Spurred on by the charge of gedolei Yisroel to work,
and worried about intense campaign waged by anti-chareidi
parties, workers for UTJ intensified their efforts all around
the country.
Hundreds at a Chizuk Rally in Ofakim
On motzei Shabbos parshas Emor, a rousing, large
chizuk rally was held in Ofakim. It was attended by
prominent roshei yeshiva and rabbonim of the Negev as
well as by two of the members of UTJ's slate, Rabbi Avrohom
Ravitz and Rabbi Yechiel Turgeman.
Rosh yeshiva of the Ofakim yeshiva, HaRav Chaim Kamil
rose to speak. With fervent words, he described how the
Tanna, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said to Rabbi Akiva, "If you
don't teach me Torah, I will hand you over to the Romans."
How could Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai have said such a thing?
HaRav Kamil asked. "R' Chaim used to say that Rabbi Shimon
bar Yochai meant that if he wasn't taught Torah, he was
liable to degenerate to a state in which he would become an
informer.
"We are in the midst of a great battle of kiddush
Hashem," HaRav Kamil continued. "Boruch Hashem,
the Torah world is thriving. But what will be with our
brothers? How can we bring about a state in which there are
no more informers? [Their low spiritual state] obligates us
to act. Everyone is obligated to do his maximum for the sake
of kevod Shomayim and in order to raise the glory of
Torah."
The next speaker was the rosh yeshiva of Tushia-
Tifrach, HaRav Aviezer Piltz, who delivered a stirring speech
about the obligation of everyone to participate in the
enormous battle facing us.
"Today there are many bnei Torah, and many ba'alei
teshuvah, and there is much his'orerus," HaRav
Piltz said. "However, the state of `meitzitz min
hacharakim' is still lacking. What does HaKodosh
Boruch Hu want of us? He wants our his'orerus.
Today, there is an enormous upsurge of evil and spiteful
hatred, and HaKodosh Boruch Hu has left us with the
great challenge of counteracting this situation.
"We recall Maran HaRav Shach's outcry over Shabbos
desecration in the streets of Tel Aviv and over the fact that
children don't even know Krias Shema. He cried about
what was taking place outside of our camp.
"This meeting is not a meeting of activists. [Before taking
political action] one must feel pained over the fact that
there are so many children who don't even know what Krias
Shema is, and over things in our own camp which stem from
the atmosphere of the street. Once every few years, we have
the opportunity to cry out,`Hashem Hu haElokim,' and
when a person cares, he acts. But on the other hand, when he
acts, he also feels."
The next speaker, HaRav Yaakov Horowitz, the rosh
yeshiva of the Ofakim yeshiva, spoke about the unique
aspect of these elections. "This time," he said, "they are
trying to tempt, on the one hand, and to strangle with the
other, as in the matters of the drafting of yeshiva students,
the supervision of chareidi chinuch, financial
threats, and the like, while their aim is to smother Torah
and mitzvah observance. People say: What can we achieve with
4 or even 6 representatives? But that's not the point. Not
only is Shabbos in Tel Aviv an important issue, but so is
Shabbos here, in Ofakim and in Yerushalayim. Everyone can do
something.
"The secular parties are interested in destroying everything
and in making our financial support conditional on the
supervision of our chinuch. This threat must rob every
one of us of his sleep. HaKodosh Boruch Hu wants
mesiras nefesh from us; wants us to cry out: I am
rallying to the call of maranan verabonon."
Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz came to the Negev on motzei
Shabbos in order to participate in the rally. "We are
currently in an era of gilui," he said. "Things which
were in hester for many years since Zionism began, and
later on after the founding of the State, are now being
revealed.
"Quite recently a joker filed an appeal to the Supreme Court,
in which he claimed that since the State subsidizes the
educational system, the chareidi system must be forced to
give citizenship classes. But we know what kind of
`citizenship' they study: one which teaches that the man in
the street has to keep a knife and a gun in his pocket. They
think that they can teach our remarkable educational system
derech eretz.
"On my visits throughout the country, I saw that the majority
of the people are with us, and that we must go out and shout,
mi laHashem eileinu. Israeli society wants to continue
and to be believing Jews. Therefore we must strengthen the
Torah world. We must strengthen Shabbos and strengthen those
who still haven't done full teshuvah," he
concluded.
The final speaker was Rabbi Yechiel Turgeman who, in a
rousing speech, said: "Kabolas haTorah took place when
the Nation was `like one man with one heart.' Divisiveness
results in the destruction of the world. . . . One more Jew
who votes for UTJ is one more Jew who votes for HaKodosh
Boruch Hu. I have no doubt that if everyone will do his
part, we will succeed in making a kiddush Hashem."
Rally in Ashdod
A large rally was held last week in the Belzer shul in
Ashdod. It was opened by Rabbi Yechezkel Govner. Rabbi Chaim
Pesach Horowitz, dayan and moreh tzedek of the
Belzer community of Ashdod, stressed the importance of
increasing the chareidi representation and of developing
Torah life in Ashdod.
HaRav Shmuel Dovid Gross, rav of the Gerrer community of
Ashdod, conveyed the request of gedolei Yisroel that
Shabbos kodesh, the source of blessing, must be
fortified.
Rosh yeshiva of Grodno, HaRav Tzvi Dov Karelenstein,
aroused the audience with stirring words about the obligation
to protest the grave spiritual situation in Eretz
Yisroel.
Rabbi Yaakov Litzman of the UTJ slate devoted his remarks to
the kedusha of Shabbos and the obligation of the
representatives in the Knesset to fight against all attempts
to breach the walls of the sanctify of the Shabbos. Rabbi
Shmuel Halpert warned against the dangers of the Reform.
Rabbi Yisroel Eichler, also a candidate on the UTJ slate,
warned against the schemes to deny the chareidi community its
rights by transferring the center gravity of the law and of
the government from the Knesset to the judicial system. He
also warned against the media and the people from abroad who
are close to the Reform.
Rabbi Eichler mentioned that only last week, the government
authorized the transfer of another 3 billion shekel to reduce
the debts of the kibbutzim (15 billion of which will remain
after that reduction) while the media directs its cries of
"extortion" against the chareidim.
The final speaker, Rabbi Moshe Almaliach spoke about the
importance of unity among all sectors of the community.
Rabbi Osher Levi and Rabbi Ephraim Weber, members of the city
council, as well as other public figures also participated in
the rally.
Kiryat Gat
An impressive UTJ election rally was held last week in Kiryat
Gat. It was attended by all the chareidi circles in the city,
and moderated by Rabbi Kalman Weinfeld.
Rabbi Shmuel Halpert warned against the raging incitement
which the leaders of the State are ignoring. He also
mentioned a recent survey which indicates that 71% of the
residents of the State are aware of the fact that UTJ leads
the country's battles on behalf of Yiddishkeit.
Rabbi Yaakov Litzman, one of the main candidates on the UTJ
slate, promised that after the elections, he would try to
expand the Kiryat Gat community by increasing the housing for
chareidim there.
Rabbi Yisroel Eichler, also of the UTJ slate, spoke about the
current battle between the chareidim and the Leftist haters
of religion.
