When World War I broke out, Horwitz decided to move the yeshiva from the border. He did not permit the yeshiva to remain in Novardok. In 1914/1915, Horwitz set out for Ukraine in search of new quarters for the yeshiva. Before leaving, he told his students that if the Germans neared Novardok, they should flee in the direction of Ukraine. Horwitz found quarters for the yeshiva in Homel. In the meantime, the Germans conquered the area near Novardok, and the yeshiva students fled to Homel. In Homel, they lived in the home of Rabbi Yaakov Katz. Soon, it became so crowded that they had to move to a nearby beis medrash, and then to various shuls in the city. By the end of the summer of 1915, 80 students had reached Homel, and the yeshiva was reestablished.