In unprecedented asifos of rabbanim, roshei yeshiva, and kehilla leaders across the Midwest, dozens of gedolei Torah gathered this week to tackle a major tzara that has been plaguing Klal Yisroel—the long-discussed shidduch crisis. The rabbanim convened in four major cities—Chicago, Toronto, Cleveland, and Detroit—to discuss the groundbreaking plan spearheaded by Hagaon Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlit”a, aimed at giving thousands of bnos Yisroel the chance of finding their zivug.

At each asifa, the assembled talmidei chachomim were addressed by Rabbanim chashuvim, including Harav Henoch Shachar, Harav Binyomin Cohen, and Harav Uri Deutsch, and Harav Dov Kahan, who laid out the stark situation facing bnos yisroel today. They described, in no uncertain terms, the painful reality that so many chashuve bas yisroel find themselves in—a situation where they are left waiting, waiting, and waiting, while their zivugim remain beyond their reach.

But klal Yisroel is not a tzibbur that stands idly by in the face of tzaros. Instead, the gedolim have identified a practical and effective solution: bochurim should begin learning in Eretz Yisroel at a younger age, and girls should enter the shidduch parsha about a year later, thereby significantly closing the age gap and easing the pressure on the current system. A portion of this plan has already begun going into effect, with hundreds of bochurim having left to learn in Eretz Yisroel this past Pesach and Sukkos when they were in third year bais medrash – between 6 months and a year earlier than they typically would have.

Attendees at the gatherings across the Midwest heard not only from gedolei Torah, but also from one of the leading American shadchanim, who has been at the front lines of this issue for years. At the first meeting in Chicago, the shadchan—so overwhelmed by the pain he was describing—was unable to hold back his own tears, his voice breaking as he painted a picture of so many girls waiting, davening, yearning for their match.

Leading up to these gatherings, each participant received a pamphlet, laying out, in detail, the foundations of the shidduch crisis, the numbers, and the solution that our gedolim are now rallying behind. The impact of seeing the statistics clearly, combined with the words of daas Torah, galvanized the assembled rabbanim, and over the course of these gatherings, momentum built in support of this historic initiative.

While no one claims that there is a one-size-fits-all solution, the gedolim have presented this approach that could literally change the trajectory of doros yisroel. The tefillah now is that with achdus, kabbolas daas Torah, and a genuine desire to help our bnos yisroel, this initiative will take root and bear fruit, bringing relief to countless girls and their families.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)