Over 15,000 people are expected to participate in the central events of the upcoming Siyum Hashas, celebrating the completion of the cycle of study of the Talmud, set to take place in about five weeks. In Israel, the two central events will be held in Yad Eliyahu stadium in Tel Aviv, usually used for basketball games and concerts. A separate event for English speakers will be held at Binyanei Ha'uma (Israel Convention Center) in Jerusalem.
The events are being organized by the Dirshu group, an educational effort that encourages the daily study of Talmud for students of all levels with tests, prizes, and special events. Hundreds of buses will bring attendees from all around the country, with over 100 Egged buses rented out specifically for the event. Top speakers will present novel Torah ideas and discuss important issues of the day before the audiences, and closed circuit and satellite broadcasts will beam the event to viewers throughout Israel, and the world. Well-known rabbis and leaders will also speak at the English language event, with several coming in from the U.S. for the event.
Besides these two events, hundreds of smaller events will be held in synagogues and community centers around the country. Tens of thousands of Israelis study the Daf Yomi, the program instituted about 80 years ago that sets a daily schedule for the study of Talmud. Each day, a page of Talmud is studied, with the cycle of study completed once every seven and a half years.
A Dirshu official said that according to the group's statistics, over 100,000 people have taken tests or participated in events sponsored by the organization over the past 15 years.