As of April 1, 2024, the government of Israel froze stipends for bochurim and avreichei kollel between the ages of 18-26, totalling 50,546 people. This is an effective cut of NIS 32,770,468 per month across the Olam HaTorah.
These stipends had been a basic part of the funding of yeshivos and kollelim for more than forty years, covering between 20-30% of the Olam HaTorah‘s budget.
The result of these cuts is a new annual deficit of approximately $107,000,000 across the olam hayeshivos in Eretz Yisroel. This is on top of the existing deficit which every yeshiva and kollel had always needed to raise.
Gedolei Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel have tasked American machzikei Torah with creating a fund to raise the $107,000,000 twelve-month shortfall created by these cuts.
A group of senior gedolei Torah from Eretz Yisroel is traveling to the United States to raise the funds for the newly-formed “Keren Olam HaTorah.” The group includes Rav Dov Landau, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Salbodka; the senior mashgiach Rav Don Segal; Rav Yaakov Hillel, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Ahavat Shalom; and the Rachmastrivka Rebbe.
They are slated to arrive in the United States on Sunday. They will join Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Salbodka, who is already in the U.S., to spearhead this mission.
This Monday, June 24, a special evening to launch the Keren Olam HaTorah will be held at Meridian Capital Group in Manhattan. The event will be hosted by Ralph Herzka and co-hosted
Shimon Glick, the Schron family, the Wolfson family, the Karfunkel family, the Wolf family, Meir Birnbaum, Ari Bousbib, Ezra Erani, Boruch Jeremias, Jimmy Khezrie, Yossi Meystel, Chaim Rajchenbach, Yitzchok Rokowsky, Itche Rosenbaum, Shalom Stein, and Ari Stern.
{CB Frommer – Matzav.com}