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Our latest Daf Yomi program, which gives participants a chance to be tested and graded every two weeks, has been a resounding success. r-------------------------------------------,I Yisoschor/Zevulun Partnership • Several other programs of various categories are I would like to become a partner in the wonderful work of Mifal hashas by contributing available at: o $150 per month as a Shutat Ha Torah' o $36 per month as a Mokir HaTorah O $100 per month as a Parnes HaTorah o $18 per month as a Chai Supporter Milal J $50 per month as aTomech HaTorah O $ other where our aim is ... 1 Name ----------------- Address. ________________~ I Nurturing the Torah leaders I Telephone ______________~ I I qf tomo1row, today I *The cost of supporting one scholar. I I Any and al! contributions to "Mifal Hashas" are tax deductible and most appreciated. I I MIFAL HASHAS, 4415· 14th Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11219 (718) 436-7190 I L-------------------------------------------~ E I E COMMERCIAL QUALITY • INSTITUTIONAL & RESIDENTIAL • WOOD • STEEL • PLASTIC • SWINGS • SLIDES • PICNIC TABLES • SCHOOL & CAMP EQUIPMENT • BASKETBALL SYSTEMS • RUBBER FLOORING • ETC. • Equipment meets or exceeds all ASTM and CPSC safety guidelines • Site planning and design services with state-of-the-art Auto CAD To enable Spring installation, • Stainless steel fabrication for orders have to be processed ultimate rust resistance by Feb. 27. Lead Time: Planning and Design 4-6 weeks Fabrication and Delivery 6-8 weeks better 5302 New Utrecht Avenue• Brooklyn, NY 11219 health Phone: 718-436-4801 • 2 112 hour 1'TD with 1nn,i.:in & experienced D'-'JMIJ daily. July 9 111:1n , July 10 nr.in n July 11 nl:3n, July 12 tu:in t IN SHABBOS • Shiur in ;r,:,;n every evening before !l'i.Vn from prominent ll'~JMIJ. Tourini: Yerusbe.lyim 111'-l'"ID Welcome to ;x'fl!>"' Y'flf Swimming in M•:UTT !:ilfll:llV 'l:l/' Night Hike to Sattaf • All the food is under y"'T.:J. Orientation in O'!:llV!'f• .:i•J'Jn p:iix ,om>rn 'fl"I Hen:eliya Beach Melava Malka • All plans subject to change pending availability. Mabane '"hude., Geula Mea Sbeafim f'nr~lws July q ncn n Ju1y 14 'l'ltm K'I Jlily. 17 Tl'Qn ~' July l H n1:1n l' July l 9 5 DAY NORTH July 20 11t1n iu July 21 til:3n tu July 22 ntin t' July 23 ntin n, July 24 Return by 12 P.M. See Old City fmm Haas Fast Day Jewisb Quarter: Regular i'l'O' Promenade, Visit 'fl'f i•,11 Cardo, Burnt House Briefing & P..1cking for South m•prnn'f.1'1:1 Evening Swim & Cave of the m:.•111' l'nr.<hn.< MJD 1uly27 n1:1n ::l~ Ju!Y .28 nt1n l~ ~u_ly 29 til:ln T::J Aug. 2 5 DAY TOVR OFFSHABBOS Drive to_f\Jaille A~aYin, .JeeP JU!le i~iRltlri~•n Short 'f'ftl '.IP_ll ;m, Onliit OllSi.'; Cmkt, FJillt, Hike 71"11/'il'I_ "11'1 Day Off &_n.t:~?t;l Pnpan -sleeping c>.unp Oiilner 1m Yacht R Aug. 3 Aug. 4 n,_A¥f.9. -.·--.,.. , __:illij SHABBos···1JYnb::ir Special Visit To Sports & Field Day ti~Ai·ti-m:- ~M.:itr»:•.:Ji_ ;;;;,-- ; ... _"11D in ipx1:1 TJ Yad Vasbem! n•:i.:1i:o.:i"l•.K.t1•.:11~ B\ryllFfl~t '~-'JNr;n!p,C'_-&t !tflr:J ~ ';},p ~n Aug.12 ::ix u Aug. !3 :uri;' Aug.14 !lK le' Aug. 15 !llC :J.l Aug. Hi ,. "~ Spt•cial Tour of Wes1en1 INSHABBOS ~ W:1U Tun""ls Mountaio Bike Trip Midbar Yehuda Swimming In IVq.Y!D ~ Rcg11lar i'fl' .:llf.:I /"IYlt.n .:l'fJl.:I Kinos at llT'nnD .:llll'!D Along Uunna Road Jlesert Sports, Rappelling lleruli}'a Beach Mincha at Kosel D•!:irni• ml"'m l"l'f!l"I• •in at Mibpc Shalem Swimming ~ f'nrs/in,· mrnn umJ n.:illl' ~ Aug. _17 ::i.K ."I' A_ug. 18 :u~ '"' ug. 19 :uot TU Aug. 20 •Round trip airfare, food, lodging, touring :z DAY. CAJ'HP.ll'VG t1t.1J1J.Beath Shopping in Genia Departure from all admissions, laundry, health and llor,setie.Ck Ridi_ng Farewell & Dinner Ben Gurion Airport Rrlurn to b'•~1P1i• & Return to New York hospilalization insurance included. DON'T MISS OUT SPACE IS LIMITED RESERVE NOW! Shevat 5758 •January 1998 U.S.A.$3.50/Foreign $4.50 ·VOL XXXI/NO. I THE JEWISH OBSERVER (ISSN) 0021-6615 is published monthly except July and August by the Agudath Israel of America, 84 William Street, New York, N. Y. 10038. Periodicals postage paid in New York, N. Y. Subscription $24.00 per year; two years, $44.00; three years, $60.00. Outside ol the United States (US funds drawn on a US bank only) $12.00 surcharge per year. Single copy $3.50; foreign $4.50. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Observer, 84 William Street, N.Y., N.Y.10038. Tel:212-797-9000, Fax: i5 212-269-2843. Seizing the Silver Lining Printed in the U.S.A. Robbi Avi Shafran RABBI NISSON WOLPIN, EDITOR 9 EDITORIAL BOARO A Call To Men of Integrity OR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER Chairman Robbi Moshe Sherer RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS 13 JOSEPH FAIEOENSON The Denver Joint Conversion Plan: History - and Revisionist History RABBI NOSSON SCHERMAN Hillel Goldberg MANAGEMENT BOARD AVI FISHOF I NAFTOLI HIRSCH All in the Family (Sometimes) ISAAC KIRZNER RABBI SHLOMO LESIN Nissan Wolpin NACHUM STEIN 24 RABBI YOSEF C. GOLDING An Appreciation of Rabbi Yehudah Naftali Mandelbaum ?"YT Business Manager Yonoson Rosenblum Published by Agudath Israel of America 32 RABBI MOSHE SHERER The Perversion ofTruth PRESIDENT Robbi Joseph Elias U.S. TRADE DISTRIBUTOR ISRAELI DISTRIBUTOR 3.S Feldheim Publishers Nechemia Rosenberg 200 Airport Executive Park Kiryat Telshe Stone, 108A SECOND LOOKS Spring Valley, NY 10977 O.N. Harei Yehuda, ISRAEL Protest Pays EUROPEAN REPRESENTATIVE AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR Eliyohu Moyer M.T. Bibelman Gold's Book & Gitt Co. GrosvenorWorl<s 36 William Street Mount Pleasant Hill Balaclava 3183. Vic., 37 London ES 9NE, ENGLAND AUSTRALIA LETTERS TO THE EDITOR THE JEWISH OBSERVER does not assume responsibility for the Kashrus INDEX TO VOLUME XXX (AUTHORS AND SUBJECTS) of any product, publication, or service advertised in its pages 46 DATELINE: 84 WILLIAM STREET ©Copyright 1998 Saying "Y.E.S." to Our Disaffected Youth JANUARY 1998 VOLUME XXXl/NO. 1 Rabbi Avi Shafran Seizing The Silver Lining Opportunity in the Pluralism Controversy Raging in Israel and America t would be wrong, even dangerous, Those final words, says the Nefesh to underemphasize the dire nature Hachaitn, are part of the curse; indeed its of the "pluralism push" in Israel or worst elementi For they refer to the com­ the effects of the misguided anger placency that G-d-fearing Jews will being stirred up as a result among Amer­ exhibit in the face of the other curses, ican Jews. Yet there is a silver lining to their reluctance to exert the required the dark cloud. For with the Reform and effort to meet the challenges before Conservative move1nents' sudden, them. Let us not, chas v'shalom, be part shocking and quite telling abandonment of that curse. We need to recognize the the maligning of of their decades-old "live and let live" terrible effects of the lies being propa­ Torah-observant Jews - a form of approach - their jettisoning of the gated - the modern "blood-libel" bloodshed, as well. We must present "respect" they always claimed to have for accusing us of rejecting Jews who affil­ Israeli Jews with the frightening facts Orthodoxy - and their declaration of iate with non-Orthodox movements as about the exponential growth of assim­ "open war" on halachic standards, the no longer part of the Jewish people, the ilation and intermarriage in the U.S., true meaning of Judaism is finally, insinuation that Israeli democracy is about Reform rabbis who readily per­ inescapably, in the spotlight. somehow threatened by the State's con­ form 1narriage ceremonies between tinued acceptance of halachic stan­ Jews and non-Jews - and about those LOSING OUR LETHARGY dards in matters of personal status, the in that movement who would radical­ claim that <'religious coercion" is the ly redefine the concept of "marriage" can do little, though, unless Orthodox agenda in Israel, and similar altogether. We must inform them that we overcome our own con1- untruths designed to turn our fellow the Conservative movetnent is not placency. Too may of us are Jews against us. "Halacha with progress," as a prominent too little concerned with the implica­ The falsehoods must be countered by Israeli rabbi reportedly remarked-but tions of the import of American-style truth, first and foremost in the form of simply a Jess openly brazen Reform "Jewish religious pluralism" to Israel. Torah-study: more talmidim, more movement, lagging a few years behind "What real difference would it make? In yeshivas, more kollelim.