The following article was written on the occasion of the
20th anniversary of the Hebrew edition of Yated
Ne'eman that took place last Tammuz. We are publishing it
for the hashkofoh it contains about our newspaper on
the occasion of our 17th anniversary.
*
Founded in 5745 (1985) by the Kehillos Yaakov and the Avi
Ezri, zechusom yogen oleinu, the Hebrew edition of
Yated Ne'eman went through difficult periods, jumping
over pitfalls and landmines until reaching its present
status, besiyata deShmaya. In addition to the problems
every new newspaper experiences during its incipient years,
Yated faced attempts from outside parties to impede
its progress that put its very existence in question, but the
newspaper eventually succeeded beyond all expectations and
continues to develop and thrive in all respects.
Without a doubt Yated Ne'eman is sustained through the
efforts of all those who dedicated themselves to the holy
task during the birth pains of the newspaper's creation and
all those who work day and night to this day to make the
paper thrive. Even mo'asu habonim hoyesoh lerosh
pinoh. From the dedicated rabbonim of the Vaada Ruchanit
who set our course in the light of gedolei Yisroel
shlita and whose eyes are ever watchful, through
avreichim who actually check all of the contents, to
the members of the editorial board, the writers and the
administrative workers, who draw immeasurable encouragement
and support from their knowledge of the attitude of
maranan zt"l vylct"a towards the paper and the great
concern and efforts made to sustain a unique voice that
articulates the Torah hashkofoh in our generation.
Tremendous work goes into the publication of Yated to
this day and it was no easy task to become the leading
chareidi newspaper in such a short period of time, a
newspaper whose originality, professionalism, and quality
have made it a model to be emulated. Today it is considered
the most important voice for the yirei'im
public—and the newspaper's subscribers and readers, who
belong to a select and unique group, are worthy of such a
newspaper.
In retrospect we can derive great satisfaction from the long
road the newspaper has traveled since 23 Tammuz 5745 (and the
English edition was started as a semi-independent entity in
Teves 5749) to the present. Today it can be said that even
those within our own camp who cast doubt on the need for this
newspaper during the initial period of Yated's
appearance on the scene now recognize, beyond a doubt, the
importance of its very appearance and the message it conveys.
Maranan verabonon shlita, including Maran HaRav
Eliashiv shlita, consider the newspaper a real
necessity, and they promote its existence in various ways and
stand by its side.
The great trials during the period preceding the arrival of
Moshiach make the newspaper's existence necessary. In the
previous generation, gedolei Yisroel issued a strong
letter clarifying the need for the existence of chareidi
periodicals in our lowered generation in which the written
and printed word have more impact than anything else.
*
Let's try to shed some light on the issue of the chareidi
press in general and Yated Ne'eman in particular,
using a parable the Chofetz Chaim used for a totally
different matter—man's struggle with his
yetzer—and apply it to the matter before us: the
need for explanations regarding various public campaigns.
According to the parable, when a battle takes place between
two enemies with two armies, winning one battle does not
decide how the war will turn out. The war can be won even if
a certain battle is lost, as long as the forces are in
balance and both sides are carrying their weapons. Even if
one side overpowers the other for a short time, the losing
side might still win the next battle.
However, the moment one side manages to disarm the other, to
blow up the armory and the ammunitions, the whole war is lost
and there is no longer any chance of balanced fighting.
Many battles are being fought by chareidi Jewry, especially
the Torah world which is fighting to keep the concept of
Torah study intact. We can win one battle or another, though
we may not succeed completely, as long as the weapons of war
are in our possession: an organ that immediately explains any
matter in need of elucidation in order to mobilize the public
to support various campaigns.
But when this possibility is unavailable it becomes very
difficult to win any battle. Even the most righteous and
logical battle will be dashed to pieces by the waves of
venomous and deceitful propaganda that casts it in a negative
light and even casts doubts among the public in whose name
and for whose sake the battles are being waged.
This was the case in the past when public activists waging
the Torah world's various campaigns felt helpless in the face
of various claims injected into the public conscience through
sophisticated means, cliches introduced without a way to
combat them fairly.
Positions must be articulated to the public. Pesach picho
le'ileim. There is a critical need to sensitize readers
and explain, to provide quotations and uncover various facts
unknown to the public at large, and systematically concealed
through sophisticated means to present only one side of the
coin in a skewed manner. Demagogic propaganda is liable to
make people's opinion's vague and confused as long as a clear
and correct worldview is not presented.
*
Many hold that the newspaper is necessary in order to provide
us ammunition for those who engage us in debate— da
meh shetoshiv—but this is not the main objective.
One of the mussar gedolim said that "Da mah
shetoshiv le'apikorus" refers to the little
apikorus that burrows its way into the heart of each
and every one of us, casting doubt (subconsciously) on the
righteousness of our cause.
During the years of our newspaper's existence, we have
encountered astonishing reactions from numerous readers
(orally and in writing) who expressed their deep gratitude to
the newspaper for "opening their eyes" on various issues.
Today the need for a means of expression is self-evident. But
at first only the luminaries of the generation knew this
along with (lehavdil) those who feared and fought it
and who were aware of its potential power in shaping public
opinion on a daily basis.
All those who eagerly awaited Yated's demise now know
that their hope is unrealistic. Kol kli yutzar olayich lo
yitzloch.
Moreover all of the portzei geder know well that for
the past two decades they have no longer been free to do as
they pleased. They carefully weigh matters before taking any
action or issuing any statements. "What will Yated
Ne'eman say?" they ask themselves. "How will Yated
Ne'eman react?" they wonder, and open the newspaper with
fear and trembling.
Some people do not like Yated Ne'eman. Some people do
not like to see the truth, particularly when it is written in
a clear manner and printed in a respectable way in a large-
circulation newspaper that is given great credit by the
public.
For even many people from outside of the circle of
Yated subscribers acknowledge that we have created new
writing and reporting standards. No more vague, convoluted
editorials and publicity articles with multiple meanings. But
rather lucid, sharp hashkofoh articles unafraid of
losing certain readers. No more brushing internal
hashkofoh problems under the carpet while writing
articles that flatter readers and constantly speak of the
"consensus," reserving sharp criticism for porkei ol;
but rather honestly addressing negative trends from the
secular world that find their way into our camp.
And all this while placing a spotlight on the way of life of
gedolei Yisroel from all circles and backgrounds in
order to educate ourselves and our children, for we should
admire and learn lessons from the conduct of every
godol from all circles marching according to the Torah
handed down to us from generation to generation. Neharo
neharo upashteih.
*
At this juncture we would like to sincerely thank all those
who made the newspaper what it is today. First and foremost
the rabbonim of the Vaada Ruchanit and their assistants, who
invest thought and hard work out of a sense of responsibility
for the contents of every article and report, every sentence
and every word, all this under pressing deadlines to ensure
that the product comes out suitably reviewed by them.
Our thanks go out to all those who are with us today as well
as those who are no longer with us and who contributed, each
in his own capacity, to the newspaper's existence—the
administrative workers, the reporting staff and night
editors, the features writers, the layout and printing staff,
the typists and proofreaders, the graphic designers and the
distribution, advertising and accounting departments.
After 20 years since the newspaper's founding we have an
obligation to acknowledge the fabulous siyata deShmaya
that has been with the paper, giving praise and thanks to
Borei Olom and remembering the chessed He has
done for us, not claiming kochi ve'otzem yodi osoh li es
hachayil hazeh.
We must again recognize the great merit we had that
maranan verabonon zt"l vylct"a stood and stand behind
the newspaper. Their goals are pure, untainted by the
political or commercial interests that characterize other
newspapers and they encourage us to vigorously continue along
this path of ours.
With hopes that "each and every individual do what he can to
help establish the newspaper and strengthen it" (taken from a
letter by Maran HaRav Shach zt"l dated 25 Shevat 5746)
and an understanding that "each and every subscription plays
a part in strengthening religion in our Holy Land" (from
another letter by Maran dated 22 Tammuz 5746), we march
forward toward the future praying that we continue to see
Heavenly blessings in our work and no stumbling blocks
resulting from our labors.
