Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav was founded in 1924 by the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook, as the culmination of a spiritual vision of the renaissance of the People of Israel in their Land. Its purpose was to educate scholars and leaders in Israel to feel a deep love for their fellow Jews, the Torah, and the Land of Israel. Today, with approximately 700 students, Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav is one of the largest yeshivas in Israel, headed by Rabbi Abraham Shapiro, former Chief Rabbi of Israel and one of the great Torah scholars of our generation.