by Hillel Fendel
Yeshivat Bet El
It was late autumn of 1977 (5738) when a group of pioneer students from Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav in Jerusalem made its way to the mountains of Binyamin. Their goals were: to establish a new Jewish presence, to build a Yeshiva, and to make the desolate area bloom. Led by HaRav Zalman Baruch Melamed and Reb Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh), the group had the blessing and encouragement of Rav Tzvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook, of holy blessed memory.
by Hillel Fendel
What will Israel do in the event of a large-scale Russian invasion of, or attack on, the Ukraine? The question is not simple to answer, as Israel has good relations with both Russia and the United States – and certainly is not interested in tipping its hand too early.
At the weekly Cabinet meeting this Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett instructed the Cabinet ministers not to comment publicly on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Despite this, at least two of them simply could not resist – giving a glimpse into both Israel's position vis-à-vis the war that might develop to our north, and the frailty of Bennett's coalition government.