A Hungarian survivor of the Holocaust, Rav Amital emigrated to Israel in 1944, and resumed his yeshiva studies in Jerusalem. During the War of Independence, he served in the Hagana armored corps, taking part in the famous battle of Latrun. Subsequently, he took an active role in the development of Yeshivat Hadarom, where he was involved in the formulation of the idea of yeshivat hesder. Following the Six Day War, Rav Amital founded and assumed leadership of Yeshivat Har Etzion. He was a dominant public figure in Israel, widely respected on matters of religious and national concern. As of Cheshvan 5769, Harav Yehuda Amital shlit"a, founding Rosh Yeshiva, while continuing his involvement with the yeshiva, officially retired as Rosh Yeshiva. Harav Amital passed away at the age of 85 on the 27th of Tamuz, 5770 (2010), and was mourned by thousands of students and admirers. He is survived by his wife of over 60 years, Rabbanit
Harav Aharon Lichtenstein has devoted himself tirelessly to teaching and transmitting the depth of Torah knowledge and devotion to serving God for over half a century.
Harav Lichtenstein is a graduate of Yeshiva College and the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Rabbinical Seminary of Yeshiva University in New York, where he studied under Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik z"l. He served on the faculty of Yeshiva University for many years, including as Rosh Yeshiva and Rosh Kollel. He also studied at Harvard University, where he earned a doctorate in English literature. In l971, he immigrated to Israel, answering a call by Harav Yehuda Amital z"l to join him as Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion.
In over forty years at Yeshivat Har Etzion, Harav Lichtenstein has enlightened and inspired thousands of students. Many of these students serve as rabbis, educators, heads of yeshivot and leaders of communities, as well as others who contribute to society in various ways, in Israel and abroad.
Seven volumes have been published by the Yeshiva based on Harav Lichtenstein's shiurim in the Shiurei Harav Aharon Lichtenstein series, for which he was awarded the 5773 Rav Kook Award for Original Torah Literature by the municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo.
Harav Lichtenstein has also written many articles on matters of Jewish thought, which have been published in three volumes of collected essays: Leaves of Faith, Volume I - The World of Jewish Learning, Leaves of Faith, Volume II – The World of Jewish Living, and Varieties of Jewish Experience. Some of his lectures on Jewish thought have been published in By His Light: Character and Values in the Service of God, and his insights in many areas of Jewish thought appear in the Hebrew volume Mevakshei Panekha. Many other shiurim and sichot by Harav Lichtenstein appear on the Yeshiva's Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash.
He is married to Dr. Tovah nee Soloveitchik and they have six children who are all involved in Jewish education. Read more.
Rav Yakov Medan studied at the Netiv Meir High School in Jerusalem and in 1968, joined the first class at Yeshivat Har Etzion. He served in the IDF in the Airborne Nachal Infantry unit in the Hesder Program, and afterwards, returned to the Yeshiva as a Ram. He earned his Semicha from Yeshivat Har Etzion, a Bachelor of Education degree from Michlala in Jerusalem and a Master's degree from Touro College. Rav Medan teaches Tanach at Yeshivat Har Etzion and at numerous Yeshivot hesder and colleges throughout the country, and is considered one of the outstanding educators of Tanach today. In 2000, Rav Medan served as a Board member of the school for conversion of the Ne'eman Committee, and thus began is involvement, together with Prof. Ruth Gavison, in composing a renewed pact for relations between religious and secular, for which he was awarded the Avichai Prize. Today, Rav Medan serves as a Ram for fourth-year students at Yeshivat Har Etzion, teaches Tanach and Jewish Thought at the Yeshiva and Herzog College, and taught at the Advanced Torah Institute of Bar Ilan University and at many other institutions. In 5766, Harav Yaakov was inaugurated, together with Harav Baruch Gigi, as Rosh Yeshiva, alongside the founding roshei yeshiva, to be joined in 5769 by Harav Mosheh Lichtenstein.
Rav Baruch Gigi came to Israel from Morocco at the age of 11 and joined Yeshivat Har Etzion in 1975. He earned his Semicha at theYeshiva and a Bachelor of Education degree from the Herzog College. From1983-1988, Rav Gigi served as a Ram and Rosh Kollel at the Hesder Yeshiva "Ma'a lot," and since 1988, he has served as a Ram at Yeshivat Har Etzion. Rav Gigi currently teaches Hilchot Shabbat in the Kollel of the Yeshiva and serves as the Rav of the Sephardic Synagogue in Alon Shevut. He also teaches at the Beit Midrash for Women in Migdal Oz and at the Women's Advocates Training Program of Ohr-Torah Stone Institutes. In 5766, Harav Baruch was inaugurated, together with Harav Yaakov Medan, as Rosh Yeshiva, alongside the founding roshei yeshiva, to be joined in 5769 by Harav Mosheh Lichtenstein.
Harav Mosheh Lichtenstein came on aliya with his family in 1971 from
