigijus Street in Ponovezh.

During the hour-long meeting at Rabbi Kahaneman's residence, he examined the property layouts and legal rulings while sharing stories about his grandfather, community members, and institutions active in the city before World War II. One poignant story recounted a German-citizen teacher who fled Europe just before the war, leaving unpaid wages; the Ponovezh Rabbi later tracked him down in Israel and paid all owed salary and compensation.

Rabbi Kahaneman also described his visit to Ponovezh, noting the destruction of the Jewish community and its institutions. He recalled how the local director of the historic "Beit Yaakov" seminary distanced herself from Soviet-era alterations to the building, and how the former yeshiva building now operates as a bakery, with workers refusing entry to the delegation.

The documents revived names of notable figures connected to the yeshiva and its founder, including Rabbi Avraham Baruch and others who remained loyal to the institution. Rabbi Kahaneman shared a letter sent to his grandfather from displaced students after the war, reflecting enduring ties despite the community's destruction.

MK Maklev expressed that beyond their historical value, the documents bring to life a chapter of Torah scholarship in Lithuania and honor the legacy of the Ponovezh Rabbi before he reestablished the yeshiva in Israel. Rabbi Kahaneman thanked Maklev for his efforts in retrieving and presenting these important records.