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The Elul zman opened with tremendous energy at Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo’s expansive campus in Rishon Letzion, with approximately 1,350 talmidim filling the yeshiva as it begins its 13th year.

The yeshiva is led by its roshei yeshiva, Rav Chaim Feinstein, Rav Chaim Mordechai Ausband and Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, with the new zman marking another significant stage in the continued growth of the yeshiva.

This year’s incoming first-year class includes 250 talmidim. In response to the large enrollment, the yeshiva appointed an additional rosh mesivta, Rav Yaakov Zaltz, himself an alumnus of Ateres Shlomo. The first-year talmidim have been divided into four separate shiurim.

Ahead of the Elul zman, the yeshiva also completed construction of a new, spacious dormitory building to accommodate its rapidly expanding student body. The facility includes more than 200 beds and was built in response to the increasingly crowded conditions resulting from the substantial growth in the number of talmidim.

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{Matzav.com}

With just three weeks remaining before the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to Uman, Breslover rabbonim and askanim are reportedly working on a plan aimed at enabling thousands of young men classified as military draft defaulters to leave Israel despite exit orders imposed as a result of the ongoing giyus crisis.

According to a report by Mordechai Halperin on Army Radio, Breslover rabbonim and activists recently held what participants described as an “emergency discussion” focused on finding a way for those barred from leaving the country to nevertheless travel to Ukraine for Rosh Hashanah.

Under one proposal reportedly developed during the discussions, draft defaulters would appear at IDF recruitment offices for their initial processing and formally begin the procedures associated with enlistment. The objective would be to regularize their status sufficiently to secure the cancellation of the orders preventing them from leaving Israel, clearing the way for them to travel to Uman.

However, according to the report, the proposed appearances at recruitment offices would not reflect an intention to ultimately enlist. The plan discussed would reportedly involve the young men initially presenting themselves and appearing prepared to proceed with the process, but after their travel restrictions are lifted and they leave for Uman, they would not continue with the enlistment procedures or join the IDF.

The proposal would therefore seek to use the initial appearance at the recruitment office as a means of addressing the exit orders without changing the young men’s underlying position regarding military service.

The discussions come amid growing concern within the Breslover community that the giyus crisis could significantly reduce the number of people able to travel this year to the tziyun of Rav Nachman of Breslov for Rosh Hashanah.

Rabbonim affiliated with the Ezra V’Yeutz organization met Tuesday with Rav Shimon Shisha, widely known as the “father of the prisoners” because of his work assisting detainees, to discuss the obstacles facing prospective travelers and possible ways of addressing them.

During the gathering, Rav Shmuel Moshe Kramer, the senior Breslover rov and influential mashpia, said efforts would continue to ensure that chassidim could reach Uman despite the significant difficulties confronting them this year.

“Every year they try to prevent the chassidim from traveling to Uman, and every year they succeed, in one way or another, in reaching Uman. This year, too, there is a major obstacle, but this year, too, we will succeed,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

Despite renewed talk of Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisroel potentially running separately in the upcoming Knesset election, a new move by Degel HaTorah suggests that the two factions may ultimately remain together under the United Torah Judaism banner.

According to a report by Emess, Degel HaTorah officials recently contacted Israeli polling organizations and asked them to change the name and photograph used for the chairman of United Torah Judaism, replacing MK Yitzchok Goldknopf with MK Moshe Gafni.

The request reflects the rotation agreement reached between Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisroel several election cycles ago. Under that arrangement, leadership of the joint slate alternates between the factions, with the candidates also changing positions according to the longstanding alternating “zipper” system.

Based on the agreement, Gafni is scheduled to occupy the No. 1 position in the upcoming election, with Goldknopf moving into the second slot. Degel HaTorah’s decision to ask pollsters to begin presenting Gafni as the head of UTJ could indicate that, at least operationally, the party is preparing for another joint run despite public discussion of a possible split.

If the existing agreement remains intact, the anticipated UTJ slate would place Moshe Gafni first, followed by Yitzchok Goldknopf in second place, Uri Maklev in third, Meir Porush in fourth, Yaakov Asher in fifth, Yaakov Tessler in sixth, Yitzchok Pindrus in seventh, and Yisroel Eichler in eighth. The lineup reflects the previous agreements between Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisroel and the rotation mechanism governing their joint list.

Meanwhile, Gafni himself appears to be shifting into campaign mode. During a tour of northern Israel on Wednesday, he said, “Everywhere we go, we see the same moving picture: Despite all the incitement and persecution against the Chareidi public and the Torah world, the Torah and educational institutions are flourishing, and the communities are growing and developing beyond recognition.”

His remarks came amid a growing series of public appearances and tours that are increasingly taking on the character of an election campaign.

Still, with only about two weeks remaining before the deadline for submitting candidate lists, formal negotiations between Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisroel have yet to begin. Both factions are reportedly waiting for the other side to make the first move, with neither eager to be seen as conceding first on the issues dividing them.

The contrast between continued briefings about a possible split and Degel HaTorah’s practical preparations for polling under a unified UTJ slate leaves the final outcome unresolved. At the same time, the request to replace Goldknopf with Gafni in election surveys provides a significant indication that a joint run remains a leading possibility.

Elsewhere in the Chareidi political arena, Shas is already further along in its election preparations. The party is scheduled to formally launch its campaign Thursday at an event in Holon under the slogan “בדרך אמונה בחרתי” (“I Have Chosen the Path of Faith”).

United Torah Judaism, by contrast, has yet to unveil an election slogan, launch its formal media campaign, or begin displaying campaign billboards, as uncertainty continues over whether Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisroel will head into the election together.

{Matzav.com}

An emotional meeting took place Wednesday between Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Rav Kalman Bar, and former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, during the dedication of a Torah study and memorial room honoring fallen IDF soldiers and others killed in Israel’s wars.

Footage from the ceremony showed Eisenkot wearing a yarmulke as he was warmly greeted by Rav Bar. The two shook hands and spoke cordially at an event that brought together the pain of bereavement with Torah learning and remembrance.

During their conversation, Rav Bar spoke to Eisenkot about the strength he has demonstrated in the face of profound personal loss and expressed his admiration for him.

“You are a source of inspiration,” Rav Bar told Eisenkot.

The ceremony carried particular personal significance for Eisenkot, who lost his son during the Swords of Iron War. Master Sgt. (res.) Gal Eisenkot z”l, 25, who served in the IDF’s Maglan commando unit, was killed in battle in the Gaza Strip.

The Eisenkot family suffered another devastating loss during the war when Eisenkot’s nephew, Maor Eisenkot z”l, was also killed.

The newly inaugurated memorial room is dedicated to Torah learning in memory of IDF soldiers and others who fell in Israel’s wars. The initiative seeks to connect national remembrance with Torah and learning, and Rav Bar offered his blessing and support for the project during the ceremony.

{Matzav.com}