THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN 0021-6615) is published monthly, in this issue ... except July and August, by the Agudath lsrael of Ameri.ca, 5 Beekman Street, New York, N.Y. The Sixth Knessia Gedolah of Agudath Israel . 3 10038. Second class postage paid at New York, N.Y. Subscription Knessia Gedolah Diary . 5 $9.00 per year; two years, $17.50, Rabbi Elazar Shach K"ti•?111: The Essence of Kial Yisroel 13 three years, $25.00; outside of the United States, $10.00 per year Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky K"ti•?111: Blessings of "Shalom" 16 Single copy, $1.25 Printed in the U.S.A. What is an Agudist . 17 Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman K"ti•?111: RABBI NISSON WotP!N Editor An Agenda of Restraint and Vigilance . 18 The Vizhnitzer Rebbe K"ti•'i111: Saving Our Children .19 Editorial Board Rabbi Shneur Kotler K"ti•'i111: DR. ERNST BODENHEIMER Chairman The Ability and the Imperative . 21 RABBI NATHAN BULMAN RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS Helping Others Make it, Mordechai Arnon . 27 JOSEPH FRJEDENSON "Hereby Resolved .. Report and Evaluation . 31 RABBI MOSHE SHERER :'-a The Crooked Mirror, Menachem Lubinsky .39 THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not Discovering Eretz Yisroel, Nissan Wolpin .46 assume responsibility for the Kae;hrus of any product or ser­ Second Looks at the Jewish Scene vice advertised in its pages. Murder in Hebron, Violation in Jerusalem ..... 57 On Singing a Different Tune, Bernard Fryshman .ss FEB., 1980 VOL. XIV, NOS. 6-7 Letters to the Editor . • . 6 7 ___.., _____ -- -· - - The Jewish Observer I February, 1980 3 Expectations ran high, and rightfully so. After all, mony to the vibrancy and growth of Torah Jewry in the Sixth Knessia Gedolah opened in the shadows of the recent years. glorious traditions of five previous Knessios, their stir­ But a Knessia Gedolah is more than a public demon­ ring public sessions and most impressive dais; their stration. As Rabbi Perlow, Novominsker Rebbe, put it bringing together of so many different streams within (at the session devoted to the ideology of Agudath Torah Jewry and the pooling of the efforts of their Israel): Only a Knessia that is convened L'shem Sho­ respective communities; and the legacy of their great mayim-for the sake of Heaven-can have permanence accomplishments. Surely, by virtue of the name itself, a (see Avos IV,17), for in truth any gathering of people is Knessia Gedolah must excite the imagination. inherently unstable. Each person has his own indi­ In many ways, the Sixth Knessia Gedolah surpassed vidual character traits, his own needs and designs. expectations. To help the reader evaluate the week-long When brought together with others, even for a cause of historic events and relive some of its more stirring common interest, conflict is inevitable. Only when the moments, we will ou,tline the structure and schedule of common cause is service to G-d can a union of forces the proceedings and present some of the more extra­ have perpetuity, for all individual designs become ordinary occurrences in this writer's view (pages 4-18); secondary to overriding loftier goals. A Knessia Gedolah of record excerpts from several speeches (pages 19-28); Agudath Israel, as a Knessia for the sake of Heaven, can and attempt to assess the long-range impact of this supercede differences-differences that exist, but are obvi­ Sixth Knessia Gedolah: What could be expected from a ated when responding to higher callings. Knessia Gedo/ah, and what, indeed, will be realized The term "Knessia" is well chosen to describe such from this specific conclave? (pages 29-35) a gathering-as the Maharal points out-instead of asifa, ve'ida, or any number of other words. Knessia is com­ The Purpose of a Knessia Gedolah posed of two words: om-gathering, and np-one of G-d' s names. To be sure, a primary purpose of a Knessia Gedolah Without this overriding sense of purpose, Agudath lies in its demonstration aspect: the mere fact that so Israel would be doomed to failure, and a Knessia could many thousands of Jews should recognize the need to never be organized, let alone function and be fruitful. come together to express their allegiance to Torah as the basis for Jewish existence, the authority of Gedolei Torah in determining the destiny of Kial Yisroel, and The Framework the unrivaled strength of a united Orthodoxy consisting I. The Knessia Gedolah could be described as run­ of the various segments of the Torah community. The ning on three levels. First, is the coming together of thousands that came from all over the world to partici­ thousands of Jews who identify with Agudath Israel as pate in the Knessia, the dais of 350 Rabbanim, Chassi­ a movement, with its general principles, or at least with dic Rabbeim, and Roshei Yeshiva that graced the pro­ the primary concept of allegiance to the leadership of ceedings, and the tens of thousands of visitors that Torah authorities. Evening sessions, which were open crowded the Binyanei HaUma convention center in to the public attracted, record over-flow crowds as a hope of attending the public sessions-all bore testi- rule; and, in effect, were also public demonstrations as Photo: lMillh Karlinsky, Jerusalem 4 The Jewish Observer I February, 1980 mentioned before. These sessions had tremendous Torah Education, Eretz Yisroel Affairs, Rescue and impact on those fortunate enough to gain entry. Many Absorption, Press and Publications, among others. of the speeches at these sessions were definitive state­ These committees met daily from 9:30 am to 2 pm, air­ ments of hashkafa (Torah ideology) or stirring calls for ing problems, sharing insights, and drafting resolu­ perSonal improvement and decisive action. tions. Every afternoon, reports, discussions and debates II. A Knessia Gedolah is distinguished by a rare were held on the themes explored by the resolution coming together of many of Jewry's outstanding Torah committees, as well as on other topics. To many of the scholars and leaders. Aside from gracing the public ses­ participants, the opportunity to pool information sions with their presence, and addressing many of among colleagues from far-flung corners of the earth them, those that are members of the Moetzes Gedolei justified the convening of this international gathering. HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Israel) The resolutions that were drafted were then chan­ met in private conferences several times during the neled to a steering committee, which evaluated the pro­ week. This afforded a rare opportunity for them to dis­ posals for feasibility. Those of a more sensitive nature cuss various issues and pass judgment on them. were then presented to a special session of Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah to pass on the acceptability and advis­ Beyond doubt, the opportunity to see and hear these ability of enacting these resolutions. All the resolutions Gedolei Yisroel made the Knessia Gedolah a magnet for _were then read to a plenary session for discussion and so many thousands of people. approval. These resolutions, in the form of thirty typed III. A Knessia Gedolah is also a world-wide conven­ pages of Hebrew, are currently being referred to the tion, with 521 official delegates participating, including various national Agudath Israel branches, where they· 145 from the United States. These delegates worked in are being reviewed once more. They will eventually eleven committees, which dealt with a broad range of form the agenda for the various branches of Agudath topics, such as Chizuk Hadas (strengthening religious Israel, as well as for the new administration of the world activities), Kiruv Rechokim (attracting alientate Jews), organization. Knessia Gedolah Diary assigned to keep order, but did little Memphis just to be part of this more than instill a bit of fear in the crowd. Imagine! Thousands of peo­ non-equestrian. ple pushing just to get a chance to Monday,Jan, 7/18 Teves: The crowd built up much more hear divrei Torah!" The Opening Session rapidly than the one-at-a-time By 5:15, just about every seat in · The session was scheduled to entrants could gain admission, mak­ the hall was taken, the aisles began begin at 6 PM. And admission was ing the wait up to three-quarters of to fill, and the doorways were by ticket only, with reserved seat an hour. One person was heard to becoming blocked. The guards at numbers marked on each ticket. Yet remark, "If I weren't so far from the the entrance door had given up, and by 3: 4S, at least a thousand people back, I'd turn around and go the constant flow of people filled were pressing against the single home-I just don't have the strength adjacent halls, as well as the Grand opening in the gate surrounding the to push up-stream.'' A Southern­ Ballroom of the nearby Jerusalem glass-walled Binyanei HaUma. accented voice replied, "Are you Hilton, which were equipped with Mounted border guards were kidding? It was worth the trip from wall-sized screens for closed-circuit The Jewish Observer I February, 1980 5 TV. An air of expectancy pervaded adding a festive air as the various the hall, as dignitary after dignitary dignitaries found their seats on the filed onto the stage-cum-speaker's podium-or bama (stage), as the platform. Israelis prefer to call it. The splen­ "Imagine!" someone remarks. dor of the Sephardic rabbanim­ "There are at least one hundred Rabbi Ovadia Yoseif and Rabbi men up there who know Shas!" Shalom Mashash-in their imposing ., A hundred 1 I don't think there's raiment; the modest, self-negating more than fifty." entrance of some of the world's "And is fifty so insignificant?" most imposing scholars; the quick­ A sense of history hangs heavy: footed entry of the Gerrer Rebbe­ In his address early in the program which, by virtue of his legion of Rabbi Leib Gurwicz, Gateshead young followers and ardent admir­ Rosh Yeshiva, refers to "empty ers, was impossible to miss.