In the wake of Israel's war, leading ultra-Orthodox rabbis have raised over NIS 440 million ($120 million) in the United States to support Israel’s yeshiva network.
The funds were secured to compensate for state budgets that were frozen following a High Court ruling last year. The court determined that there is no longer a legal framework regulating draft exemptions for Torah scholars, and subsequently blocked funding for those subject to conscription who had failed to report to military recruitment offices.
Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, head of the powerful Ger Hasidic Dynasty, returned to Israel this week on a private jet after his stay in the U.S. was extended due to war-induced airspace closures. His fundraising campaign specifically targeted major donors. A seat at a private dinner with him required a minimum donation of $500,000, while a personal visit from him to a donor’s home was reserved for contributions of at least $1 million.
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In under two weeks, the Ger Dynasty raised more than $27 million—enough to cover the sect’s institutional operating costs for the next two years.
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Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, head of the powerful Ger Hasidic Dynasty, arrives in Israel on a private jet
The private jet used for Rabbi Alter's travels was donated by Yoeli Landau, a member of the anti-Zionist Satmar Hasidic community. Landau used the opportunity to try and bring Ger—the largest Hasidic sect in Israel—closer to Satmar’s ideology, which rejects any cooperation with the Israeli state. Upon the RAbi Alter's departure, Landau handed him a letter urging the sect to sever its ties with Israel in order to eliminate financial dependency on the government.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch, a senior figure in the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox world, launched a separate fundraising campaign in the U.S., focused on a broader donor base. He has already raised more than $27 million through large public gatherings.
Speaking at a donor event in Lakewood, New Jersey, Rabbi Hirsch addressed the rise of antisemitism in the United States. “These antisemitic demonstrations against Israel,” he said, “stem from a lack of Torah in the world.”
Despite the fundraising success, there is growing acknowledgment within the yeshiva world that long-term reliance on foreign philanthropy is unsustainable. As one prominent yeshiva dean put it: “We’re grateful for every donation, but no benefactor can replace the State of Israel—not in the scale of funding, and not in the certainty that the money will come. We hope this crisis is resolved soon.”