- Yeshivat Har Etzion
Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE), (
Hebrew : ישיבת הר עציון) commonly known as "Gush," is a Hesder Yeshiva located inAlon Shvut , a settlement inGush Etzion nearJerusalem ,Israel .There are over 450 students enrolled in YHE, making it the largest Hesder Yeshiva in Israel. Most of these students are Israelis in the
Hesder program, which integrates intensiveyeshiva study with at least 15 months of active army duty, often in front line combat units. The remainder consists primarily of post-high school overseas students. Many return to YHE after university, preparing to become rabbis and Jewish educators through the Yeshiva'sSemicha Program (Semicha given by the Israeli Rabbanut) and affiliatedHerzog College . Over 550 alumni from overseas have madealiyah and a high percentage are involved in Jewish education.YHE has benefited from the continuity of leadership of the Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbi Yehuda Amital and Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, both of whom are known for a combination of traditional advocacy of intensive
Torah study with a pragmatic approach to the modern world. OnJanuary 4 ,2006 , Rabbi Yaaqov Medan and Rabbi Baruch Gigi joined Rabbis Amital and Lichtenstein as Roshei Yeshiva.YHE has a faculty of renowned Torah scholars whose diverse styles, backgrounds and approaches complement one another in an effort to create an open and challenging environment for students. The Rabbeim serve as exceptional role modes who view themselves as mentors striving to imbue students with passionate, authentic, and religiously intense lifestyle.
History
In 1968, after the re-capture of
Gush Etzion during theSix Day War , a movement to resettle this region and reestablish its settlements ensued. The leaders of this movement, among themChanan Porat and Rabbi Yoel Bin-Nun, asked Rabbi Amital, a prominent religious and military figure, to head ayeshiva in one of the nascent settlements. Rabbi Amital agreed, and with help from the Israeli government, Yeshivat Har Etzion was founded inKfar Etzion . Soon after this the small yeshiva moved toAlon Shvut , a settlement established concurrently with YHE's move, that has since blossomed with YHE at its center. ["Lonely man of faith", Larry Derfner, Jerusalem Post,December 22 1995 ]In 1971, upon hearing that Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, a renowned disciple of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, intended to move to Israel, Rabbi Amital invited him to join as co-Rosh Yeshiva. Since then, the two luminaries have shaped the character of YHE, today a thriving institution of higher Judaic study. On
January 4 ,2006 , Rabbi Yaaqov Medan and Rabbi Baruch Gigi joined Rabbis Amital and Lichtenstein as roshei yeshiva in anticipation of Rabbi Amital's upcoming retirement.In 2002, an overseas student studying at the Yeshiva for a second year, Yoni Jesner from Glasgow, was killed in a suicide bombing in
Tel Aviv . ["Lone Soldiers", Yocheved Miriam Russo, Jerusalem Post,August 13 2004 ]Values
YHE advocates intense spirituality and religious striving, tempered with a message of moderation and openness. Following the example of the Roshei Yeshiva, YHE encourages serious study, creative thought, intellectual rigor, and a true sense of fellowship with all Jews, regardless of level of observance or political outlook. YHE believes that this philosophy enables the teachers and
rabbi s trained at the Yeshiva to bring to the communities they serve a deeper commitment to Torah, a genuine love of the Jewish people, and an unwavering bond to the State of Israel.YHE attempts to gird its students with a mastery of
Torah , a love of the Jewish people, and the ability to engage the contemporary world and be enriched by it. YHE has received praise for producing students who are strong in their beliefs and uncompromising in their commitment to serving bothIsrael and the Jewish people.Libraries
Two libraries are housed at Yeshivat Har Etzion. The Torah Library has over 70,000 volumes, as well as
CD s,microfilm s, a collection of rareJudaica and an antique book facility. The state-of-the-art Pedagogic Resource Center of theHerzog College supplements the central Torah library, providing a wealth ofaudio-visual material for teachers of Judaic studies in Israel and worldwide.Faculty
* Rabbi
Yehudah Amital - Rosh Yeshiva
* RabbiAharon Lichtenstein - Rosh Yeshiva
* RabbiBaruch Gigi - Rosh Yeshiva
* RabbiYaaqov Medan - Rosh Yeshiva
* RabbiShlomo Levi - Head ofKollel
* RabbiMoshe Lichtenstein - Ra"m ("Rav Mechanech", "teaching rabbi")
* RabbiYosef Tzvi Rimon - Ra"m
* RabbiAmnon Bazak - Ra"m
* RabbiYair Kahn - Ra"m
* RabbiShlomo Brin - Ra"m
* RabbiUzi Freidlich -Mashgiach Ruchani
* RabbiYitzchak Levi - Mashgiach Ruchani
* RabbiHillel Rachmani - Mashgiach Ruchani
* RabbiEzra Bick - Ra"m
* RabbiEliakim Krumbein - Ra"m
* RabbiAmichai Gordon - Ra"m
* RabbiMoshe Taragin - Ra"m
* RabbiMordechai Friedman - Ra"m
* RabbiMenachem Leibtag
* RabbiPini Cohen - Ra"m
* RabbiMoshe Aberman - Ra"m
* RabbiDoniel Schreiber - Ra"m
* RabbiDaniel Rhein - Mashgiach Ruchani
* RabbiBinyamin Tabory - Ra"mThe Virtual Beit Midrash
In more recent years, YHE established the Israel Koschitzky Virtual
Beit Midrash , which providesyeshiva -style courses andshiur im (Torah lectures) in Torah and Judaism to students of all ages outside the Yeshiva walls, in an effort to open to the greatest extent possible a window into the Beit Midrash. Over 18,000 subscribers in every continent throughout the world subscribe to weekly shiurim, in English, Hebrew,and Cyrillic inTanakh ,Gemara ,Halakha ,Jewish Philosophy and various other Jewish topics.
* English language: http://www.vbm-torah.org
* Hebrew language: http://www.etzion.org.il/vbm
* Russian language: http://www.etzion.org.il/rvbmK.M.T.T.
KMTT is a daily
Torah study Podcast, from Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel. Every day, five days a week, one 30-40 minute shiur is sent. The MP3 file can be played on your computer or transferred to your portable MP3 playing device. See http://www.kimitzion.org (English), http://www.etzion.org.il/keshet (Hebrew).Related institutions
*
Herzog College
*The Stella K. Abraham Beit Midrash for Women (Migdal Oz)ee also
*
Hesder
*Yeshiva
*Gush Etzion
*Aharon Lichtenstein
*Yehuda Amital
*Torah study
*Migdal Oz Citations
External links
*YHE Official Site ( [http://www.etzion.org.il/yeshiva Hebrew] / [http://www.haretzion.org English] )
*Virtual Beit Midrash ( [http://www.etzion.org.il/vbm Hebrew] / [http://www.vbm-torah.org English] )
* [http://www.herzog.ac.il Herzog College Official Site (Hebrew)]
* [http://www.skamigdaloz.org The Stella K. Abraham Beit Midrash for Women (English)]
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