According to a Tuesday evening report appearing on Ynet, Rav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita has responded to a request to give a bracha to Georgia. According to the report, the request came from none other than Georgian Premier Vladimir “Lado” Gurgenidze. The story actually began last winter when rabbonim from Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel visited with the premier, at which time they presented him with a letter from Rav Shteinman. The letter has since earned a prominent spot on the prime minister’s wall, in which the Rav Shlita refers to Georgia as “a kingdom of grace,” Yediot goes on to report. The Vaad chairman, Rabbi Shimon Brook, received a phone call from the prime minister on Tuesday morning, seeking a bracha from Rav Shteinman, asking if the “old rabbi is still alive?” Receiving a positive response, the premier reportedly stated, “I hear he is a holy person. Can he pray for our country?” Not wasting time, Rabbi Brook visited Rav Shteinman in Bnei Brak on Tuesday and a bracha was indeed given. When Rav Brook asked if the vaad should send a delegation, the Rav reportedly stated they should not because “there is fire there”. (Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)