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8 Tammuz, 5782 - July 7, 2022 | Mordecai Plaut, director | Vayishlach - 5782 Published Weekly
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Kibbud Av: The Descendants of the German Rathenau Family

Walter Rathenau was the only Jew to serve as the Foreign Minister of Germany, where, with creativity and skill he managed the complicated affairs of the Germany that was defeated in World War I. 100 years ago (June 24, 1922) he was murdered at the age of 55 by right-wing extremists who could not stand to see the success of this wealthy and gifted Jew. Although it was more than 10 years until Hitler ym"sh rose to power, some consider his murder the opening shot of the Holocaust.

An amazing story reached the Yated Ne'eman editorial staff, submitted by Rabbi Avraham Abba Weingurt, brought in the "Memoirs of the Seridei Aish." It tells of HaRav Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg and the existence of the Jewish spark within the most distant one, like Walter Rathenau. The only connection between him and his Judaism was on paper, if even that.

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OPINION
"The Wrong Award"

Nitzan Horowitz, the Minister of Health, has certainly developed a sense of humor. Regarding the upswing of the Corona Virus, where the number of fatalities this week stands at 40 people and the number of actively sick with the virus passed the one hundred thousand mark, Horowitz decided to distribute a "health protection shield" as an award to whoever was at the front lines of the battle against Corona.

This politician, on whose watch were almost 5000 fatalities in the past year, and with a record of an almost total lack of action in the fight against the virus, was awarded this sign of distinction for his achievements. It was awarded to Naftali Bennett and this is no mistake.

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Dr. Nosson Birnbaum: The First Prominent Modern Baal Teshuvah

This year marks the eighty-fifth yahrtzeit of Dr. Nosson Birnbaum. One of the secular founders of the Zionist movement, but later a lay leader of the early Agudas Yisroel, Dr. Birnbaum also was one of the first to return from secularism to religion. His story and his thought are of gripping interest and even importance to us today.

Part V

The final installment in the biographical material about Dr. Nathan Birnbaum, seminal figure in turn-of-the-century Jewish life. We have learned of Dr. Birnbaum's selfless dedication to his people, and his eventual recognition of the truth of Torah. Our story picks up here after Dr. Birnbaum's return to Torah ideals and full shemiras mitzvos.

IX. Final Years

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Outstanding Articles From Our Archives


Saga of a Returning Seminary Girl

by Debby Friedman

Part II

This true story happened many years ago, before the age of credit cards and modern telecommunications technology.

Synopsis:

The author finds herself stranded in Zurich airport with an invalid airline ticket. No one at home in Los Angeles answers the phone and at her father's business, no one will accept the collect call...

Dissolving into tears, suddenly a family of blue-eyed, blond parents, accompanied by two similar-looking children, appear on the scene and offer to take her under their wing.


Collaboration Between the Chareidim and the Zionists During the Holocaust

by Binyomin Y. Rabinowitz

When this article was published in the Hebrew paper about two months ago (in the issue of Acharei Mos-Kedoshim -- 18 years ago) it elicited a very large the largest reader response, since it deals with one of the lingering sore issues in Klal Yisroel: cooperation with the non-religious when life and death issues are at stake. This is certainly not the last word, but these are important documents in what is an ongoing discussion.

Quite frequently, questions sprout up on the way the chareidi Jews, led by the gedolim of the generation, relate to the devastating period of the Nazi destruction.

Recently, the Holocaust was discussed from a variety of angles: There were moving stories of gentiles who saved Jews; yet another survivor who opened his blocked heart and related the events of those harrowing times; and, most especially, report after report about the annual marches of Israeli students to the concentration camps, and the ceremonies held on the sites.

But there was one subject which was not in the general media's agenda, nor will it ever be: The intent of the then Zionist leaders (including members of the Mizrachi sector who were fully involved in the Action Committee set up by the Jewish Agency) to take the slightest action to save the Jews of Europe. As HaRav Zalman Sorotzkin, the Lutzker Rov, a member of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah and later head of the Vaad Hayeshivos, stated at a meeting of the Agudas Yisroel Executive Committee on Tu BeShevat, 5703 (Thursday, January 21, 1943):

POPULAR EDITORIALS

These links were fixed, Tammuz 5781