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 a ...

founded in 1908, and located in

Bnei Brak Bnei Brak or Bene Beraq ( he, בְּנֵי בְּרַק ) is a city located on the central Mediterranean coastal plain in Israel, just east of Tel Aviv. A center of Haredi Judaism, Bnei Brak covers an area of 709 hectares (1752 acres, or 2.7 ...

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 yeshivas in Israel.

History

Founded in 1908, the yeshiva was originally located in city of Panevėžys (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 Europ ...

. After the death of its founder, Rabbi Yitzhak Yaakov Rabinovich, the yeshiva was re-established in

in 1944 by Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, who was residing in British Mandate of Palestine at the time. Kahaneman appointed Rabbi Shmuel Rozovsky as dean, and some years later appointed Rabbi Dovid Povarsky 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'' (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'' (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 Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, second ''

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

, 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 Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, founder and rosh yeshiva in

and Israel * Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler (1892–1953), '' mashgiach ruchani'', author of the '' Michtav me-Eliyahu'' * Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein (1895–1974), ''mashgiach ruchani'', author of ''Or Yechezkel'' * Rabbi Shmuel Rozovsky, rosh yeshiva * Rabbi Dovid Povarsky, ''

'' * Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach, ''rosh yeshiva'' * Rabbi Chaim Friedlander, '' mashgiach'', 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, commonly called R' Berel, ''rosh yeshiva'' * Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, ''rosh yeshiva'' and spiritual leader of the Degel HaTorah 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 founded ...

File:הרב קסלר.png, Rabbi Meir Kessler File:Rabbi dov.jpg, Rabbi Dov Landau, Mashgiach of Slabodka File:הרב לאו.JPG, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of Israel File:הרב יואל שוורץ.JPG, Rabbi Yoel Schwartz File:Avrohom Yitzchok Ulman.jpg, Rabbi

Avrohom Yitzchok Ulman Rabbi Avruhum Yitzchok Ulman (also Ullman) (Hebrew: ) is a senior Haredi rabbi living in Jerusalem. Biography He was born in Hungary and immigrated to Israel as a child. He serves on the Beis Din (court of Jewish law), also known as the ' ...

* 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 unincorp ...

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

'' of Kneses Yitzchok in Hadera and Kiryat Sefer * Rabbi Menachem Gelley * Rabbi

* Rabbi

Shraga Feivish Hager Grand Rabbi Shraga Feivish Hager, also known as the Kosover Rebbe, is the ''rebbe'' of the Kosov Hasidic dynasty, a '' dayan'' ("rabbinic judge"), and noted orator. He is known as a creative and insightful thinker, whose original teachings are neve ...

, Kosover Rebbe * Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Halperin, 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 Meir Kessler * Rabbi Efraim Kirschenbaum, rabbi of Pnei Shmeul, Ramat Beit Shemesh * 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 to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Millennium Bridge, The Sage, and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary ...

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 ...

* Rabbi Dov Landau * 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 life ...

, 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 ...

* Rabbi Binyomin Moskovitz, ''rosh yeshiva'' of

Midrash Shmuel Yeshiva , streetaddress = 13 Sha'arei Hesed St. , region = Sha'arei Hesed , city = West Jerusalem , country = Israel , coordinates = , established = 1993 , head = Rabbi Binyomin Moskovits , ...

* Rabbi Yaakov Peretz, ''rosh yeshiva'' of Midrash Sepharadi * Rabbi Yoel Schwartz, Torah scholar and author, senior lecturer at 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 * 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

, rabbi of Ner Yisroel in Jerusalem, member of Jerusalem's Edah HaChareidis * 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 List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

. * Rabbi Naftoli Meiselman, Maggid Shiur in Yeshivas Toras Moshe

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 Yes ...

, 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. *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