Tens of thousands gathered Sunday tonight for the fourth Maamad Adirei HaTorah at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Lakewood Alerts had more than a dozen reporters of from our pool, along with additional reporters from YWN, to bring you the latest happenings in live time.
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10:15 PM: The maamad is now concluding with Maariv
10:09 PM: Harav Yeruchem Olshin shlit”a leads 30,000+ in being Mekabel Ol Malchus Shamayim
9:47 PM: Adirei Hatorah maamad dance with simchas hatorah following the conclusion of Rav Uren Reich’s keynote address
8:58 PM: Harav Uren Reich shlit”a now addressing the Adirei Hatorah crowd
8:47 PM: The Wells Fargo Arena shakes with song and dance following the Siyum Hashas!
8:40: The son of Rav Bochur Ber Ziemba z”l, the BMG Rosh Chaburah who tragically drowned in the Delaware River this past summer, recited kaddish upon the conclusion of the Siyum Hashas
8:34 PM: Harav Yisroel Neuman shlit”a being mesayem Shas at the maamad. The siyum is being made on behalf of BMG talmidim who were jointly mesayim Shas over the last year.
8:18 PM: Singing niggun hisorerus following the surprise arrival of Harav Shmuel Kamenetzky shlit”a
8:06 PM: Harav Shmuel Kamenetzky shlit”a has just arrived at the maamad Adirei Hatorah, coming despite his frailty to express his support for lomdei torah
8:01 PM: Amid this evening’s maamad in Philadelphia, R’ Lazer Scheiner went around thanking donors. On the spot, Lakewood philanthropist Shimmy J. of Censible Marketing wrote out a hefty check to Adirei Hatorah.
7:44 PM: Rav Ezriel Auerbach shlit”a, one of the leading poskim in Eretz Yisroel, addressing the overflow crowd at the Adirei Hatorah maamad
7:39 PM: T’NU KAVOD LATORAH! The crowd sings “Ki Orech Yamim” and “Yamim” as Harav Ezriel Auerbach shlit”a prepares to speak at the maamad
7:36 PM: 30,000+ join together in hartzige singing at the maamad
7:31 PM: A special video tribute to lomdei torah now being shown to attendees of the maamad Adirei Hatorah
7:24 PM: Lakewood Shomrim and Hatzolah of Central Jersey seen stationed at the Wells Fargo Center. More than 100 security personnel are working under the Shomrim umbrella to provide blanket security at the Adirei Hatorah maamad
7:18 PM: Another musical interlude now following Rav Malkiel’s address
7:05 PM: BREAKING: Harav Malkiel just announced that Adirei Hatorah will once again be raising the stipend for kollel avreichem!
6:50 PM: Harav Malkiel speaking now at the maamad
6:48 PM: The crowd sings as Harav Malkiel Kotler shlit”a takes the podium at the Adirei Hatorah maamad
6:46 PM: Harav Reuven Feinstein shlit”a seen entering the maamad moments ago
6:45 PM: Harav Nochum Binder shlit”a, the rav of Hampshire Heights, opening the maamad as the crowd takes its seats
6:36 PM: R’ Sruly Bursztyn of the National Chaplains Association, who is leading the logistics and security at the maamad, seen leading the roshei yeshiva into the arena
6:34 PM: The roshei yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha greeted into Wells Fargo Center’s arena with singing and dancing in an incredible display of kavod hatorah!
6:28 PM: The arena explodes in an eruption of kavod hatorah as the BMG roshei yeshiva, along with Harav Ezriel Auerbach shlit”a, make their way to the dais.
6:27 PM: The roshei yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha are introduced into the arena with a rousing call for kavod hatorah!
6:07 PM: The assembled crowd being led in Amiras Tehillim, moments before the maamad officially gets underway
6:01 PM: Harav Yeruchem Olshin shlit”a greeting Harav Ezriel Auerbach shlit”a at the maamad Adirei Hatorah. Rav Ezriel flew in from Eretz Yisroel to address the historic gathering.
5:56 PM: R’ Shalom Mordechai Rubashkin seen entering the maamad
5:48 PM: BMG Rosh Yeshiva HaRav Yeruchim Olshin shlit”a arriving at the Maamad.
5:41 PM: The Lakewood Roshei yeshiva have arrived at the Adirei HaTorah Maamad. HaRav Dovid Schustal is in a wheelchair after a recent leg injury.
5:35 PM: The stadium is now teeming with people heading towards the arena’s gates. Just over 30 minutes are left until the maamad’s scheduled start time.
5:31 PM: The Wells Fargo Center is gradually filling up as the excitement slowly builds inside the arena.
5:17 PM: Zanvil Weinberger regaling the growing crowd inside the arena with niggunim
5:09 PM: The musical accompaniment greeting attendees into the arena at Adirei Hatorah 2025
5:08 PM: A view from the dais, as attendees begin entering the arena. The maamad itself is scheduled to begin in just over an hour.
5:07 PM: More attendees entering the Adirei Hatorah venue now
Hundreds are now streaming through the Wells Fargo Center gates. Tens of thousands more are heading in.
The food courts – located in the concourse near multiple sections in the Wells Fargo Center – are now open.
The first buses packed with Adirei attendees have begun arriving at tonight’s venue in Philadelphia
🔥 The final touches and sound check being performed at the Wells Fargo Center. Throngs of people are expected to stream into the Adirei Hatorah maamad in roughly an hour.
👀 Behind the scenes, tens of thousands of portions of food are being prepared now at the Wells Fargo Center.
Coach buses are lined up outside Bais Shalom (9th Street) as they prepare to transport thousands from Lakewood to Philadelphia
Choir rehearsal ahead of the Adirei Hatorah maamad
The Siyum Hashas celebration seems like a powerful moment! The fact that tens of thousands are gathered for this event speaks to the strength of our community. Can’t wait to hear more updates throughout the night!