Ask any woman in Jerusalem where she was on the third of Av,
and the answer is likely to be: at the Shemiras Halashon Yom
Iyun.
From Givat Zev to Pisgat Zev, from Arzei HaBira to Armon
HaNetziv, women of all ages and backgrounds flocked to
citywide shiurim presented in Hebrew, English,
Yiddish, French, and Spanish. There was something for
everyone and every time slot: attendees could choose from
115 morning and afternoon lectures given in 38 different
locations.
Attendance figures soared in Har Nof, where nearly 1,000
women and girls heard Mrs. Tzipporah Heller, Mrs. Rina
Tarshish, and Rav Chanoch Teller; and in Mattersdorf, where
600 women were inspired by Rav Simcha Ellis, and Mrs. Blimi
Birnbaum. "There was a constant flow of women during the
other nine shiurim of the day," added the Mattersdorf
organizer.
During the afternoon hours, 33 locations hosted shiurim
for girls, and 19 locations presented shiurim for
boys. These classes, divided by grade and age and given by
local mechanchim and mechanchos, entertained
the children with interesting stories, a candy treat, and a
souvenir Chofetz Chaim sticker or bookmark.
The second annual morning kenes for high school and
seminary girls at Binyanei HaUma (the Jerusalem Convention
Center) drew 3,000 girls to speeches by Rav Yitzchok
Ezrachi, Rav Yisrael Gans, and Rav Reuven Karelenshtein.
Onlookers noted the beautiful kiddush Hashem made by
this large gathering of eighth- through twelfth-graders, who
behaved with tznius and derech eretz without
the supervision of teachers or mothers. "We can be proud of
the seriousness of our young girls, who came during their
vacation, and paid their own money, to hear speeches about
how to improve themselves," an organizer said.
In the evening, 8,000 seats were sold out in the main
auditorium and four video halls of Binyanei HaUma for a
Hebrew-language kenes, which delivered powerful words
of chizuk from Rav Yisrael Gans, Rav Ezriel Tauber,
and Rav Aharon Tausig.
On Wednesday evening, the halls of Binyanei HaUma again
overflowed with a 3,600-strong English-speaking kenes
featuring Rav Gavriel Ginsberg of Toronto, Rav Avrohom Chaim
Feuer of Monsey, and Rav Yehudah Aryeh Dunner of Bnei
Brak.
A Day for Everyone
The Yom Iyun has become an annual event, a day of such scope
that everyone finds what she's looking for in the oversized
invitation listing neighborhoods and speakers.
For the woman who can't leave home for more than an hour,
it's the chance to hear an inspiring shiur in her own
neighborhood. For the woman who can spend a morning or
afternoon immersed in Torah thoughts, it's neighborhood
rosters of one to four speakers at a stretch. For the woman
who wants to feel and be part of something very big, it's
evening kenasim that bring thousands of women
together to hear divrei his'orerus and to experience
an incredible sense of achdus.
This day of learning also boosts women's awareness about
other learning opportunities. Volunteers at the evening
kenasim distributed thousands of pieces of literature
about tznius, hilchos shidduchim, and general Torah
thoughts. In Har Nof, more than 100 women returned sign- up
sheets to join learning programs about shemiras halashon,
tznius, and shatnez. "The Yom Iyun is a terrific
conduit to help people get to know about what's going on in
our frum world," says the Har Nof organizer.
The impressive line-up of 80 prominent speakers on the day's
program inspires many women to travel outside their
neighborhoods to hear their favorite lecturers. Indeed, it's
not unusual to see carpools of women who live in one part of
the city attending shiurim on the other side of
town.
"My friend and I always lay out the big sheet of speakers
and circle all the people we want to hear," says one woman
in Neve Yaakov, who in the past has spent hours on cross-
town buses to get to Yom Iyun shiurim in Rechavia,
Bayit Vegan and Har Nof. "Then we have to start eliminating.
With one day of programming, we have to squeeze in as much
as we can."
This year, the Neve Yaakov women caught the 7:48 a.m. bus
outside their homes and made it through heavy traffic to Har
Nof by 9:15. After taking in three morning shiurim
and one afternoon shiur, they dashed out and
caught the #11 bus to Ramat Shlomo. They noticed that
another woman from the Har Nof shiur got off at the
same stop. "Are you going to hear Rabbi Berkowitz?" the
woman asked them. When they said yes, she cried, "Can I
follow you?"
A Family Affair
Now in its 17th year, the Yom Iyun has also become a family
affair, as mothers, daughters, and granddaughters all attend
and benefit from shiurim on their own levels.
"It's spreading so far, you're really part of a big
program," marvels one great-grandmother, whose little great-
granddaughter is only a few years shy of attending the Yom
Iyun as does she, her daughter, and granddaughter. "It gives
you a good feeling to know that you're part of this larger
community that is committed to shemiras halashon and
doing the right thing."
Until now, women who spoke languages other than Hebrew,
English, and Yiddish could be satisfied with an occasional
shiur in their native tongue. This year, the French
and Spanish speaking communities requested -- and received --
full-fledged kenasim of their own. French-language
kenasim on Sunday night in Ramot Daled and on Monday
morning in Mahane Yehuda attracted 165 women. A Spanish-
language kenes debuted on Wednesday night in Geula
before an audience of 140.
Similarly, new neighborhoods are added each year to the Yom
Iyun in response to popular demand. This year, shiurim
were held for the first time in Kiryat HaYovel and
Nachlaot, secular neighborhoods where visiting speakers have
recorded growing interest in Torah subjects.
Locations outside Jerusalem also schedule shemiras
halashon talks in conjunction with the main event. This
year, these sites included Rechovot, Ofakim, Maalei Adumim,
Efrat, Beit Shemesh, Kiryat Sefer, Bnei Brak, "and countless
other places that we don't even know about," according to a
Yom Iyun organizer.
Through the taping operation founded by Mrs. Carol
Weinberger, a"h, and carried on by her family and
friends, Yom Iyun tapes send the chizuk of the day
around the globe to individuals and tape gemachim in
North America, Europe, and South Africa.
"The day just keeps expanding," sums up one of the long-time
organizers. "We had no goal (for expansion) -- our original
goal was to better ourselves through the shiurim.
"But as HaRav Mordechai Gifter, zt"l, told us the
first year when we went to him for a brochoh: `The
day itself is a brochoh. You do not need a
brochoh.' The Ribono Shel Olom likes that day,
so He expands it. We have nothing to do with it."
