Pre-Military Academy Dedicated

The town of Beit El also was the scene of joyful Sukkot festivities today. Residents of the Binyamin-area community, 10 miles north of Jerusalem, dedicated a campus for a pre-military yeshiva academy with great fanfare. Busloads of tourists and Beit El supporters from Israel and abroad arrived from Jerusalem for the event.



The academy received its official name today - The Gluck Preparatory Institute for the Israel Defense Forces - in honor of the institution's primary donors, Eugen and Jean Gluck of New York.



Tourism Minister Rabbi Benny Elon addressed the crowd, noting that the Torah's "job description" for the Biblical leader Joshua was to "lead the army into and from battle." Minister Elon said that the pre-military institute in Beit El "is training future IDF commanders who won't just sit in rooms and give orders, but will rather say, 'follow me' as they lead their soldiers into even the most dangerous of missions." Dozens of students from all parts of Israel attend the institute for a one or two year program combining yeshiva and pre-military training.



The Glucks are the sponsors of numerous other facilities and institutions in Beit El, including the Beit El Yeshiva Center, the local boys and girls high schools, a synagogue plaza, medical center, and security center.