Chronicle of the Yeshiva

Preface

The Beit Midrash Torah institutes in Elon Moreh are in existence for almost 3 decades - they were established in 1980. In the course of this period, the Beit Midrash and its institutions have developed a vibrant symbiotic relationship with the Shomron settlements, in general, and with Elon Moreh, in particular.

1. The Struggle

In 1974, following the Yom Kippur War, the importance of settling all parts of the Land of Israel which had been conquered during the course of the Six Day War became a national priority. The Gush Emunim movement was created, and set about forming settler nucleus groups. The government, at the time, was ambivalent about the establishment of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, and a long drawn-out struggle began between the Gush Emunim movement and the government.

The Elon Moreh group was one of the leading forces in this struggle. The group comprised several dozen families and a number of youngsters, whose initial goal was to establish a Jewish settlement in Shechem (Nablus). As the government would not approve this, they decided to build the settlement in close proximity to Shechem.

In the course of those early years, the group made eight attempts at settling the land. Each campaign involved a lot of preparation. The necessary equipment was prepared over a number of weeks, and, at a given signal, hundreds and even thousands would throng to a pre-determined site. Each time the army was ordered to evacuate the settlers.

But the Elon Moreh group did not despair.

At the eighth settlement attempt, during Chanuka at the beginning of 1977, the government relented and agreed to approve the establishment of the first Jewish settlement in the Shomron. The site chosen was north-west of Shechem. The new settlement was obviously named Elon Moreh.

A short time after the establishment of Elon Moreh, Menachem Begin became Prime Minister. At the beginning of his premiership he made his famous proclamation: "There will be many more Elon Moreh's". (The Elon Moreh settler group was considered the flagship of Jewish settlements and any reference to it meant Jewish settlements in general.)

2. Settlement

Two years after receiving approval to erect the settlement and after the young community had become more established (many new families had joined the founders), the leaders of the nucleus group left their homes and, with the approval of the government, established a new settlement near the village of Rugeb.

This step was taken as a result of a desire to be closer to the town of Shechem. As some of the land on which the community was built belonged to Arabs, an appeal to the Supreme Court was submitted by the landowners, with the aid of various supporters. The Supreme Court ruled that the settlers were to vacate the new settlement.

A government plan for an alternative site persuaded the settler nucleus group to accept the new designated area and agreed to move the community to its new home on the mountain range of Mount Kabir, its current location.

By this time, only 13 families were left . They braced themselves and set about building a proper permanent settlement.

While still living in prefabricated units, the residents of Elon Moreh set for themselves two goals: to build permanent housing for all the settlers, and to develop an employment infrastructure which would allow the young community to grow and develop.

3. The Kollel and the Yeshiva

One of the very first initiatives was that of Rabbi Avraham Rekanati, who established the Beit Midrash for Torah and Education - a Kollel for married students in Elon Moreh. This initiative met with immediate success and, in its first year, five more families came to settle in Elon Moreh.

About a year after the establishment of the Kollel, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon arrived and became the head of the Kollel. That year, a further 10 families joined the Kollel and the community. In subsequent years, many more families joined the community. The Kollel and dozens of its graduates became the spiritual backbone of Elon Moreh.

In 1995, after 15 years of Kollel activity, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon and the Kollel administration decided to establish the Birkat Yosef Hesder Yeshiva.

4. Neve Ofra

The site of the Yeshiva was to be located on the hill adjoining Elon Moreh. Ariel Sharon, the then Housing Minister in the Shamir government, authorized substantial construction throughout Judea and Samaria. He allocated a hill adjoining Elon Moreh, on State-owned land, and a new neighborhood of 120 small apartments was approved.

Shortly after building had begun, there were national elections and the Shamir government was replaced by a new government, headed by Yitzchak Rabin. The new government ordered an immediate halt to all construction in Judea and Samaria, with the exception of those buildings in which a ground floor had already been completed.

In the new neighborhood, however, no building had reached this stage of construction. There were three days left - Thursday, Friday, Shabbat - in which to try and finish the grund floor in all the buildings.

After consulting with Rabbi Levanon (who is also the community rabbi), the building was allowed to continue even on Shabbat, as the contractor was not Jewish and all the workers were Arabs. Although our Sages forbade "telling a non-Jew" to work on Shabbat, they permitted this for one mitzvah only - settlement in the Land of Israel.

The secretariat of the settlement reached an agreement with the contractor that he continue to work on Shabbat, on the condition that all his workers be non-Jews. On that Shabbat, a considerable amount of traffic was evident - trucks carrying bricks, cement mixers and hundreds of workers recruited from Shechem. The building work was carried out on Friday night under projector lights, and continued throughout Shabbat. The result: by Sunday morning all the buildings in the neighborhood had one ground floor!

Representatives of the Rabin government's Housing Ministry arrived on Sunday. After carrying out an inspection, it was agreed that the new government would allow the continued construction of the new neighborhood. It was decided that the Yeshiva would also be built on this hill. The apartments, which had only just been completed, were still empty. They awaited the arrival of students and families.

In the same year, a Jewish girl - Ofra Felix (the daughter of Rabbi Menachem Felix of Elon Moreh) was murdered by Arabs. The neighborhood was therefore named after her: "Neve Ofra".

5. Development of the Yeshiva

As mentioned above, the Kollel which had been functioning for 15 years from 1980 to 1995, became the base for the Hesder Yeshiva which opened its doors in September 1995. 

In the first year, thirty 18-year old boys learned alongside 40 older and married students from the Kollel. Today (in late 2007), the Yeshiva has over 200 boys and about 60 married scholars with families.

The boys are involved in a program of study, including: Torah, Talmud, Halacha (Jewish Law), Tanach (Bible), Jewish philosophy, etc. They incorporate army service into the years they spend at the Yeshiva (Hesder program). After completing their commitment to the army , they return to the Yeshiva for further study.

The married students follow a course of study to become rabbis and receive the Chief Rabbinate's certification (Smicha), or study for a bachelor's degree in Torah and Talmud education (Teaching Certificate).  Almost all the teachers and rabbis in the neighboring schools are graduates of the Yeshiva and Kollel. Some of the graduates take up other professions and work in diverse fields, building their homes and families in Elon Moreh. 

6. The Yeshiva Institutions

Over the years the Yeshiva administration and graduates established additional educational institutions. Today, in addition to the Yeshiva and Kollel, a further four institutions function under the auspices of the Belt Midrash.

a) El-Artzi School - High School for CIS immigrants 

The El-Artzi school accomodates children aged 13-18 and provides them with a warm home, as well as an educational environment suited to them. Apart from being prepared for matriculation exams, they are introduced to Torah, prayer, helping one's fellow man, honesty, kindness, etc. Each boy is assigned to an adoptive family from among the Kollel students. Here he learns the meaning of Shabbat, mutual respect between man and wife or between parents and children.

After completing school, these boys go into the army. The values they acquired in school in Elon Moreh, together with army service, enables them become more involved in Israeli society, as productive citizens of Israel.

b) Unique Yeshiva High School

In 2005, the Yeshiva administration decided to establish a Yeshiva Tichonit (Yeshiva High School) in Elon Moreh. The school follows an educational program according to a special study course, under the guidance of the head of the Yeshiva, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon. The students study Judaic studies at a high level and are also prepared for matriculation exams, all within the first 3 years of the program. The fourth year is exclusively devoted to limudei kodesh (religious studies).

The relationship between the teaching staff and the students is based on affection towards each individual student. The students visit the teachers in their homes, get to know their families, and join in with the activities in the home (preparation of the evening meal, washing up dishes, etc.) The educational value of student participation in the daily lives of their educators is critical, as it helps foster a close relationship and, as a result, creates a greater ability on the part of the teachers to shape the character of the students.

c) Har-Shalom Yeshiva (Chomesh)

In 2000, terrorist activity increased throughout Judea and Samaria and many settlers were killed or injured as a result of terror incidents on the roads. One of the settlements most affected was Chomesh located north of Shechem. Four residents - all of them married with children - were killed within the space of a few months. 

Chomesh was not inhabited by religious settlers, and had no religious or Torah activity whatsoever. Many of the residents wanted to leave. Two young religious families - the Har-Melech and Shilo families - took it upon themselves to strengthen Chomesh spiritually. They relocated to Chomesh, without a Minyan (quorum), and with no Mikveh (ritual bath). They appealed to a number of yeshivot to send students to study in Chomesh and help transform it into a place of Torah. A number of yeshivot made an effort, but the attempts failed. 

The Elon Moreh Yeshiva took up the challenge, and in 2002 a branch of the Yeshiva was established in Chomesh, headed by Rabbi Mordechai Ganiram. The Yeshiva was designated for boys who had a history of attention or learning disabilities. The program involves agricultural work for a number of hours daily, but the major part of the day is taken up with study.

On the first day of its second year, in September 2003, the first of the religious settlers in Chomesh, Shalom (Shuli) HarMelech, traveled with his wife on the road from Michmash, towards Chomesh. On the way, they were ambushed by terrorists. Shuli was killed on the spot and his wife sustained serious head wounds. 

His wife, Limor, was at the end of her pregnancy, and the following day, while still injured, she gave birth to their second son - a young widow with two small children. 

After the murder, the Yeshiva was re-named Yeshivat Har-Shalom, in memory of Shuli Har-Melech.

In August 2005, the settlement of Chomesh was destroyed by a decision of the State of Israel and its residents were displaced - amongst them the rabbis and students of the Har-Shalom Yeshiva. 

During 2005-2006, the Yeshiva was temporarily relocated to Elon Moreh, and continued to function as a branch of the Elon Moreh Yeshiva. The Har-Shalom Yeshiva has now moved to the Eshtamoah outpost, south of Hevron, and continues to function in the same format. 

As of September of 2007, the Yeshiva educated 50 students and maintains a strong link with the Yeshiva in Elon Moreh. 

d) Aluma Seminary 

One of the most unique programs to be set-up within the framework of the Beit Midrash Torah Institutes is the Aluma Women's Seminary, as a functional part of the College of Judea and Samaria.

The Beit Midrash administration came up with this very innovative and creative idea - to establish a Torah seminary within the confines of non-religious academic institution. The College of Judea and Samaria in Ariel was approached and agreed.

The seminary began to function in 2002 and is headed by Rabbi Yechezkel Frankel, who is a graduate of the Kollel in Elon Moreh. The seminary began with 25 girls, and their number today has swelled to over 450. The girls attend lectures  given by the cream of educators in Judaism, on such topics as Tanach, faith, the teachings of the Rav Kook, Hassidism, and matters which relate to the Jewish home, The seminary hours and courses are recognized by the College of Judea and Samaria as academic studies, for which the girls receive "credits". 

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