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13 Iyar, 5783 - May 4, 2023 | Mordecai Plaut, director | Vayishlach - 5782 Published Weekly
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The Standing Committee of the Conference of European Rabbis Meets

This past Sunday, the Members of the Standing Committee of The Conference of European Rabbis convened in Warsaw and opened their program In the Warsaw Marriott hotel in central Poland.

The rabbonim were invited to gather in Warsaw in order to fortify the Jewish kehilla there and its institutions. The agenda included many topical issues involving European Jewry including the initiative of anti-Semitic legislation against shechita and circumcision in many countries on the continent.

The president of the Committee, HaRav Pinchas Goldschmidt, addressed the audience, which included government representatives and said:

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Letters of Maran HaRav Edelstein and HaRav Dov Lando shlita

HaRav Edelstein wrote:

Members of the Ongoing Committee of The Conference of European Rabbis" convening in Warsaw, headed by HaRav Goldschmidt; HaRav Gali and HaRav Lebel with the greeting of Shalom and Blessing.

At this time, when the nations of the world are contesting against one another, we need exceeding Heavenly mercy, for the hatred of the nations against Israeli is universal, and even in the midst of our people, there are those who seek to uproot all that is sacred, even our very religious character.

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A Chareidi Boycott of Angel Bakery?

A boycott of the well-known Israel bakery Angel Bakery is gathering strength. Many yeshivas have already announced that they are cancelling their contracts with the bakery in the wake of a demonstration by a high official of the bakery that was considered insulting to kovod haTorah. It is gathering strength among all segments of the chareidi community.

Nonetheless, on Friday morning Yated Ne'eman announced in the name of Maran Rosh Hayeshiva shlita: "We are not reacting to the provocative events of yesterday near the Torah halls."

On Thursday morning there was a demonstration in Bnei Brak opposite the home of Maran Rosh Hayeshiva HaRav Gershon Edelstein shlita. They "subject" of the demonstrators was the tired old complaint that chareidim do not serve in the army. There was no special reason to hold it now, and the way it was conducted was considered derogatory of kovod HaTorah.

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OPINION
Is Ensuring More Diversity in High Court Judges — Dictatorship?

The main subject of the deep contention between the Coalition and the Opposition is the appointment of judges. According to the current method, the representatives of the judges in the committee for appointing judges has the right to veto the choice of all new judges.

Majority vote of the committee has no place here in instating new judges and the inescapable result is that the chosen judges have to toe the line of the presiding judges themselves. No judge could be voted in without the certification of the president of the High Court, meaning that the roster of judges continued to maintain its carbon copy status with the identical views of the judicial body.

The High Court had its balance and calibration through the necessity of appointing an Arab judge as well as a 'pet' dati, preferably one sporting a knitted kipah and residing in the settlements, so as to give the High Court a semblance of representing the people, while not tampering with the absolute automatic majority of a leftist agenda favored by such as Meretz and the Left.

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"...For We Will Only Have The Land With Blood": Zionist Behavior During the Holocaust

<Part 3

This long series of articles was originally published in print in 1994, exactly 29 years ago. It describes the approach and feeling of certain representatives of the Zionist movement during the Holocaust. Sammy Kaufman argues that their behavior was influenced by their political desires to achieve a Jewish state, and their assessment that Jewish sacrifices in the war will make achievement of that goal more likely.

The first part of this series discussed the situation that prevailed in Slovakia at the beginning of the war, as the Germans began to ship Jews off to the death camps. Jews from all groups and backgrounds united against the common danger, forming the Working Group to save Jews. They found that Jewish lives could be bought fairly cheaply and they appealed to Jewish organizations all over for the funds. Some expressed concern about sending money that would aid the enemy. Others had more "ideological" grounds, as we will see in this part.

Writing after the war, Rav Weissmandel recalled the stunning response of Nathan Schwalb, the Zionist representative of the Hechalutz movement, who was sent to Europe to help his fellows. By "fellows" Schwalb only meant Zionists and the Zionist cause, as we will see herein.

In the last installment (part 2), we saw that Nathan Schwalb did not deny writing the letter until 1987, more than twenty-five years after if was first published by Rabbi Weissmandel in his book, Min HaMeitzar. In an interview, he claimed that the letter was a fabrication, and that he had not heard of it until then. He also denied knowledge of the work of earlier researchers on the Holocaust.

Researcher Kaufman contacted the others who worked in the field, and all claimed to have met Schwalb in the course of their work. Kaufman concluded that Schwalb lied to him in the interview. To weigh the plausibility that Rabbi Weissmandel made up the letter or did not accurately remember it, he brings a short biography of and testimonials to Rabbi Weissmandel's memory and intellectual integrity.

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The plan for Lag B'Omer this year

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Outstanding Articles From Our Archives


Opinion & Comment
In the Tents of the Shepherds

by Yated Ne'eman Staff

"Your Statutes Were Songs for Me"

Someone once approached HaRav Moshe Soloveitchik zt'l and asked: "How could Chazal have stated, `Talmidei chachomim increase peace on earth'? Doesn't reality prove the very opposite? Don't we often see Torah scholars maintaining differences of opinion and even fomenting dissension?"

R' Moshe replied with a parable, "Two people once attended a musical concert. One of them was a connoisseur, while the other was a virtual philistine. During the course of the concert, the connoisseur detected a dissonance by one of the musicians and it disturbed him immensely. He squirmed uneasily and was on the verge of leaving the concert hall, so greatly did it irk him. The other man in the audience could not understand what was bothering his seatmate.


Home and Family
ASK THE SHADCHAN: The Shadchan and Lying

By Rebbetzin Nomi Travis

Question:

"From my experience with shadchonim, I noticed that they distort information at their convenience. How can they do that if falsehood is so despised by all of us?

Michal*

Answer:

Dear Michal,

Distance from Falsehood

Your question is the number one complaint I hear about shadchonim. Because of the nature of our work, so much personal data is given that reliability and trust are indispensable. Good intentions are not enough. We are talking about two people (and their families as well) with feelings and their future at stake. To me, just like with everything in life, dealing with G-d-fearing professionals is a priority.

We all recognize that the authentic facts ultimately come out. Regrettably, there is a tendency (or even trend) to assume that twisting some details is okay. For after all, if they are only side points, who would really mind? However, white lies, said the Kotzker Rebbe, are even more dangerous! They are taken less seriously and can be easily slipped in like a carving knife.

What is Truth?




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