During this war, thousands of yeshiva students have served in the army. As residents of the north and south begin to return to their homes, some of these yeshivot are now playing another role, helping to revitalize returning communities. The Yeshivot Hesder in Kiryat Shmona in the north, and Sderot in the Gaza Envelope, are now on the front lines of rebuilding. Rabbi Aron White spoke with Eliav Samuel, from Yeshivat Kiryat Shmona, and Rabbi Ari Katz, from Yeshivat Sderot, about their yeshivot’s journeys on the front lines of rebuilding.

What happened at your yeshiva on October 7th?

Eliav Samuel (Kiryat Shmona): On Simchat Torah, about 150 students stayed in the yeshiva. We prayed regularly and after kriat haTorah (reading the Torah), rumors began to arrive about what was happening in the country. The head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Ariel Barkai, stopped the chazan for Musaf before the prayer for rain, and asked him to say a mi shebeirach for the soldiers slowly. Immediately after that, he asked all the students who were in the army to go to their rooms, turn on their cell phones, and carry them. By the holiday meal, only 80 students remained in the yeshiva as the rest were recruited and went to their units.

Rabbi Ari Katz (Sderot): Baruch Hashem, the yeshiva was spared, and the terrorists who were literally 2 minutes away at the police station never came to the yeshiva. Eleven of our talmidim who were serving in the Givati infantry brigade had come back to yeshiva for Simchat Torah, meaning they had their guns with them. When we started to hear what was happening, they ran down to the police station a few hundred meters away, where some of the main fighting in Sderot took place. Our students killed a number of terrorists that day. One of our rabbis, Rabbi Yossi Urim, saw a “soldier,” who turned out to be a Hamas terrorist in disguise, who shot Rabbi Urim in the shoulder. He was taken to Soroka, and miraculously he survived.

When did your yeshiva need to relocate, and where did it move to?

Eliav Samuel (Kiryat Shmona): On October 20, 2023, the government decided to evacuate Kiryat Shmona. The day before, we found space at the Nachalim yeshiva in central Israel, and the yeshiva relocated there in a single day. It’s important to understand that half of our students were in the army while the other half continued their Torah studies without interruption.

Rabbi Ari Katz (Sderot): It was still bein hazmanim when the war broke out. When the zman started, we couldn’t stay in Sderot and moved to Yeshivat Sha’alvim for around two-and-a-half months. The yeshiva was filled with milu’im soldiers throughout that time.

 

Can you tell us about your students and rabbis serving in the army during this war?

Eliav Samuel (Kiryat Shmona): Over 100 students and more than 500 of the yeshiva’s graduates enlisted in milu’im (reserves) and served in the army for extended periods. Some rabbis and yeshiva staff (tzevet) also enlisted in the reserves while evacuating their families and homes from Kiryat Shmona to various places throughout the country. We created a WhatsApp group for all those serving and sent divrei Torah there every day. To this day, the residents of Kiryat Shmona are scattered across over 500 communities in the country, and our rabbis and yeshiva staff and their families are evacuated throughout the country – from Ma’alot in the north to Gush Etzion. Despite all this, they came every day to teach the students at our temporary location in central Israel.

Rabbi Ari Katz (Sderot): The majority of our older talmidim were either serving at the time or were called up for milu’im service. Some of our Ra”mim were also called up. They all served in Azza and then later in Lebanon. Unfortunately, we had six alumni who were killed – five in Azza and one in Lebanon. We also had a few students injured, one very severely, but Baruch Hashem they are recuperating.

 

When did you return, and how did you approach the return?

Eliav Samuel (Kiryat Shmona): When the ceasefire in the north was signed, the head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Barkai, addressed the students about returning to the city. Immediately after the announcement, the students stood up and danced with joy! After a few days, we returned to Kiryat Shmona – home! The students, some of whom were visiting the city for the first time, are bringing life back to the abandoned city and studying Torah. As in the conquest of the land during the time of Yehoshua – the aron goes before the camp, and the study of Torah leads the return to the north.

Rabbi Ari Katz (Sderot): We were one of the first to return to the city after Chanukah. The Rosh Yeshiva said at the time that it was fitting that Torah would lead the way back, and for several months the city remained largely empty. We consistently provided professional emotional support to any student who requested it, and just as importantly, the Ra”mim spoke about chizuk and the important role the yeshiva would have in helping to rebuild the city.

How have your yeshivot helped rebuild Kiryat Shmona and Sderot?

Eliav Samuel (Kiryat Shmona): We work closely with the municipality and community center, and every day, after Torah study, some students volunteer for a few hours: renovating homes for those in need, restoring public spaces, helping elderly residents return home, and more. One particularly meaningful renovation was the house of the Logasi family. Ilai Logasi was a soldier who was killed in Gaza; he had planned to renovate his single mother’s house. His mother wasn’t sure whether she could face returning to her home in Kiryat Shmona, but she decided to come back, and our talmidim helped renovate her home as Ilai had wanted. One elderly woman told us that when she returned home, she started crying, saying, “It was like angels calling when your two students offered to help repair my damaged home.”

Rabbi Ari Katz (Sderot): We have been there for the people, organizing different activities for milu’im families and children, with more activities being planned for the future. One of our major projects is our “Big Brother” program where our students learn with local middle school students.

What are your long-term plans for developing your yeshivot, and Kiryat Shmona and Sderot?

Eliav Samuel (Kiryat Shmona): The yeshiva is part of the city! That’s how it has been for the 48 years since it was established, and that’s how it will remain. The connection with the city and our unreserved commitment to the city and the residents of the entire region is a central part of our yeshiva. We’re focused on helping residents return and bringing new residents to the city, along with renewing the city’s character and helping all residents return home. Beyond that, we are here for any need that may arise, 24/7. There are no locks on the yeshiva doors, and anyone who wants to can enter at any time to study Torah.

Rabbi Ari Katz (Sderot): The yeshiva plans to continue providing moral support to the entire community. One way we’re doing this is through actual building projects to show people that Sderot is growing: building a beautiful state-of-the-art campus for our girls’ midrasha, building a mini-motel so groups from Israel and the Diaspora can come visit, see and hear all of the tremendous stories from October 7th, and building an educational facility focused on heroism where all types of groups can come and learn – educational tourism. We are also going to make an effort to bring more families to the city by encouraging our students to build their homes in Sderot, as we have done throughout the years, but now with even more urgency!