Ponevezh Yeshiva, often pronounced as Ponevitch Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת פוניבז׳), is a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

founded in 1908, and located in

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an are ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

since 1944. The yeshiva has over three thousand students, including those of affiliated institutions, and is considered one of the leading

Litvish ''Misnagdim'' (, "Opponents"; Sephardi pronunciation: ''Mitnagdim''; singular ''misnaged''/''mitnaged'') was a religious movement among the Jews of Eastern Europe which resisted the rise of Hasidism in the 18th and 19th centuries. The ''Misna ...

yeshivas in Israel.

History

Founded in 1908, the yeshiva was originally located in city of

Panevėžys Panevėžys (; Latin: ''Panevezen''; pl, Poniewież; yi, פּאָנעװעזש, ''Ponevezh''; see also other names) is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2011, it occupied with 113,653 inhabitants. As defined by Eurostat, the population ...

(Ponevezh),

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

prior to

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

. After the death of its founder, Rabbi

Yitzhak Yaakov Rabinovich Yitzhak Yaakov Rabinovich (1854–1919), , known also as reb Itzele Ponevezher, was an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi, supporter of socialist ideas and founder of the Ponevezh Yeshiva. Biography Yitzhak Yaakov Rabinovich was born in 1854 in Sh ...

, the yeshiva was re-established in

in 1944 by Rabbi

Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman (1886–1969), he, יוסף שלמה כהנמן, yi, יוסף שלמה כהנעמאן, known also as Ponevezher Rav, was an Orthodox rabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva. He was a renowned Torah and Talmudic s ...

, who was residing in

British Mandate of Palestine British Mandate of Palestine or Palestine Mandate most often refers to: * Mandate for Palestine: a League of Nations mandate under which the British controlled an area which included Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan. * Mandatory P ...

at the time. Kahaneman appointed Rabbi

Shmuel Rozovsky Shmuel Rozovsky (1913–1979) was a rabbi, best known as a Talmudic lecturer at the Ponevezh Yeshiva located in Bnei Brak, Israel, and was counted amongst the great rabbis of his generation. He was known worldwide for his clarity in explaining c ...

as dean, and some years later appointed Rabbi

Dovid Povarsky Yehoshua Dovid Povarsky ( he, יהושע דוד פוברסקי; 1902–1999) is known for his erudite Talmudic lectures and his deanship as Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevezh Yeshiva. He was asked by Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman to join the previous two heads o ...

as ''

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

''. The Kahaneman faction of the yeshiva is led by Rabbi Gershon Eidelstein and Rabbi Berel Povarsky, son of Rabbi Dovid Povarsky, and Rabbi Chaim Peretz Berman, a grandson of The Steipler, and a son-in-law of Rabbi Kahanaman. The Markovitz faction of the yeshiva is led by Rabbi Shmuel Markovitz, Rabbi Asher Deutch, and Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler. The main study hall has an original 16th-century Italian wooden ''

aron kodesh A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron h ...

'' (Torah scroll ark), brought to the yeshiva in the early 1980s, and restored and re-gilded with 22 carat gild leaf. File:החזית המזרחית של בנין ישיבת פוניבז תשט.jpg, The yeshiva in 1949 File:Bnei Brak IMG 5919.JPG, The yeshiva File:Wik Bnei-Berak6417.JPG, Yeshiva students studying File:Ponevezh Yeshiva pool. Bnei Brak. 1945.jpg, Students swimming in the yeshiva's pool, 1945 File:Bnei Brak IMG 5875.JPG, The main entrance to the yeshiva File:PonevezhAK.jpg, The ''

aron Kodesh A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls. History The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron h ...

'' (Torah scroll ark) File:Bnei Brak IMG 5887.JPG, Shelves with prayer books File:Bnei Brak IMG 5908.JPG, Hats and coats, as worn by students and teachers File:Joseph Shlomo Kahaneman.jpg, Rabbi

, second ''

'' of Yeshiva Ponevezh File:Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman.jpg, Rabbi

, second ''

'' of Yeshiva Ponevezh File:הרב שטיינמן עם תלמידיו בישיבת פוניבז.jpg, Rabbi Steinman with students of Little Yeshiva Ponevezh on

Purim Purim (; , ; see Name below) is a Jewish holiday which commemorates the saving of the Jews, Jewish people from Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire who was planning to have all of Persia's Jewish subjects killed, as recounted in the Boo ...

, 1960 File:נייר מכתבים של ישיבת פוניבז בליטא.jpg, Header of official stationery of Yeshiva Ponevezh in Panevėžys, Lithuania, ca. 1920 File:תעודת מלווה של ישיבת פוניבז.jpg, Loan certificated for 100 Israeli shekels issued by Yeshiva Ponevezh, 1953 File:Plaque about Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak.JPG, Plate in Bnei Brak with a description of Yeshiva Ponevezh's history File:פוניבז_1960.webm, Video from the Yeshiva in 1960

Controversy

During the 1990s, leadership of the yeshiva was the subject of a public disagreement between two of its leaders. Since then, the yeshiva has split and resulted in two yeshivas in the same building, with the students occupying different dormitories, though studying in the same learning hall and eating in the same dining room.

Notable teachers

* Rabbi

, founder and rosh yeshiva in

and Israel * Rabbi

Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler (1892 – 31 December 1953) was an Orthodox rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and Jewish philosopher of the 20th century. He is best known for being the ''mashgiach ruchani'' ("spiritual counselor") of the Ponevezh yeshiva in I ...

(1892–1953), ''

mashgiach ruchani A mashgiach ruchani ( he, משגיח רוחני; pl., ''mashgichim ruchani'im'') or mashgicha ruchani – sometimes mashgiach/mashgicha for short – is a spiritual supervisor or guide. He or she is usually a rabbi who has an official position wit ...

'', author of the '' Michtav me-Eliyahu'' * Rabbi

Yechezkel Levenstein Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein (Rav Yechezkel HaLevi Levenstein), known as Reb Chatzkel, (1885 – 18 Adar 1974), was the mashgiach ruchani of the Mir yeshiva, in Mir, Belarus and during the yeshiva's flight to Lithuania and on to Shanghai due to the ...

(1895–1974), ''mashgiach ruchani'', author of ''Or Yechezkel'' * Rabbi

, rosh yeshiva * Rabbi

, ''

'' * Rabbi

Elazar Menachem Man Shach Elazar Menachem Man Shach ( he, אלעזר מנחם מן שך, Elazar Shach; January 1, 1899 O.S. – November 2, 2001) was a prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbi, heading the non-Hasidic ''Litvak'' Orthodox from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

, ''rosh yeshiva'' * Rabbi

Chaim Friedlander Ponevezh Yeshiva, often pronounced as Ponevitch Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת פוניבז׳), is a yeshiva founded in 1908, and located in Bnei Brak, Israel since 1944. The yeshiva has over three thousand students, including those of affiliated insti ...

, ''

mashgiach A mashgiach ( he, משגיח, "supervisor"; , ''mashgichim'') or mashgicha (pl. ''mashgichot'') is a Jew who supervises the kashrut status of a kosher establishment. Mashgichim may supervise any type of food service establishment, including sl ...

'', co-compiler of ''Michtav me-Eliyahu'' and author of the well known ''Sifsei Chaim'' series (not to be confused with the Liska ''Rebbe'' of the same name) * Rabbi Chaim Shloime Leibovitch (1931–2016), ''rosh yeshiva'' * Rabbi

Baruch Dov Povarsky Rabbi Baruch Dov Povarsky, often referred to as Rabbi Berel Povarsky, is the rosh yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel, alongside Rabbi Gershon Edelstein. Biography Rabbi Povarsky was born in 1931 in Kletsk, the son of Rabbi Do ...

, commonly called R' Berel, ''rosh yeshiva'' * Rabbi

Gershon Edelstein Gershon Edelstein (born 18 April 1923) is ''rosh yeshiva'' of the Ponevezh Yeshiva, president of the Vaad Hayeshivos, and the spiritual leader of the Degel HaTorah party in Israel. He is widely considered to be the Gadol Hador by the Litvish c ...

, ''rosh yeshiva'' and spiritual leader of the

Degel HaTorah Degel HaTorah ( he, דגל התורה, , Banner of the Torah) is an Ashkenazi Haredi political party in Israel. For much of its existence, it has been allied with Agudat Yisrael, under the name United Torah Judaism. History Degel HaTorah was ...

political party in Israel * Rabbi Avraham Kahaneman, ''nasi'' (president), died in 2009 * Rabbi Eliezer Kahaneman, ''nasi'' (president)

Notable alumni

File:Pinchas Goldschmidt.jpg, Rabbi

Pinchas Goldschmidt Pinchas Goldschmidt (born 21 July 1963) is a Swiss-born, internationally known rabbi, scholar, and Jewish community leader. He was the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Russia from 1993 until 2022, serving at the Moscow Choral Synagogue. He also founde ...

File:הרב קסלר.png, Rabbi

Meir Kessler Meir Kessler (born February 17, 1961) is the Chief Rabbi and head of Rabbinical Court of Modi'in Illit. He was born at Bnei Brak and studied at the Ponevezh yeshiva and afterward at Kol Torah under Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. After his marriag ...

File:Rabbi dov.jpg, Rabbi

Dov Landau Dov Lando (born 5 April 1930) is the ''rosh yeshiva'' of the Slabodka yeshiva (Bnei Brak), Slabodka yeshiva of Bnei Brak along with Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, a rabbi of Chug Chazon Ish, and a member of the directorate of the Board of Yeshivas. ...

, Mashgiach of Slabodka File:הרב לאו.JPG, Rabbi

Yisrael Meir Lau Yisrael Meir Lau ( he, ישראל מאיר לאו; born 1 June 1937) served as the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Israel, and chairman of Yad Vashem. He previously served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1993 to 2003. Biography Early life ...

, Chief Rabbi of Israel File:הרב יואל שוורץ.JPG, Rabbi

Yoel Schwartz Yoel Schwartz ( he, יואל שוורץ; 29 September 1939 – 8 September 2022)Avrohom Yitzchok Ulman * Rabbi Mordechai Yonah Aderet, ''marah diasrah'' in Congregation Bet Eliyahu in

Great Neck Great Neck is a region on Long Island, New York, that covers a peninsula on the North Shore and includes nine villages, among them Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kings Point, and Russell Gardens, and a number of unincor ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

* Rabbi Aharon Bina, ''

'' of Netiv Aryeh * Rabbi Baruch Shmuel Deutch, formerly teacher at Yeshivat Kol Torah, currently Rosh Yeshiva of Be'er Mordechai in Yerushalayim * Rabbi Yitzchak Dzimtrovski, ''maggid shiur'' in

Yeshivat Sha'alvim Yeshivat Sha'alvim is a hesder yeshiva, a kollel and a yeshiva high school for boys, located in Kibbutz Sha'alvim . History Yeshivat Sha'alvim was founded in 1961 by Meir Schlesinger, the rabbi of Kibbutz Sha'alvim. The yeshiva, like the kibbu ...

and Yeshivat Kol Yaakov * Rabbi Yehoshua Erenberg, the ''

'' of Kneses Yitzchok in

Hadera Hadera ( he, חֲדֵרָה ) is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel, in the northern Sharon region, approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along 7 km (5&nbs ...

and

Kiryat Sefer Modi'in Illit ( he, מוֹדִיעִין עִלִּית; ar, موديعين عيليت, lit. "Upper Modi'in") is a Haredi Israeli settlement and city in the West Bank, situated midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Modi'in Illit was granted ci ...

* Rabbi Menachem Gelley * Rabbi

* Rabbi Shraga Feivish Hager, Kosover Rebbe * Rabbi Dr.

Mordechai Halperin Mordechai Halperin is an Israeli rabbi, physician and scientist. He is chief officer of medical ethics for the Israeli Ministry of Health and director of the Falk Schlesinger Institute for Medical-Halachic Research in Jerusalem. Halperin is also a ...

, Chief Officer of Medical Ethics for the Israeli Ministry of Health, director of the Dr. Falk Schlesinger Institute * Rabbi Yitzchok Halberstadt, former deputy mayor of

, co-founder of Rav Wolf Seminary * Rabbi

* Rabbi Efraim Kirschenbaum, rabbi of Pnei Shmeul,

Ramat Beit Shemesh Beit Shemesh ( he, בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ ) is a city located approximately west of Jerusalem in Israel's Jerusalem District, with a population of in . History Tel Beit Shemesh The small archaeological tell northeast of the modern city wa ...

* Rabbi Dovid Kraus, Senior Talmudical Lecturer in

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

* Rabbi

Israel Meir Lau Yisrael Meir Lau ( he, ישראל מאיר לאו; born 1 June 1937) served as the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Israel, and chairman of Yad Vashem. He previously served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1993 to 2003. Biography Early lif ...

, former

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel The Chief Rabbinate of Israel ( he, הָרַבָּנוּת הָרָאשִׁית לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Ha-Rabbanut Ha-Rashit Li-Yisra'el'') is recognized by law as the supreme rabbinic authority for Judaism in Israel. The Chief Rabbinate Co ...

* Rabbi Binyomin Moskovitz, ''rosh yeshiva'' of Midrash Shmuel Yeshiva * Rabbi Yaakov Peretz, ''rosh yeshiva'' of Midrash Sepharadi * Rabbi

Yoel Schwartz Yoel Schwartz ( he, יואל שוורץ; 29 September 1939 – 8 September 2022)Yeshiva Dvar Yerushalayim * Rabbi Dovid Stefansky, ''rosh yeshiva'' of Kol Yaakov Torah Center * Rabbi Nissim Toledano, ''rosh yeshiva'' of Sheerit Yossef in

Be'er Ya'akov Be'er Ya'akov ( he, בְּאֵר יַעֲקֹב, ''lit.'' Jacob's Well) is a city in central Israel, near Ness Ziona and Rishon Lezion. The town has an area of 8,580 dunams (~8.6 km²), and had a population of 30,338 in 2022. History Be'e ...

* Rabbi Yaacov Toledano, ''rosh yeshiva'' of Chazon Baroukh in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

* Rabbi Avrohom Yitzchok Ulman, rabbi of Ner Yisroel in Jerusalem, member of Jerusalem's

Edah HaChareidis The Charedi Council of Jerusalem ( he, העדה החרדית, ''haEdah haCharedit'', Ashkenazi pronunciation: ''ha-Aideh Charaidis'' or ''ha-Eido ha-Chareidis''; "Congregation of God-Fearers") is a large Haredi Judaism, Haredi Judaism, Jewish comm ...

* Rabbi Shmuel Arieh Levin, ''rosh yeshiva'' of Chafetz Chaim, and leader of the Ashkenazi ''kehila'' in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. * Rabbi Naftoli Meiselman, Maggid Shiur in

Yeshivas Toras Moshe Yeshiva Toras Moshe is an English-speaking Litvish Orthodox Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Founded in 1982, it was established in Israel to cater to post-high school students from English-speaking countries. It has since graduated over 1,000 students. Hi ...

Affiliated institutions

Kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

Avreichim — located on the grounds of the yeshiva in the Ohel Kedoshim building; intended for married students who have graduated from the yeshiva. *Yeshivat Ponevezh Le'zeirim — a division for 200 high school students headed by Rabbi

Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz (1913 – 27 June 2011) was a respected Haredi Lithuanian Torah leader and rosh yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel, for over 70 years. He was a '' maggid shiur'' at Yeshivas Tiferes Tzion from 1940 to 2011 and rosh yeshiva of ...

, and was formerly co-headed by Rabbi

Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman ( he, אהרן יהודה לייב שטינמן), also Shtainman or Steinman (November 3, 1914 – December 12, 2017), was a Haredi rabbi in Bnei Brak, Israel. Following the death of Yosef Shalom Elyashiv in 2012 ...

. *Batei Avot — sheltered accommodation established by Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman for children rescued from the holocaust, orphans and children from broken homes donated by Henry Krausher. *Grodno Yeshiva - Beer Yaakov — an additional yeshiva located in

Beer Yaakov Be'er Ya'akov ( he, בְּאֵר יַעֲקֹב, ''lit.'' Jacob's Well) is a city in central Israel, near Ness Ziona and Rishon Lezion. The town has an area of 8,580 dunams (~8.6 km²), and had a population of 30,338 in 2022. History B ...

. *Grodno Yeshiva - Ashdod, also known as Ponevezh Ashdod — an additional yeshiva located in

Ashdod Ashdod ( he, ''ʾašdōḏ''; ar, أسدود or إسدود ''ʾisdūd'' or '' ʾasdūd'' ; Philistine: 𐤀𐤔𐤃𐤃 *''ʾašdūd'') is the sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District, it lies on the Mediterran ...

References

External links

Official website

{{coord, 32, 4, 59.49, N, 34, 49, 58.09, E, display=title Buildings and structures in Tel Aviv District Yeshivas of Lithuania Orthodox yeshivas in Bnei Brak Jewish seminaries Lithuanian-Jewish culture in Israel Pre-World War II European yeshivas