The township of Maoz Zion is a few minutes drive from
Jerusalem. Unlike the Holy City which is permeated with Torah
study, and abounds in yeshivos, botei midrash and the
numerous bnei Torah who live there, the lifestyle of
the ten thousand residents of Maoz Zion has been extremely
remote from that holiness.
Although most of the residents of Maoz Zion come from
families that were originally Torah and mitzva observant,
because of the rampant permissiveness among secular Jewish
youth, when walking the streets of the township it is hard to
believe that they were once connected to tradition.
As there is no local Torah center to act as a barrier against
the ill winds, the ongoing deterioration is sweeping up more
families, particularly the youngsters.
Now, a godol beTorah with a warm heart and great
sensitivity to the spiritual situation, HaRav Eliyahu Borer,
decided, following consultations with gedolei Yisroel,
to set up a yeshiva named Knesset Mordechai in order to
promote Torah dissemination.
The crown of Knesset Mordechai is the yeshiva gedoloh,
which began with a handful of students and has seen a
rapid growth in enrollment. The students enjoy full dormitory
facilities.
The spiritual development of the students is remarkable,
taking into account their socioeconomic and spiritual
background.
The students receive food, clothing and all other personal
necessities, and above all a warm relationship with a highly
experienced faculty and they reach a high standard of
proficiency that compares well with any other Torah
institute.
The students do not pay fees and the yeshiva does not receive
either government or municipal support. The income is
provided by generous private donations.
Knesset Mordechai is also involved in providing spiritual
activities for the local residents, including shiurim
and gatherings to promote Judaism.
The yeshiva faculty is composed of the rosh yeshiva HaRav
Eliyahu Borer, a graduate of Ponovezh and Mir yeshivos who
has a close relationship with the gedolei Yisroel,
HaRav Noach Hefetz, himself one of the first students of
Ponovezh and one of the leading marbitzei Torah in the
country, and HaRav Zvi Tal one of the outstanding students of
Mir.
The yeshiva is named after Rav Mordechai Borer zt'l,
the grandfather of the rosh yeshiva. Rav Mordechai was a
unique personality, a godol beTorah umussar, one of
the last rabbonim in Germany, a graduate of the Berlin
Rabbinical Seminary and one of the outstanding talmidim
of prewar Telz yeshiva.
Rav Mordechai served as rov of Gailingen and Randek in
southern Germany and showed enormous mesiras nefesh
after the Nazis came to power. He endangered himself
constantly in helping Jews to flee Germany to Switzerland.
Kristallnacht brought an end to his communal endeavors, when
he was arrested and sent to the infamous Dachau concentration
camp where he died.
The yeshiva is a perpetuation of his memory and the memory of
the Gailingen and Randek communities.
