THE THE Adar I 5763 • February 2003 JJewishewish U.S.A. $3.50/Foreign $4.50 • VOL XXXVI/NO. 2 OOBSERBSERVERVER CLICK HERE FOR TABLE OF CONTENTS THEJJewishewish Adar I 5763 • February 2003 OOBSERBSERVERVER U.S.A.$3.50/Foreign $4.50 • VOL XXXVI/NO. 2 THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN) 0021-6615 is published monthly except July and August by the Agudath Israel This is the full Table of Contents of the print edition of the of America, 42 Broadway, New York, NY10004. Periodicals postage paid in Jewish Observer.The web edition contains only a selection of New York, NY. Subscription $24.00 per articles (indicated in color). Click on the title to go to the year; two years, $44.00; three years, $60.00. Outside of the United States (US beginning of that article. Navigate using your browser’s menu funds drawn on a US bank only) $12.00 surcharge per year. Single copy $3.50; and other options. foreign $4.50. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Observer, 42 Broadway, NY., NY. 10004. Tel: 212-797-9000, Fax: 646-254-1600. Printed in the U.S.A. 5 Remembering the Columbia RABBI NISSON WOLPIN, EDITOR HE SRAELI LECTIONS EDITORIAL BOARD T I E RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS Chairman 6 The Rise of Tommy Lapid and His Shinui Party RABBI ABBA BRUDNY Yonoson Rosenblum JOSEPH FRIEDENSON RABBI YISROEL MEIR KIRZNER RABBI NOSSON SCHERMAN PROF. AARON TWERSKI 15 Solomon’s Nightmare: Custody Disputes in Divorce DR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER Z”L RABBI MOSHE SHERER Z”L Cases, Dr. Sylvan Schaffer Founders 19 Don’t Judge the Book by its Cover, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Reinman MANAGEMENT BOARD AVI FISHOF, NAFTOLI HIRSCH 21 Piercing the Dark of Night: Remembering the Illuy, ISAAC KIRZNER, RABBI SHLOMO LESIN NACHUM STEIN Rabbi Mordechai Pogromansky, l”xz RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING Managing Editor Rabbi Eliyahu Berney Published by 31 From the Depths, a Zest for Life, Agudath Israel of America Rabbi Hillel Goldberg U.S. TRADE DISTRIBUTOR ISRAELI REPRESENTATIVE Feldheim Publishers Intnl. 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Feldinger Leimanstrasse 36 4051 Basel, SWITZERLAND About the cover: The safety and security of Eretz Yisroel and its inhabitants are depend- THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the Kashrus ent on the study of Torah, as we find in the Talmud:Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, of any product, publication, or service “What is the meaning of: ‘Our feet were standing in your gates, Jerusalem’? (Tehillim advertised in its pages 122,2) Who caused us to prevail in battle? The gates of Jerusalem – wherever they were © Copyright 2003 engaged in the study of Torah.” Makkos 10a. February 2003 Cover photo courtesy of Ponevezh Yeshiva, Bnei Brak. Photo on page 6, courtesy of Hamodia VOLUME XXXVI/NO. 2 SUBSCRIBE TO THE JEWISH OBSERVER. CLICK HERE. We join the American public, as well as Jews the world over, in mourning the terrible loss of human lives in the Colum- bia disaster, wherein the space shuttle car- rying seven astronauts, including Ilan Ramon h”i, an Israeli, disintegrated over Texas on Saturday, February 1. We take special note of the emphasis that Ilan Ramon, not known to have been observant in his personal life, focused on the Jewish aspect of his identity. It seemed that he recognized that in the eyes of the world, he functioned not only as an ambassador at large for the State of Israel, but, in effect, was also a represen- tative of Klal Yisroel. As such, he took pains to demonstrate that the essence of Klal Yisroel is most faithfully conveyed by adherence to the laws of kashrus,as reflected in his diet; the personal memen- tos he took aboard with him – includ- ing a mezuza and a small Sefer Torah entrusted to him by a Holocaust survivor who had used it at his bar mitzva in a concentration camp; his acknowledge- ment of the advent of Shabbos; and a stir- ring declaration of “Shema Yisroel, Hashem Elokainu Hashem Echad!” when the Columbia passed over Jerusalem – a declaration of Kiddush Hashem heard throughout the world. This tragic episode has moved even ostensibly irreligious people, Jew and gentile, to recognize, as they cast their gaze to the skies, the Hand of the Cre- ator in determining the fate of man’s dreams and aspirations. The President of the United States was inspired to say: In the skies today we saw destruction (What a pity that Kol Yisrael and and tragedy. Yet farther than we can see Galei Tzahal – Israel’s national radio net- there is comfort and hope. In the words works – in line with their general rejec- of the prophet Isaiah,“Lift your eyes and tion of broadcasting religious thought look to the heavens: Who created all and sentiments, chose, in their report- these? He who brings out the starry hosts ing of the President’s remarks, to excise one by one, and calls them each by name. precisely these noble sentiments from Because of His great power and mighty the full text of his speech!) strength, not one of them is missing.” We pray that soon we will merit to The same Creator who names the witness fulfillment of the Prophet’s stars also knows the names of the vision, “Ki miTzion…. The Torah will seven souls we mourn today. come forth from Zion and the word of The crew of the shuttle Columbia Hashem from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2,3) – did not return safely to Earth. Yet we neither filtered nor impeded, but can pray that all are safely home. May amplified and expounded by Jewish G-d bless the grieving families, and may media, for the benefit of Jewish ears, G-d continue to bless America. Jewish hearts, and Jewish neshamos. ■ The Jewish Observer, February 2003 5 THE ISRAELI ELECTIONS Yonoson Rosenblum What it Portends, What We Must Do Reuters I. SHINUI’S PLANS FOR of Israeli politics brought Shinui six Even though Sharon remains the over- THE CHAREIDIM Knesset seats with his non-stop attacks whelming choice of the electorate for on the chareidi community. prime minister, only 26% of those polled wo stories dominated the recent Prior to the recent elections, The New believe he has a solution to Palestinian Israeli elections. First, Israeli vot- York Times and Newsweek both profiled terrorism. Confidence in his economic Ters bid adieu to the Oslo process, Lapid, and the Jerusalem Report put him leadership is no higher. An electorate that at least as long as Yasser Arafat still heads on its cover with the caption “The Power sees no hope of either major party solv- the Palestinian Authority. The parties Broker.”After Shinui captured 15 seats ing the most pressing problems con- most closely identified with Oslo – Labor in the election, the description as 1 and Meretz – were reduced to a total of “power broker” could not be dismissed, As of this writing, it is still too early to know whether Sharon will find a way to bring Shinui 25 seats, and the Likud, under Prime and indeed Prime Minister Sharon was into a government with one or more of his tra- Minister Ariel Sharon, a staunch oppo- quick to call Lapid and ask him to join ditional religious party allies, especially as Shinui nent of Oslo from the beginning, the new government coalition. has ruled out joining a coalition with any charei- jumped to 38 seats, making it Israel’s Shinui has always been known as a di parties, except during a national emergency, and its platform is anathema to the National Reli- dominant party to a degree not seen one-issue party, and that issue is “stop- gious Party as well. since the old days of Labor hegemony. ping the chareidim.”Still, it would be a 2 In order to wrest control of the Likud Central The other major story was the meteoric mistake to attribute the entire swell of Committee from his chief rival Binyamin rise of Tommy Lapid’s virulently anti- support for Shinui to hardcore anti-reli- Netanyahu, Prime Minister Sharon engineered religious Shinui Party1.The Lapid phe- gious voters. Widespread disgust with a massive registration drive of new party mem- nomenon serves as an important warn- the Likud corruption scandals caused bers to choose a new Central Committee. That Central Committee then picked the list of Likud ing to the chareidi community of certain some voters who were intending to vote Knesset candidates. Much evidence has accu- long-range social trends in Israel. for Likud to look elsewhere2.For most mulated that families with close connections to Almost defunct four years ago, of those voters, Labor, with its platform organized crime acted as voting contractors in Shinui revived its fortunes by choosing of unconditional negotiations and uni- the registration drive and then used their con- trol over blocs of Central Committee members Lapid to head its list in the 1999 elec- lateral withdrawal, was not an option. to solicit bribes from candidates in the Likud tions. The outspoken “Archie Bunker” Many drifted to Shinui for want of any internal primaries.