. .· _ .. , . : : ': ' . ·.· . .. .. -~ : . .. .: ~ ·.. , . ..· .. · ~ ..... .. .-; .... ' '. ....· . .. .. .. .. ·... .- .· . :· .. ~...... -~ .. ...• - ·E·... .• •-.·_.••...: :E· t_. •. _,.· 1···s• . .· H...···.. '. < > . ~~:~::1i~/ ~~:~~:~01973 FIFTY CENTS .. / . II ..·· . .. T . vv. .·. :... .· . ·. ··· . .. .. ....- .· - .: .. : . -· . .· .... : .. • . : ..· . ' .. .. - . .. .. .. .. .....· :·· . ... .. .· . - . ...... .. .. ,.: . - . · .. - . .. ... ..· . "TERROR" - . - - YESHIVA _ .: . ·· ·_ ·· REB DOVID : -. · 0. __:_ ·> . ·.: .. _ -- . · ..· : · . .· · . IN ISRAEL EDUCATION . RAPPAPORT . •, .. .. .. .. '. : ..... .·· -· . .. ..- . ... .. .. -A Solution ··· · Reclaimi"ng ·· ·· A .: -· ...: - . .... ~- . to . the ·.. · Rosh Yeshiva ·· · · ... .· .··· ·· ·" . ... -. .. .. ..__. ·_ _Religious _ · . · Secular .· _ .· · :..:: · - ... in . :. .. .· . :_ ~.- ·. ·· .:· · Problems .. Depart merits · · Baranovitch ;-;~_·:- .·· . - . .... .. .... .. ..· · .. ~ :. .... .... · .. - . ... ; -· . · ,· . .. ... " . .·· . .. ..... - .· . · •' .. .· ..· .-looks·· ar-home a-nd abroad .. / .· . ··secolld _ . .....·_ .· - .. ... - . .. · ....· .·· .' ... :· .. .·· . .. .. .· . ·.. · ·· .. : · ... ·:· .. - .· , . .. .. .. - ·· _: ... - .. .... - . .. ..... .. ·· . .· , · .... .. ··· . .·· ..- .·· .. · . · .. .. .. .. ...... · ·- $_ · ..." -- .._ · .· -. .. -.. · ._ · .. :· -· · Letters · .... .. ,·· .-_ .. · · · . · .· · ~-c'§iiiiiiiliitiiiiaT!~iiiii:-··=w .. ... ." . .. ' . , ..... · .. " _ . .. · .. ...· ... .... ... .. · . .· · · - .· ...... -· ... .... : __... .. ... .. : .· ....... "' · . · . .. :.. .. ··:. ··.·· . ... '" .. · . .· . ~ . .. , · ·. ···· .·· .- .... .· .· . ..... ... .. .· . ... : · :· ... : .·. .. ,· .... ... · THE JEWISH QBSERVER in this issue ... TERROR TACTICS IN ISRAEL, Ezriel Toshavi .................................... 3 THE RosHEI YEsmvos SPEAK: THEMES FROM HORAV MOSHE FEINSTEIN, adapted by A vrohom Fishelis .............................. .................... 9 THE JEWISH OBSERVER is published monthly, except July and August, HORAV Y AAKOV KAMENETSKY: GROUNDWORK FOR by the Agudath Israel of America, SURVIVAL ..... ,.............................................................................................. 11 5 Beekman Street, New York, New York 10038. Second class postage paid at New York, N. Y. Subscription: $5.00 per year; Two YESHIVA EDUCATION: RECLAIMING THE years, $8.50; Three years, $12.00; SECULAR DEPARTMENT, S. M. Breslauer ............................. 13 outside of the United States, $6.00 per year. Single copy, fifty cents. Printed in the U.S.A. A RosH YESHIVA IN BARANOVITCH, Chaim Shapiro 19 RABBI NISSON WOLPIN Editor SECOND LOOKS AT THE JEWISH SCENE: Editorial Board DR. ERNEST L. BODENHElMER THE RELIGION OF RELEVANCE ................................................... 25 Chairman RABBI NATHAN BULMAN RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS D1scovER YOUR JEWISH IDENTITY-in Kfar Silver ...... 26 JOSEPH FRIEDENSON RABBI YAAKOV JACOBS COMMON MARKET AND THE BRITISH JEW ........................ 28 RABBI MOSHE SHERER RABBI GOREN, RABBI KooK, AND RABBI GOREN ............ 29 'fHB JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the Kashrus of any product or service advertised in its pages. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................................................................... 30 ]AN. 1973 VoL. VIII, No. 10 -~@ PICTURE CREDITS: Page 16, courtesy Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum. ..... G'oren's home p_rotetled ~· .,,. Will past terror be 9y Rci'tSTOJil ALL.EN ~C Jfl Tf'I Aww Cot~H POfldtn1 ) Ezriel Toshavi Terror Tactics in -Israel Are religious problems in the Holy Land being '~olved" through coercive measures? Religious ·Presence: An Asset and a Indeed, while the ruling coalition .ha s had many Stumbling Block shifts in its composition, it has always included the Mafdal (Mizrachi) - the National Religious Party. THE ATTITUDE OF MEMBERS of the Israeli government toward religion ranges from extreme support to luke­ Part of the price the coalition has paid for this partici­ warm indifference to vehement hostility. Yet this has pation (in spite of Mafdal's endless string of com- not prevented the leadership from pursuing a policy of promises) is something of a religious character in the accepting--even fostering to some extent-a religious -State, which is also a decided asset. Yet the government presence in Israel. often seems to be quashing religious interests. There are many. explanations for this paradoxical support­ The details of the so-called "Status-quo" agreement attack attitude. They range from the pragmatic to the -which is in existence since before the founding of the sincerely religious, and all of them have a degree of State-have been discussed several times in these pages. validity. Shabbos is the national day of rest, kashrus is officially adhered to, the rabbinate is in control of matters of • The State needs an official religious presence as a personal status (marriage, divorce, etc.), and religious Jiving testimony to its Biblical claim to the Land. This education has official recognition and partial support. is essential from a legal criterion, as well as for the simple purpose of maintaining sympathy from Christian EZRIEL TOSHAVI observes tire scene in Jsrae[ for readers of THE n ations who associate the People of the Bible with JEWISH OBSERVER. the Land of the Bible. This equation was known to ...· .. ~ · ... ~ .. The Jewish Observer/ January, 1973 3 ..- have figured prominently in the sentiments of both Thus the position of Shabbos as the logical day of Winston Churchill and Harry Truman. rest is secure, but work permits are granted when • World Jewry, whose moral and financial support "warranted," whether because of considerations of is critic;al to Israel's very existence, could not accept a security, economy, tourism, or recreation... , Yeshiva totally secular state. As is, the non-observant visitor students must be granted draft exemption (as they are from Omaha is taken aback by the Sabbath desecration in virtually every Western democracy as well as the he encounters in Israel, and is shocked at the sandwich Soviet Union), but they must never, never become a stands that offer "white-steak" (ham). The religious viable political or social force. And as Mrs. Meir character of Israel is a key factor in the go/a-Jew's recently intoned: "Let us not confuse Talmudic study bond with the State. with national security. We simply do not wish to • The Israelis themselves nee<l a common cultural interfere with their (the yeshiva students') study bond. "Suffering"-long the lowest common Jewish program. However, should they show that they have denominator-has, thank G-d, slipped out of the na­ free time ...." Marriage and divorce should continue tional consciousness .... HLiberalism" means different to be the exclusive domain of the clergy, but should things to different people-to some it even means specific halachic decisions prove to be extremely painful joining Syrian espionage rings for the sake of poor or incomprehensible to the general public, and there homeless Palestinians. It cannot serve as a binding are "cooperative" rabbis who express the willingness force in Modern Israel. The "Tevye" mentality and expertise required to stretch the rules, then "Why means little to the children of shtetl parents and even shouldn't ways be found to adapt halacha to modern less to Sephardim .... And to be just another Levantine needs?" ... And should rabbinical sages, seasoned State is deflationary to families who have paid the dayanirn, venerable Roshei Yeshivas, and yeshiva stu­ ultimate sacrifice in defense of this piece of Medi­ dents immersed in Talmudic law and lore take their terranean geography. cues from Sinai instead of from the Knesset, then ways • 1'he con1mon national heritage must have roots that must be found to make them realize that every go deeper than 1948-even deeper than 1897, the expression of independence of thought will be chal­ year of the founding Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzer­ lenged. Should they succeed in verbalizing a view of land. The national roots must somehow reach the their own-and how much further has their independ­ Jerusalem of Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai, of Solomon ence truly gone than simply saying what they belicve?­ and David; they must stretch all the way back to Sinai. the result can only be a Phyrric victory, with more Mrs. Meir and company recognize this and subscribe punishment in store than gain. For the government to it in accordance with their understanding. has been making a concerted effort to seize every opportunity to remind the religious leadership that At the same time, the leadership is a prisoner of its while religion is a welcome presence in the Holy Land, secular-Zionist and Marxist beginnings. And while it must know its place: not as a dominant force-not it recognizes religion as an essential feature of Israel's even as a power that exists on its own terms-but as general make-up, it maintains that religious considera­ a well-strung puppet that takes its bows on cue and tions must never endanger the unity of the nation as stays safely out of sight when unwanted. a whole. Thus, the solutions to the inevitable collision bcwccn secular life (or the 20th century "reality") and It would, of course, be unthinkable for the Torah re1igion are never easy ones, and the results are fre­ community to stand as silent witnesses to the distortion quently not to the advantage of the Torah ideal. of Torah law as a result of government pressure to Moreover, when a