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12 Tammuz 5773 - June 20, 2013 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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"An Unbearably Difficult Battle"

Some three hundred rabbonim of cities, towns, settlements, local councils and neighborhoods gathered this past Sunday in light of the drastic deterioration in the condition of religious matters and the Rabbinate in Israel, and because of the terrible dangers presenting themselves at the doorsteps of all rabbis everywhere. They gathered to discuss the measures being planned by a hostile government determined to uproot religion by recognizing fictitious conversions, opening new districts for marriage registration which portends the danger of serious intermarriage, recognition of reform rabbis and others.

Conclusions of the Kennes of Rabbonim

The protocol of decisions was read aloud at the end of the assembly:

Israeli rabbonim express their deep concern over the ill winds blowing lately in Israel, whose purpose is to strike at the religious values and procedures practiced ever since the beginning of statehood. The rabbis appeal to the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers not to lend a hand to destroy Judaism and not to turn the State of Israel into a country like all other countries. This must remain the State of Jews. It has subsequently been decided as follows:

Pure Chinuch is Accountable Only to Torah Leadership

"We will not allow any inroad to our pure chinuch which is accountable only to the authority of our Torah leadership."

Meeting of Kollel Heads and the Establishment of a Special Beis Din to Prevent Technological Damages

The meeting of the heads of kollelim in Israel to fortify and reinforce the sanctity and purity of the Jewish home took place this past Sunday in the home of HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, headed by the foremost figures, HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman, HaRav Nissim Karelitz and HaRav Chaim Kanievsky. It was attended by the heads of kollelim and rabbonim who discussed ways of reinforcing the sanctity of our camp and announced the establishment of a special beis din, as well as a decision to combat within kollelim the Internet and forbidden cellphones that have access to Internet.


"Reb Itzikil Hamburger" — HaRav Yitzchok Halevi Horowitz, zt"l
In honor of his yahrtzeit, 2 Tammuz

When he was but a boy of twelve, the shadchonim were already bringing prestigious suggestions of a match for the brilliant boy. R' Itzikil's father was interested in R' Yaakov, a distinguished and wealthy talmid chochom of Broide, and a meeting was arranged at the home of R' Yaakov.

From Our Archives


Opinion and Comment
Finding Investors in the Brooklyn Bridge

by Chaim Walder

This column does not generally take a stance or make recommendations on business investments of one kind or another, but to every rule there is an exception and in the following lines we will talk about an investment that appears very safe, although this recommendation does not constitute accepting responsibility for the investment.

Behind this investment opportunity lies an amazing story known to very few, all of whom are Jews.

Opinion and Comment

I Look to the Poor Man, Who Trembles Over My Word


Rabbi N. Z. Grossman
The chareidi world in Israel is definitely under pressure. Our current Torah leaders, and lhbc'l, past Torah leaders, taught that whenever troubles threaten our community, we ought to try to identify some specific area in which there has been slackening.

The Netziv of Volozhin zt'l discusses this lesson in a passage in his work, She'eir Yisroel, in which he examines the causes of antisemitism (it can be found at the end of Chumash Vayikra in the new printing of the Wahrman-Bamberger edition of Ha'ameik Dovor). He quotes a posuk in Doniel (8:12), speaking about Doniel's vision of the exile: "A host is empowered [to act against] the constant one, on account of crime (pesha); when she casts truth to the ground, they act and are successful."



Opinion and Comment

Gambling is Decadent


by Mordecai Plaut
The idea of legalized casino gambling, which is a perennial proposal in Israel, has recently received support from highly placed government officials. Although it was long considered unlikely in Israel, now powerful figures including the director of the prime minister's office and the Finance Minister have expressed support for the idea. Even though the prime minister and the attorney general have criticized legalized casino gambling, it is hard to say what the result will be.

Secular Israel always looks to America, and there gambling is spreading rapidly. Once it was confined to Las Vegas and then also to Atlantic City. However, over the last decade casinos have opened all across the American Midwest as states have jumped in to try to grab their share of the easy tax money and apparent prosperity that gambling brings in its wake. In many parts of America, Indians are allowed to open casinos on their reservations under special arrangements. Slot machines are springing up all over, and airports in such diverse locations in middle America as Kansas City, St. Louis, Omaha and Detroit try to entice travelers to gamble away their money. Americans now lose more than $68 billion a year in all types of gambling including lotteries, casinos and racetracks.






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