The Eighth Convention of Agudas Yisroel of Europe opened last
Friday afternoon in the vacation town of Bournemouth in
southern England. It ended on Monday. Attended by hundreds of
gedolei Torah, leaders and local Aguda activists from
all parts of Europe, the convention focused attention on the
bitter struggle of hundreds of thousands of Torah-true Jews
in Eretz Hakodesh against the harsh economic blows directed
at chareidi Torah and educational institutions.
Upon arriving at the chareidi-run Normandy Hotel, R' Yitzchok
Meir Zimmerman, deputy chairman of Agudas Yisroel in Britain
and Convention chairman, announced the main slogan for the
convention would be Tzavei Yeshuos Yaakov to convey
the support of Diaspora Jews for Jews in Eretz Yisroel, both
due to the difficult security situation and the severe threat
to ruchniyus following the recent decrees.
Rabbi Chaim Yaakov Davis, director-general of Agudas Yisroel
in Britain, announced the completion of the various technical
preparations designed to guarantee smooth-running logistics
during the 4-day conference, as well as the hotel's
arrangements to accommodate the participants from all over
Great Britain, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Austria.
Among the gedolei Torah to deliver divrei
chizuk and divrei Torah were: HaRav Betzalel
Rakow, rov of Gateshead and chairman of the Agudas Yisroel
Nesius in Britain; HaRav Y. M. Twersky, the Admor of
Milwaukee; HaRav S. A. Schlesinger, the rov of Strasbourg;
HaRav Y. M. Rosenbaum, rosh yeshivas Lev Simchah of Gur and a
member of the Agudas Yisroel Nesius in Britain; HaRav R.D.
Greenhaus, a member of the Kedassia Beis Din in London; HaRav
A. Westheim of the Manchester Beis Din; HaRav A. Weiss of the
Vishnitz Beis Din in London; HaRav A. David, rosh yeshiva and
Dayan at Golders Green; HaRav S. Hirschler, a Daf
Yomi maggid shiur in London; HaRav Moshe Kupitz, Chairman
of Reshes Institutions in Manchester; and HaRav Dovid Dunner,
principal of the Pardes Talmud Torah in London.
Speakers on contemporary problems facing European Jewry and
the Jewish world included Messers. Y.M.Zimmerman, J
Lobenstein, C. M. Feldman, A. Strom and members of the
convention's organizing committee Messers Bondy and Bergman.
Rabbi A. Scheinberg and Rabbi Pesach Krohn of the US gave
several lectures along with R' Nechemia Rosen, Chairman of
Agudas Yisroel in Holland.
Reb Avrohom Yosef Leizerson, one of the heads of Chinuch
Atzmai, arrived from Israel to speak out against the dire
situation heads of Torah institutions now face.
Daily shiurim on the Daf Yomi, Pirkei Ovos and
parshas hashovua were also given by HaRav Y.
Greenfeld, a maggid shiur at the Vishnitz Beis Midrash
in London, HaRav Shmuel Zilberberg, author of Be'er
Moshe, HaRav Moshe Margaliot, rosh kollel Yad Torah in
London and HaRav Avrohom Sonenstein, a ram at Yeshivas
Lev Simchoh-Gur in London.
A separate program was also held for the ladies present, with
a bill of lectures by leading rebbetsens.
