There are moments in history when what seems like a simple choice, the choice to stay, becomes a profound act of faith, belonging, and responsibility.
These days of war and uncertainty comprise such a moment.
Within a complex and turbulent reality, there are those who have internalized their Torah into a Torah of the Land of Israel and, above all, to remain in Israel.
Thousands of students from abroad spend a year studying in Israel in yeshivot and seminaries.
The war with Iran caught them at the end of their winter term, about two weeks before many were due to return home for bein hazemanim (“vacation between semesters”). Some chose to leave the country via Jordan or Egypt, at significant risks to their personal safety.
Those who chose to leave were likely planning to do so even before the outbreak of the war.
Bein Hazemanim is a time when a substantial number of students leave Israel to celebrate Passover with their families. One can fully understand and respect how remaining in Israel, far from family and the holiday traditions they know and love, could be a difficult experience for young people from abroad. This is true in “good times,” let alone when a war is raging directly above their heads.
In parallel, many others decided to remain in Israel, giving up their Passover break, choosing instead to celebrate the holiday in Israel despite the many challenges that come with being here at this time.
Far from obvious
As acknowledged, the decision to stay in Israel is far from obvious. Whatever choice a person makes, we should not cast judgment. I know that there are many factors at play and respect that each person acts based on their own considerations and sense of responsibility to themselves and their families.
Yet at the very same time, it is important to highlight and salute those who have chosen to stay, deciding that their place is here, particularly now.
The World Mizrachi Movement, which sees the integration of Torah and Zionism as a central pillar of its mission, has long worked to strengthen the connection of yeshiva and seminary students to Israel when they come for a year of study.
Our message has consistently espoused the notion that not only should young people dedicate themselves to Torah learning in the broader sense, but specifically to Torat Eretz Yisrael. To embrace and internalize the meaning of life here, and to connect to the land’s historic, religious and spiritual partnership in the national story of Jewish peoplehood.
So at this time, when the temptation to leave is great and the fears are more than understandable, the strength of institutions and students who make the choice to stay deserves our recognition.
In response, the Mizrachi Movement has mobilized significant resources, through Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael (KKL), to enable institutions to remain open for those who chose to stay.
The institutions that will keep their doors open, even during hol hamoed (the intermediary days of the holiday) did so from a deep understanding of the moment. Not merely as a technical response, but as a value-based statement.
Torah continues, life continues, and the connection to the land does not cease, even in times of challenge. The decision to invest resources, to operate volunteer frameworks for Israeli society, and to provide students with the option to stay – this is an expression of both national and spiritual responsibility.
And there are also the students themselves. Young people who chose to celebrate the hag hahherut (“festival of freedom”) here, in the Land of Israel – not as observers from the sidelines, but as full partners.
For them, this year’s Passover will carry a double meaning. They will not only celebrate the Exodus from Egypt, but the beginning of a journey. A journey toward the Land of Israel, toward the life of a free people in its land.
This is not merely a practical consideration, but an inner conviction. The ancient story still echoes in the present, not only as a geographic movement, but as a statement of identity.
And from this emerges an invitation to reflect. What does the Exodus from Egypt mean for us today? Is it only about leaving a place, or also about defining where we belong?
Perhaps the answer lies not only in movement, but in direction. In the Haggadah, we say: “He took us out from the land of Egypt and brought us to this place.”
The Exodus from Egypt is not just an escape from hardship, but a journey toward purpose.
The people of Israel left Egypt in order to reach the Land of Israel, to build a life of freedom, responsibility, and holiness there.
In this sense, remaining in the land at this time is a particularly profound expression of that ancient story. It says: "We are already part of the journey, and we want to be nowhere other than here," the very physical and spiritual destination. We are not seeking to leave but rather to deepen our hold, to strengthen our presence, to be a part of it.
Above all, this is a story of spirit. The spirit of institutions that continue to operate, of educational teams that do not give up, and of students who choose to be here – not only to learn about the land, but to live it.
The writer is the deputy chair of KKL on behalf of the World Mizrachi Movement.