Rabbi Dov Lando, the 94-year-old head of the Slabodka Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, has issued a heartfelt plea during his visit to the United States, urging American Jews to help save Israel's Torah institutions, which claim to be suffering due to recent High Court of Justice rulings on Tuesday. The elderly leader’s emotional appeal highlights the financial struggles faced by yeshivas (Jewish educational institutions) and kolels (institutes for advanced Talmudic studies), as several have already closed their doors.
Lando is a prominent figure in the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community, having been deeply involved in the leadership of the Slabodka Yeshiva and serving as a member of the directorate of the Board of Yeshivas. Following the death of Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, Lando has emerged as one of the key leaders of the haredi Lithuanian Torah world.
Speaking at a series of fundraising dinners for the newly established Torah World Fund, Lando did not mince words. "The [Israeli] authorities hate Torah scholars; the situation is dire," he declared, according to a report by Kikar Hashabbat. "There are already yeshivas that have closed, Heaven forbid."
The Torah World Fund aims to address the financial crisis facing Torah institutions in Israel, ensuring their stability and continuity. The fund seeks donations to fill the gap left by the withdrawal of government support.
Lando, alongside other prominent members of the Council of Torah Sages, emphasized the critical need for financial support from the American Jewish community. The High Court's decisions have cut essential budgets for haredi students in yeshivas and kolels, leading to a severe economic crisis in the Torah world.
"Our brothers, the people of Israel in the US, dear brothers, we have come to you with a call for help. The situation in Israel is dire; the authorities hate Torah scholars. The courts have cut the budget foundation for yeshiva and kolel students," Lando cried out, according to Kikar Hashabbat.
High Court's actions and mandates
During his passionate address, Lando described the High Court's actions as done "with anger and wickedness," lamenting the inability of yeshivas and kolels to survive without these critical funds. He urged the American donors to step in and fill the financial gap left by the budget cuts. "Dear brothers, help! Give what was taken from us, the budget without which we cannot survive, fill in the gap, and may God fulfil all your heart's desires for good," he pleaded.
The High Court's recent ruling mandates the drafting of haredi men into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), overturning previous exemptions that had allowed yeshiva and kollel students to avoid national service. This decision has sparked significant controversy and resistance within the haredi community, which views it as an existential threat to their religious lifestyle and practice.