Supreme Court to Weigh Stay of Eviction for Ponevezh Yeshiva Fraction
The Supreme Court will decide on Monday whether to stay the eviction of Rabbi Shmuel Markovitch's faction from the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, following a bitter multi-decade leadership dispute.
The Supreme Court is set to hear one of the most critical moments in the history of the Ponevezh Yeshiva on Monday. Supreme Court Justice Ofer Grosskopf will review a request by Rabbi Shmuel Markovitch and the "Masoret HaTorah" association to stay the execution of a ruling ordering them to evacuate their portion of the Ponevezh Yeshiva hill in Bnei Brak and pay approximately 10 million shekels.
The decision on Monday will determine whether the yeshiva will continue operating in its current location until the appeal is decided, or whether it will be evacuated before the court decides whether eviction is justified at all. An eviction carried out now would be irreversible, even if the appeal is eventually granted.
The Tel Aviv District Court scheduled the eviction for September 30, in the middle of the Sukkot holiday. A day before the deadline, Justice Grosskopf issued a temporary order preventing the evacuation and delaying payment pending further notice. Monday's hearing will determine whether this injunction remains in effect until the appeal is resolved.
The "Oxford" of the Yeshiva World
The Ponevezh Yeshiva is the flagship institution of the Lithuanian-Haredi public, often dubbed the "Oxford" or "Harvard" of the yeshiva world. Its founder, Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, served as rabbi of Ponevezh, Lithuania, before the Holocaust. After losing his community and family in the war, he re-established the yeshiva in Bnei Brak in 1944, appointing leading Torah scholars of the generation to head it.
Over the decades, the institution expanded into a vast campus on a hill in central Bnei Brak, comprising study halls, dormitories, dining facilities, and classrooms. A vibrant community grew around the hill, with many families settling in the vicinity.
A Bitter Succession Struggle
Following the founder's death, the presidency passed to his son, Rabbi Avraham Kahaneman. A fierce succession battle subsequently erupted between his son, Rabbi Eliezer Kahaneman, and his son-in-law, Rabbi Shmuel Markovitch. This dispute dovetailed with a broader ideological rift in the Lithuanian-Haredi community, aligning Markovitch's faction with the "Jerusalem Faction."
In 2000, a rabbinical arbitration divided the leadership: Rabbi Kahaneman was appointed president in charge of material affairs, while Rabbi Markovitch was named rosh yeshiva overseeing spiritual matters. However, this arrangement collapsed, and by the mid-2000s, the institution split into two distinct frameworks operating side by side on the same hill.
Arbitration and Potential Eviction
In November 2025, retired judge David Heshin ruled in favor of Rabbi Kahaneman, determining that Rabbi Markovitch's rights had expired, ordering his camp to vacate the premises, barring them from using the "Ponevezh" name, and imposing a 10 million shekel penalty. In August 2026, Tel Aviv District Court Judge Yehudit Shevach upheld the ruling.
The petitioners argue that evacuating Markovitch's framework—which serves 1,266 students and avrechim, including 837 dorm residents—would cause irreversible damage. Planning experts note that relocating such an institution requires 18,000 to 25,000 square meters, costing at least 200 million shekels and taking over two years. Furthermore, the financial penalty threatens to bankrupt the "Masoret HaTorah" association, potentially forcing the closure of five institutions across Israel serving some 2,100 students.
