Hesder Yeshiva of Sderot

The Hesder Yeshiva of Sderot, known formally as the Max and Ruth Schwartz Yeshivat Hesder of Sderot, was founded in 1994 by Rabbi Dovid E. Fendel.[1] The yeshiva is located in the town of Sderot, one kilometer from the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Arab town of Beit Hanoun. It is the largest Hesder Yeshiva in Israel, with a student body of over 800 students from communities all over the country. In addition to studying, students demonstrate their commitment to the residents of Sderot through many volunteer projects.

Since the beginning of the Second Intifada in October 2000, the city has been under regular rocket fire from Qassam rockets launched by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.[2] This brought attention to the yeshiva, which was rebuilt in a series of rocket-proof buildings.[3] Since 2007, the yeshiva has each year lit a Chanukah menorah made out of the spent shells of rockets fired at Sderot from Gaza.[4][5]

In 2020, during Purim, students created a Piñata with images of Ahmad Tibi, a leader in the largest Israeli Arab group, Joint List, in the Knesset. Students proceeded to beat the model with a pair of crutches, unleashing a torrent of small pieces of paper. In response, Tibi filed an incitement complaint with the Knesset Guard, which handed it over to the Israel Police, where Tibi linked the incident to comments against him by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose election campaign has singled out the Arab lawmaker by name, casting him as a threat to Israel. The Yeshiva responded in a statement saying “It was satire, in poor taste, by a single student, and is totally at odds with the Torah-educational values of the yeshiva,” adding “The sign was removed immediately and the incident was dealt with severely.” [6]