.CHESHVAN, 5731 I NOVEMBER, 1970 VOLUME 7, NUMBER 1 fHE FIFTY CENTS THE CHAZON ISH - as revealed through his writings A BLACK JEW SPEAKS ''Baruch hamavtlil ... hein Yisroel lo 'amim ... " HIJACKED' - two reactions THE JEWISH QBSERVER In this issue ... MEMORANDUM FROM RABBI S!MCHA WASSERMAN ........................ 3 HIJACKED: Two OBSERVATIONS THE CHAIN OF EVENTS 6 AMONG THE HOSTAGES 9 A BLACK JEW SPEAKS, Robert Coleman ................................................ 11 PORTRAIT OF A YESHIVA PRINCIPAL ......................................................... 14 THE JEWISH OBSERVER is published monthly, except Aug. and Sept., by the Agudath Israel of America, THE CHAZON IsH, As REVEALED IN His WRITINGS, 5 Beekman Street, New York, 16 New York 10038. Second class Aaron Brafman ....................................................................................... postage paid at New York, N. Y. Subscription: $5.00 per year; Two years, $8.50; 'fhree years, $12.00: "DEAR TUITION COMMITTEE" ........................................................................ 20 outside of the United States, $6.00 per year. Single copy, fifty cents. Printed in the U.S.A. I REMEMBER ..• , A Poem by Paysach Krohn .............................. 22 RABBI NISSON WoLPlN Editor SECOND LOOKS AT THE JEWISH SCENE: Editorial Board WHICH PEOPI,E, YES? ........................................................................ 23 DR. ERNEST L. BODENHEIMER Chairman THE JEWISH CONTRADICTION OF ARTHUR WASKOW... 24 RABBI NATHAN BULMAN THE AJC TO THE RESCUE - OF MISSIONARIES? ...... 27 RABBI ] OSEPH ELIAS JOSEPH FRIEDENSON RABBI Y AAKOV JACOBS ANNUAL }NDEX OF ARTICLES AND AUTHORS .................................... 30 RABBI MOSHE SHERER THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the Kashrus of any product or service advertised in its pages. Picture Credits: Page 7, UPI photo; page 11 and page 13, ink sketches by Nov':; 1970 VOL. VII, No. 1 Herman Strouk; page 15, Torah Umesorah; page 16 Agudath Israel Photo ....@> Collection . MEMORANDUM TO: Concerned individuals FROM: Rabbi Simcha Wasserman RE: Reaching out THE CLOSING WORDS of the Era of the Prophets were The Only Source of Inspiration spoken by Malachi: "Behold! I shall send forth the THERE Iii ONLY ONE kind of road sign suitable for Prophet Elijah. He will return the hearts of fathers guiding a Jewish person to return to his Creator and unto children, and the hearts of children unto their fathers" (3:24). Rashi explains this to refer to the to his people-the study of Torah. Regarding the return of elders to the Almighty "through the children. words of Jeremiah, "Me, they have neglected, My [Elijah] will address the children with kindness and Torah they have not guarded" ( 16: 11), our Sages remark, "The Almighty says, I with they would have with love: Go and speak to your parents. Convince them to cling to the ways of the Creator. And so shall guarded my Torah in study, even when they neglected the hearts of the children [be returned to the Almighty] me in their actions. The inner light of Torah would have directed them to a better existence." through their parents." Our Sages also say, in quotation of the Almighty, Return of the Youth "I created evil inclinations, and I created Torah study as an antidote." This indicates that Torah study is the JN OUR TIME we are witnessing the realization of the only feasible method for directing one to function as first part of this prophecy. The words of Jeremiah, a Jew. One who attempts to bring Jews back to their "Children will return to their boundaries" ( 31 : 16), are fold by any other method can be likened to a man becoming fact in both the physical and spiritual realms. trying to manually lift a burden that could only be The joining of the people of Israel with the land of handled by a mechanized crane. One cannot possibly Israel is one of the great miracles of our time. At the absorb sufficient strength to pursue a life of Torah same time, the surprising return of many a Jewish per­ from mere propaganda for Judaism. Stamina for an son to the direction of Torah is also a miracle occurring anthentically Jewish existence can only stem from a before our very eyes. Witnessing the miraculous growth fullness of Torah study. of Yeshivas and Bais Yaakov schools, one can echo the words of Isaiah, who likened the Jewish people to a mother, widowed and bereft of her family, who Torah Vitality stumbles across her offspring and exclaims in disbelief: "Who bore for me all these?" (49:21) 'fHE RAMBAM in his "Letter to Yemen" makes it clear that Torah is literally a "Toras Chaim," a vital force with a life of its own for which there is no substitute. The Older Generation Each and every word of Torah, both the written and oN THE OTHER HAND, realization of the second half of the oral-as long as it is pure Torah--exerts an in­ the prophecy of Malachi-that children will be brought spiration of tremendous force upon every Jewish person back to the fold through their parents-has not yet who is exposed to it. Although this may defy a rational made a noticeable appearance. It is certain to come, explanation, it has been experienced time and again. and fortunate will be the lot of those people who will The immeasurable force of a word of Torah can be engage in putting up the road signs for this movement. illustrated by an incident related in the Gemora. Three days after the Jewish people crossed the Red Sea, the RABBI SJMCHA WASSERMAN, Rosh Yeshiva of West Coast Ta/. prophets among them-Moses, Aaron, Miriam, and mudical Sen1inarY in Los ngeles. has blazed trails in Torah others-noticed a weakening in the composure of the education all over A1nerica for the past three decades. He distributed this memoranduni to a .wnall f!roup of "concerned people. As a remedy, they instituted the reading of the individuals." The Jewish Observer believes that this piece­ Torah on Shabbos, Mondays and Thursdays, thus lvhich draws on Rabbi Wasserman's vast experiences and in­ siRhts in the American educational scene, deserves wider making certain that the people would never experience attention. three days without Torah. A minimum of three passages The Jewish Observer / November, 1970 3 was established for the readings (Babba Kamma 82a). victims of circumstances beyond their control. Although (Later, Ezra raised the minimum to ten.) Moshe Rab­ they later may come among Jews and become aware of beinu, together with his contemporary prophets, felt the Jewish way of life and still persist in their old that a public Torah reading, providing an average of erring ways, they are still considered victims of cir­ one passage per day, would be sufficient to preserve cumstances due to the fact that they were raised in the unity of the Jewish nation. How powerful is one this manner from childhood. We therefore should draw posuk of Torah! them back to Torah, attract them with Divrei Sholom (words of peace), until they come back to Torah strength'" (Rambam, Yad Hachazaka, Mamrim 3:3). Hunger for Torah, its Promises and its Hazards The Rambam here indicates that for a Jew to become observant of Mitzvos, he needs the "strength" of Torah "DAYS WILL COME, says the Almighty, when I shall learning. inflict famine upon the land. Not a hunger for bread nor a thirst for water, but only [a desire] to hear my Torah is called Divrei Sholom Vo' em es (words of words. says the L-rd" (A mos 8: 11 ) . Where a hunger peace and truth). The Rambam intentionally specifies exists, there is a lack of food; an increasing appetite; Divrei Sholom only, while he omits Vo'e1nes. A reason­ and a hazardous situation v.1hcre people may consume able explanation may be that Torah study is only iden­ unhealthy and even poisonous foods proffered by un­ tified as such when it possesses the En1es factor-when scrupulous peddlers. it is utilized as a guide for life and action. Torah in­ formation absorbed as an intellectual pursuit, without This is an apt description of the present day situation any deference to it as a guide for conduct, may be of American Jewry. There is a great scarcity of Torah called anything but the study of Torah. The Rabbis 1cnrning and information. At the same time, the search say: "Whoever says I have naught but Torah, does for Torah and Jewish identification which exists today not even have Torah." In carrying out the Rarnbam's in all circles is awe-inspiring. Sometimes we are amazed recommendations for drawing people back to Torah at who knocks at the doors of Yeshivas and begs for and attracting them until they come back to Torah admittance. Genuine movements of coming back to strength, we are faced with a serious dilem1na. First, Jewishness and to Torah do appear here and there. the Rambam tells us not to expect immediate practice Neverthele'5, to our regret, peddlers of ersatz Torah from people who "are victims of circu1nstanccs, even if are enjoying a hey-day. Synthetic Torah is presently they persist in their erring ways." Consequently, this being sold in the open market. Schools abound that kind of study without intention of putting theory into appear to be teaching Torah, but in reality arc teaching practice may be disqualified as Torah ... How then, denial of Torah. should we begin? A similar situation exists with regard to 1iteraturc on Jewish subjects. While there is a great demand for A Starting Point the genuine article, the market is being flooded with literature of doubtful value. Misrepresentations of A POSSIBLE SOLUTION would be to begin with those Jewish standards. beliefs, philosophy, and life, are parts of Torah that are classified as mussar and agadah, available in great abundance. Literature of anti-Torah, where the basic emphasis relates to fundamental prin­ anti-Jewish, and anti-Semitic nature is filling up the ciples of faith and character formation.