(Courtesy of Bnei Akiva) It was shortly after October 7 that a group of American yeshiva students in Israel headed to a home for at-risk Israeli children. The children had recently suffered a horrific loss—their counselor, a key figure in their lives, was killed by Hamas terrorists. The yeshiva students came with one mission: to bring happiness amid the grief.
“We were there to give the kids a sense of normalcy—to play soccer together and make them smile,” said Charlie Reich, a YTVA student from New Rochelle.
Since the Hamas terrorist attacks, Bnei Akiva of the U.S. and Canada’s Yeshivat Torah V’Avodah students have gone into what they call “chesed overdrive,” doing their part to make a difference for Israel.
“There’s the warfront itself where soldiers are fighting, and then there’s a lot that needs to happen to support soldiers and their families on the backend, and we’ve made that our priority,” said Rabbi Yehuda Seif, rosh yeshiva and executive director of Midreshet and Yeshivat Torah V’Avodah (MTVA/YTVA). With top-notch Torah studies, immersive service opportunities and experiences across Israel, YTVA, which is also a Hesder program, believes it is vital to spend one’s gap year “taking an active role in Israeli society, and taking responsibility for the future of the Jewish people in Medinat Yisrael.” These goals have taken on new meaning this year.
For Nadiv Siegel, a Hesder student from White Plains, in his second year at YTVA, stepping up was vital for Israel and the Jewish people, and for each yeshiva student as well. “After October 7, I knew that people might start to feel helpless, and I also knew how much we were needed and how much good we could do,” he said.
His first action was to begin building a network of students both at YTVA and beyond who could pitch in with the many needs around them—babysitting, sukkah dismantling, supply packing, and much more. The WhatsApp group that Siegel launched grew to about 1,000 people. In addition to managing volunteer opportunities, he spent much of his time babysitting for a family with three young children whose father was called to reserves and whose mother was a nurse and had seen her workload greatly increase during the war.
In metrics alone, YTVA’s impact included: 200 sukkot dismantled, 300 hours spent volunteering on an army base, 1,000 hours helping children who are at-risk or have disabilities, 2,200 displaced individuals supported, five carnivals created and run for evacuee children and those from vulnerable families, 4,800 packages packed for soldiers and families, 1,800 tzitzit tied, 9,500 hours of tefillot and Tehillim, and more.
Also of great significance has been YTVA’s support for its Hesder soldiers—lone soldiers who have been serving on the front lines. During a Shabbat off from the army, Hesder paratroopers who had been based in Gaza returned to YTVA for 48 hours.
“We threw an impromptu tish, and the guys reflected on how powerful the experience was for them. They were able to recharge at the yeshiva, and they saw how much we were supporting them with our learning, tefillah and chesed,” said Rabbi Seif.
The experience of being in Israel during this time has had a big impact on the students, connecting them more than ever to the land and people. YTVA is also proud to have 20 students who have chosen to enlist in the army since October 7. Siegel himself is set to begin basic training in April. “Joining the army now makes me proud—it is definitely a meaningful time to do so,” said Siegel.
While it is an experience that none of them expected, Reich emphasizes the importance of being in Israel now. “You really feel a sense of unity in Israel,” he said. “You’re part of something much bigger than yourself with people who feel just like you do.”
