#B’nai Brak

[eretzyisrael]

11 Sivan - Bnei Brak - 1924

On this day in 1924, the town of B’nai Brak was settled just east of Tel Aviv in Israel. The town is originally mentioned in the Book of Yehoshua and is most famous for being the place of the all-night Seder mentioned in the Passover Haggadah that was led by R’ Akiva. During the 4th Aliyah, 8 Chassidic families immigrated from Poland intending to build a religious agricultural settlement. By 1933, those 8 families had attracted over 1,000 others including the Chazon Ish who was considered the leading Rabbi in Israel until he died in 1953. The Jewish world was being guided from his little house in the town. By 1948, the population would be almost 10,000, and today there are nearly 200,000 residents. In 1950, B’nai Brak became an official city of the young State of Israel.

Much of the growth and development of B’nai Brak can be attributed to R’ Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman. R’ Kahaneman had already led the city of Ponevezh in Lithuania for 20 years. One of the largest Jewish cities in Lithuania, under his tutelage the city exploded as a center of Torah. At the outbreak of WWII, he was on a trip to Israel and found himself stranded there. He continued to run the city’s institutions from afar. In 1941, the city of Ponevezh was decimated first by the Red Army and then a few days later by the Nazis y”s. The local Yeshiva was destroyed and all its students were murdered. What was R’ Kahaneman’s response? Within two years he opened the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak with Rommel and the Nazis just a few sand dunes away in North Africa. As Europe was up in smoke, he saw his duty to rebuild Torah in Israel. Within a few months, Rommel would be dead and the Ponevezh Yeshiva would be on its way to making R’ Kahaneman’s vision a reality.

Rabbi Pinchas L. Landis

[eretzyisrael]

11 Sivan - Bnei Brak - 1924

On this day in 1924, the town of B’nai Brak was settled just east of Tel Aviv in Israel.  The town is originally mentioned in the Book of Joshua and is most famous for being the place of the all-night Seder mentioned in the Passover Hagada that was led by R’ Akiva.  During the 4th Aliyah, 8 Chassidic families immigrated from Poland intending to build a religious agricultural settlement.  By 1933, those 8 families had attracted over 1,000 others including the Chazon Ish who was considered the leading Rabbi in Israel until he died in 1953.  The Jewish world was being guided from his little house in the town.  By 1948, the population would be almost 10,000, and today there are nearly 200,000 residents.  In 1950, B’nai Brak became an official city of the young State of Israel.

Much of the growth and development of B’nai Brak can be attributed to R’ Yosef Shalom Kahneman. R’ Kahaneman had already led the city of Ponevezh in Lithuania for 20 years.  One of the largest Jewish cities in Lithuania, under his tutelage the city exploded as a center of Torah.  At the outbreak of WWI, he was on a trip to Israel and found himself stranded there.  He continued to run the city’s institutions from afar.  In 1941, the city of Ponevezh was decimated first by the Red Army and then a few days later by the Nazis y”s.  The local Yeshiva was destroyed and all its students were murdered.  What was R’ Kahaneman’s response?  Within two years he opened the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak with Rommel and the Nazis just a few sand dunes away in North Africa.  As Europe was up in smoke, he saw his duty to rebuild Torah in Israel.  Within a few months, Rommel would be dead and the Ponevezh Yeshiva would be on its way to making R’ Kahaneman’s vision a reality.