Regular gatherings of the 929 Bible Study initiative, which brings people at all levels of Judaism together to explore a biblical verse and often to compare biblical history to current events, have been held for some years now at the President’s Residence. There are several people who attend every such gathering, but each time there are also changes in the overall composition of participants.
At the most recent meeting last week, the key discussants included President Isaac Herzog, Supreme Court Chief Justice Isaac Amit, Israel Prize laureate Adina Bar-Shalom, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Baidatz (former head of the Research Division in IDF Intelligence and CEO of The Center for Educational Technology), author and philosopher Dr. Micah Goodman, and Rabbi Dr. Benny Lau, head of the 929 Initiative. Also in attendance were former senior intelligence officers, experts on Iran, and families who lost loved ones in the current war.
The event focused on the tensions in Israeli-Iranian relations stemming from historical narratives propagated by the Iranian regime, comparing past and present dynamics between the two nations.
Lau, in his remarks, said: “In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which we will soon be reading in our 929 cycle, there was a dream of security for the Jewish people – a vision of preserving faith and identity. And this is the very home we are fighting for now. Our enemies outside know that we have chosen life. This is a difficult war, and among us tonight are bereaved families who have sacrificed their loved ones for the sake of the nation and the state. They are the torchbearers leading us forward. But we must recognize that the greatest danger is not external – it is the internal tremor within our home. I stand here before the new president of the Supreme Court and recall the verse from Proverbs: ‘By justice, a king sustains the land.’ Without a stable and independent judiciary, we will not have a free nation. This is a fight we must not abandon.”
Rehabilitation at Hadassah
■ GENERALLY KNOWN as a big-time international businessman whose name frequently appears in the economic pages of newspapers and magazines, Yitzhak Tshuva is also a generous philanthropist whose main focus is on higher education and health. Last week, a special ceremony was held at Hadassah-University Medical Center on Mount Scopus in tribute to Tshuva-controlled NewMed Energy for its generous donation toward the continued construction of the new Gandel Rehabilitation Center.
Idan, a wounded soldier undergoing rehabilitation at Hadassah, surprised everyone when he put his crutches aside and began walking on his own. He turned to Tshuva and said: “Your contribution to the rehabilitation center at Hadassah is inspiring. Thank you from all of us.”
Among those attending the ceremony were Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, Tshuva, who is the controlling shareholder of Delek Group, NewMed Energy CEO Yossi Abu, Hadassah Chairperson Dalia Itzik, Hadassah Director-General Prof. Yoram Weiss, President of the Hadassah Women’s Zionist Organization of America (HWZOA) Carol Ann Schwartz, as well as other HWZOA and NewMed Energy representatives. Also present were wounded soldiers undergoing rehabilitation at Hadassah.
The establishment of the Mount Scopus rehabilitation center began several years ago. However, with the outbreak of the war and the severe shortage of rehabilitation beds, the decision was made to accelerate construction, recognizing it as a national necessity. In January 2024, the center opened its doors to patients. This was enabled by support from the government, the municipality, and donations from Israel and abroad. Since its opening, hundreds of wounded individuals – soldiers, security personnel, and civilians – have received treatment, with many returning to their pre-injury lives and demonstrating inspiring recoveries.
The rehabilitation center includes specialized departments for orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation and is equipped with advanced technologies, such as robotic walking rehabilitation systems, AI-powered systems, modular therapeutic pools, and state-of-the-art physiotherapy and occupational therapy facilities.
“Our participation in the construction of this incredible center is a testament to our commitment to IDF wounded soldiers – heroes who have given their bodies and souls for the nation,” said Tshuva. “We are dedicated to helping them in every possible way. Hope is restored in this place, and the unbreakable Israeli spirit thrives. Just as you fought bravely on the battlefield, so too will nothing stop your rehabilitation journey. We stand with you, shoulder to shoulder, and will do everything we can to support you and help you move forward.”
Adding to Tshuva’s pledge, Abu, said: “We are proud to be part of building this vital rehabilitation center, which meets the needs of wounded soldiers and security personnel injured in battle. This is the least we can do as a company to honor and give back to those who risked their lives defending the homeland. NewMed is committed to continuing its support, and we will do everything in our power to stand by these heroes as they return to their daily lives.”
Other speakers included Itzik, who said NewMed Energy had become a partner in Hadassah’s Zionist mission, and Lion, who said, “What has been established here before our eyes reflects Hadassah’s spirit of excellence: a groundbreaking rehabilitation center– the largest and most advanced in the Middle East. This is an invaluable milestone, not only for wounded IDF soldiers and security personnel but for all residents of Jerusalem and the surrounding region. Thanks to your compassion and willingness to recognize the urgency of this moment, you have taken action, and we all benefit from its remarkable results.”
Idan, the soldier who thanked Tshuva, shared part of his personal story of injury and recovery.
“Everyone here works incredibly hard, and the staff, who do so much for us day and night, enable us to keep pushing forward and growing stronger every day. Today, I am walking on my own two feet – thanks to the critical decision to evacuate me to Hadassah the moment they airlifted me from Lebanon.”
Haredi Holocaust education
■ THE MAYOR of Jerusalem has a lot of variety in his life. Moshe Lion was also present at the launch last week of what is believed to be the first state-sponsored visit to Poland by students from three haredi (ultra-Orthodox) yeshiva high schools.
For secular Israelis, the answer to the Holocaust is the State of Israel. For haredi communities, the answer is more Torah learning. Yeshiva students in Israel do not travel to Poland on educational trips, since studying Torah is considered more important than lamenting the destruction of the pre-Holocaust yeshiva world.
The Netzach Educational Network is breaking the mold this month by taking 96 yeshiva high school students and their rabbis to Poland for a state-sponsored visit in line with the Education Ministry’s syllabus for Holocaust studies.
In addition to Lion, the launch at Jerusalem’s City Hall in Safra Square, of what is regarded as an historic visit to Poland, was attended by Haim Biton, who is responsible for rural education and youth aliyah within the Education Ministry, former chief rabbis David Lau, and his father, Yisrael Meir Lau, a child Holocaust survivor who has held executive positions at Yad Vashem. “This is the first time that a haredi-state delegation has visited Poland,” said Lion. “As students from the Holy City of Jerusalem, you will bring back Jewish life. When Torah students return to places where they tried to erase every trace of Judaism, this is our best answer to the Nazis.”
The senior Lau spoke of Jewish life in pre-war Poland and told the story of his own survival. He recalled the first time he heard the expression “Eretz Yisrael” from another Jewish prisoner in the Buchenwald concentration camp, who told him “Israel is our country, not Poland.”
From Shoah to Tekuma – From Destruction to Rebuilding, Holocaust education through the Education Ministry focuses on the transition from the dark days of the Holocaust to the rebirth and resurrection of the Jewish nation in its ancestral homeland. Netzach educators have worked on adapting this curriculum to combine the haredi narrative, with its focus on spiritual heroism and religious commitment, with Zionist messages.
Rabbi Menachem Bombach, founder of the Netzach Educational Network, said, “The places where Jews were killed ‘al kiddush Hashem’ are holy, and we can all draw great inspiration from their stories. We are heading to Poland in the knowledge that this journey will change our understanding of who we are as haredi Jews, and may impact the decisions we will make for the rest of our lives.”
The students from the Netzach Network yeshiva high schools in Jerusalem, Betar, and Beit Shemesh will be led by the principal of Nishmat HaTorah, Rabbi Eliezer Steinberger, who is also a historian and author. They will be accompanied by Shai Calderon, director of the Education Ministry’s haredi department, and education directors from the Jerusalem Municipality.
The Netzach Educational Network (www.netzach.org.il) includes 12 elementary and high schools for boys and girls that combine high-level Torah study with a broad curriculum of general studies, including civics and social and emotional learning. This pilot program is one of several ground-breaking initiatives that they have developed for their schools that explore different aspects of Israeli history and identity from a haredi perspective. With the expansion of the state-affiliated haredi education sector, these new schools are keen to adopt and adapt Netzach’s materials to suit their own ultra-Orthodox perspectives, regardless of the haredi denomination to which they adhere.
The Mayor’s Prize
■ YET ANOTHER event in which Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion figured was the festive ceremony in which the Mayor’s Prize for volunteerism was awarded to several individuals and leading figures of various organizations.
Among the award recipients were teenagers Maor Wolf and Benny Spierer, who are the founders of an organization called Just Smile. The two have organized a series of activities that help to make people happier and smile more often, because smiles help to push sadness into the background.
The two boys have been helped by Maor’s grandfather Marcel Hess, who, even when he was a busy, prize-winning restaurateur, always found time to become involved in social welfare activities. Some three or four years ago, when the two boys came to him with their idea, he readily agreed to help and was very proud when they were considered worthy of the award.
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