The judges of the High Court expressed their dissatisfaction and frustration with the current state of drafting chareidi students according to their version of "sharing the burden equally." One judge said that a law without sanctions (as the current law is) is "a political law." He seemed to be implying that this was a criticism though he did not say why it should be different from virtually every other law passed in a democratic legislature through the democratic political process.
In response, the leadership of Degel HaTorah reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that talmidei yeshivos and avreichim of kollelim can continue learning without interference.
In Jerusalem the network of bein hazmanim learning frameworks, known as yeshivas bein hazmanim, has expanded considerably. These places provide a social anchor for the many bochurim and avreichim in Nisan.
The leadership of Degel HaTorah met to summarize the results of the recent conference and to being to implement some of the lessons and decisions taken there. In particular concrete steps were taken to set up the Housing Committee that has an important task and many immediate steps that can be taken, including ensuring that there are allocations for chareidim in large projects of new housing, and particularly subsidized housing. They will also try to help out various projects that are in advances stages but have specific blockages, such as in Achisomoch, Beit Shemesh, Ofakim and Har Yonah.
The heads of Lev L'Achim visiting the gedolim in preparation for their large annual asifa after Pesach.
On Tuesday 11 Nisan, many family and talmidim observed the sixth yahrtzeit of HaRav Yisroel Eliyahu Weintraub zt"l. HaRav Weintraub had many dedicated talmidim who attended his shiurim faithfully. He also published books and essays that clarified the derech haTorah in the modern world. Having grown up in America he had a unique and broad perspective on the modern world. With his deep insight, he drew clear guidelines for bnei Torah.
More than 70 years after they were brutally murdered on the bank of the Danube River in Budapest, the remains of dozens of holy martyrs were finally brought to rest after a five year struggle. The remains were uncovered in the course of rebuilding the Margit bridge. The Hungarian authorities were holding the remains, but recently, after untiring efforts by the local community, they agreed to release them so that they could be brought to kever Yisroel.
Last week UNESCO released a report entitled simply "Occupied Palestine." Among the places discussed in the report was the Har Habayis, except that the only references were to the Islamic connection to the site. There was no mention of the Jewish connection which began more than 2,000 years before the founding of Islam.
