End of an Era
After Decades of Bitter War, Ponevezh Yeshiva Split Is Finally Over – “Machablim” Ordered to Vacate the Hill
After 30 years of blood, tears and broken families, the axe finally falls: Justice Chashin’s bombshell ruling orders the “Machablim” faction to completely evacuate the legendary Ponevezh hill by summer’s end, bans them forever from the sacred name, and hands a crushing victory to Rav Kahaneman’s camp.
The bloodiest, longest-running feud in modern Litvish history, the 30+ year civil war that tore apart the legendary Ponevezh Yeshiva and split thousands of families, came to a dramatic close today when retired Supreme Court Justice David Chashin handed down his long-awaited 100-page binding arbitration ruling.
The bottom line (in plain English):The side known as the “Machablim” (the “Terrorists” - the faction led by HaRav Shmuel Markovitz, once backed by Maran Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l) has lost decisively.
They must:
In return, the Markovitz faction will receive a financial settlement and can take their hundreds of avreichim and set up a new yeshiva elsewhere under a different name.
Key quotes from Justice Chashin’s ruling that stung:
“Woe to the eyes that see this. Woe to the ears that hear this.”
“A volcano, that is the most accurate description.”
“The fire of hatred and dispute has devoured every good part.”
He openly calls the takeover of buildings “violent and armed trespass” and “holding by force.”
Yet he also sharply criticizes both sides for endless violations of the 2000 arbitration agreement and for turning the yeshiva into a decades-long battlefield.
Timeline & practical details:
Eviction date: 16 Av 5786 (mid-August 2026) after summer zman, before Elul zman begins.
Until then, status quo remains (they continue learning side-by-side under the tense ceasefire).
The 10 million NIS payment is due within 60 days with interest and VAT.
Reactions so far:
The Kahaneman camp is celebrating a historic victory that returns full control of the iconic campus to them. The Markovitz supporters are in shock and mourning, with many already talking about building a new “Ponevezh in exile” somewhere else in Bnei Brak.
After thirty years of broken families, shouting matches in the streets, separate minyanim, and even physical clashes, the hill that once housed the “mother of all yeshivas” will finally belong to only one side again.