Bereaved Father: “The Yeshiva Division Must Cancel Bein Hazmanim – This Is No Time for Vacations!”
Attorney Itzik Bonzel, whose son fell in Gaza, pleads with yeshiva leaders to cancel the break and keep learning during wartime: “The Torah world is part of the battlefield. Let no one leave the beit midrash.”
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Attorney Itzik Bonzel, whose son Amit fell in combat in Gaza, has issued a heartfelt public letter to yeshiva heads across the country, urging them to cancel the upcoming Bein Hazmanim (yeshiva break) in light of the ongoing war.
“The Torah Division – which is an inseparable part of the IDF – cannot go on a three-week vacation at this time,” Bonzel wrote. “This is not a time for hiking and leisure.”
In his emotional plea, Bonzel pointed to the immense toll the war has taken on Israeli soldiers. “Every military division is on emergency footing. Over 100,000 reservists left their families and have been rotating through intense combat zones for more than 400 days. 883 brave fighters have fallen, and over 7,000 have been wounded – many of them severely.”
Bonzel’s own son, Captain Amit Bonzel, was the commander of a paratrooper reconnaissance unit. He led his men through some of the most difficult battles since October 7 until he was killed in action. "Learning Torah was a guiding light for Amit,” the grieving father wrote. “He used every free moment to study, to purify his soul and remind himself who he was and where he came from.”
A Call to Action for the Yeshiva World
Bonzel called on yeshiva heads to demonstrate moral responsibility and solidarity with IDF soldiers: “I urge all roshei yeshivot to announce that Bein Hazmanim is canceled. The Torah world is part of the battlefield. Now is not the time for the Torah Division to take a break while others fight on the frontlines.”
He warned that halting Torah study and prayer during wartime could negatively impact Israel’s military efforts and the safe return of the hostages. “If the yeshiva world is truly part of the fight, then it must stay at its post and not go on vacation.”
Bonzel clarified that he wasn’t speaking about the broader debate over draft exemptions. Still, he stated his personal view: “In my opinion, Torah study does not exempt anyone from the mitzvah of defending Israel in times of war. As our sages said: ‘In a mandatory war, even a groom from his chamber and a bride from her canopy must go out.’”
A Divided Rabbinic Response
To date, most senior rabbis have opposed canceling Bein Hazmanim, arguing that a structured break allows yeshiva students to recharge before zman Elul (the intense pre-High Holiday study period). However, Bonzel’s plea brings renewed urgency to the conversation.
“Even those who do not fight,” he concluded, “can pray with all their heart—for the soldiers, the wounded, and the hostages. In the name of Torah, in the name of our people, and in the name of my fallen son, I beg you: cancel Bein Hazmanim. Let no one leave the beit midrash.”