In a letter published in Iyar 5771 (May 2011), maranan gedolei Yisroel shlita wrote against the various weeklies: "All of the weeklies and the free publications, including Mishpacha, skew and distort the proper Torah worldview we received from our rabbonim, and newspapers of this sort should definitely not be brought into one's home or assisted in any way. Clearly this type of newspaper cannot be granted any sort of rabbinical approval."
And now we have heard that unfortunately the weekly Mishpacha is publishing another weekly, to be distributed free, that will increase its dangerous influence.
Maran HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv shlita has let known his opinion that we must stand guard not to allow these newspapers to enter our areas. He reiterated his instructions not to cooperate with them in any manner, and that by doing so one becomes a partner to a transgression, and certainly they cannot be granted any hechsher approval under any name, since they distort proper values and views, and inevitably stumbling blocks will emerge, whose ramifications cannot be foreseen.
(The above was shown to Maran HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv shlita.)
Therefore we encourage every individual to remove this grave hazard from our neighborhoods.
Ezriel Auerbach
Rav of Kehillas Chanichei Yeshivos, Bayit Vegan
Shlomo Zalman Ulman
Rav of Mishkenos Yaakov neighborhood, Bnei Brak
Shlomo Zalman Ulman
Motz in the Beis Din of HaRav Shmuel Wosner, rov of Modi'in Illit
Mordechai Gross
Gavad of Chanichei Yeshivos
Click here or on image for larger image.
Yisroel Gans
Rav in Mattersdorf, Yerushalayim
Eliezer HaLevi Dunner
Rav of Adas Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel
Tzvi Weber
Rav of Neve Yaakov, Yerushalayim
Yitzchok Zilberstein
Rav of Ramat Elchonon, Bnei Brak
Nachum Eisenstein
Rav of Maalot Dafna, Yerushalayim
Mordechai Goldstein
Rav of Mishkenos Yaakov, Rama 1, Beit Shemesh
Dovid Twersky
Rav of Chassidei Rachmastrivka, Yerushalayim
Avrohom Yitzchok Hacohen Rubin
Rav of the Chareidi Community of Rechovot
Yisroel Aryeh Shulman
Rav of Kiryat Yearim, Telshe Stone
Tzvi Charlene
Rav of Ramat Eshkol, Yerushalayim
Tzvi Schreiber
Rav of Chassidei Boyan, Yerushalayim
Note: We have listed 15 of the 56 signatories. The rest are visible in the Hebrew original.
ADDITION: I personally heard from HaRav Eliashiv shlita that the above remarks refer also to the
English language edition of Mishpachah. (signed) Nochum Eisenstein
The above remarks apply to all of the weeklies and free publications, as noted in the letter by gedolei Yisroel.
