Agudas Yisrael representative Meir Porush was sworn in this week as the Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage. On Wednesday, he published a special column in the Mevaser newspaper explaining his decision to serve as a minister.

“Yesterday, on Motzei Asara B’Teves, I signed an agreement to serve as the Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister,” Porush wrote. “The appointment as a minister shouldn’t excite a Jew who belongs to the ranks of Chareidi Judaism. This, despite the fact that it has already been clarified that a ministerial position, according to the shita of Agudas Yisrael, from the moment this question was on the agenda, was decided at the highest spiritual levels that it’s permissible and possible.”

“And for that reason, I am also not the first minister in the history of Agudas Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael. The first person to bear this title was Reb Yitzchak Meir Levin, z’tl, the Nasi of the World Agudas Yisrael, who served as the Welfare Minister for over four years, in the interim government and the first three governments.”

“And yet, why is the position of minister not exciting? Because even something that was agreed upon and allowed by Maranan and Rabbanan – it’s still necessary to check whether it’s possible to act and influence without the title of ‘minister.’ Because as long as there’s a possibility of being useful without this title, there’s no inyan of tightening the connection between Chareidi Judaism and the government, and there’s an inyan of expressing the differences between the two.”

“Already in the year 1937, a decade before the establishment of the state, when the question was raised whether the British will grant the possibility to establish a Jewish state, the heads and leaders of Agudas Israel discussed our view towards a Jewish government, if it were to be established – whether to oppose or whether to join it. From the documents in the archives of the Agudas Yisrael Center in Jerusalem, we learn that under the direction of the Maharitz [HaRav Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky], z’tl, the late HaRav Moshe Blau put the question on the table of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Ozer Grodzenski z’tl, the Nasi of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah in Kislev 1937.

“His full answer, which has survived in his handwriting, answers the question that Rav Moshe Blau and his teacher HaRav Yaakov Rosenheim put to him, whether we must participate in the government or whether there is no obligation, and his clear answer was:  ‘If there is confirmed knowledge that the mandated government is prepared to implement Jewish division and governance, it is appropriate to participate!'”

“This was, therefore, the decision of the highest authorities of Agudas Yisrael, which unequivocally decided that Agudas Yisrael has the obligation to participate in the government and coalition in order to try to preserve the rights of the Chareidi public in the State of Israel.”

“We hear an echo of this in the newspaper Hamevaser in 1948 in which there is a report on the Agudas Yisrael conference in the US and quotes from the speech of our teacher HaRav Yaakov Rosenheim. And so he said: ‘Agudas Yisrael faced the duty of clarifying its relationship with the State of Israel. It was a very practical question – whether to join the government, be an equal partner in the coalition – or stand outside and be part of the opposition. We forwarded the question to the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, which is the highest institution of the movement, and after discussions and consultations they decided and we announced the decision that representatives of Agudat Israel should join the government.’

“‘Already twelve years ago, [in the year 1937], HaRav Rosenheim continued: ‘We discussed the possibility of establishing a Jewish state, and the problem of the participation of Chareidi Judaism in this state… I then received an instruction from the Gaon of our generation, HaRav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, zt’l, that Agudas Yisrael should work in full cooperation with all religious circles…Then the Jewish Agency promised Agudas Yisrael to accept its four basic demands, and they were indeed accepted by the State of Israel.’ [That is, following the acceptance of the four basic demands, which were later called the status quo document, it was decided to enter the government].”

“Agudas Yisrael’s position regarding its members serving as ministers was heard again before the declaration of the state at the appearance of the Agudas Yisrael world delegation in the winter of 1948 before the UN Committee on Palestine Affairs. The honorable delegation included HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Rosenheim, ztl, – New York, my grandfather, HaRav Moshe Porush, z’tl – Jerusalem, and the late Mr. Harry Goodman, z’tl – England.

“It was in the winter of 1948, when the UN asked to inquire about the positions of the political organizations in Israel. Since Agudas Yisrael was in those days the political organization of Chareidi Judaism, it was asked to express its position, and for that purpose the heads of Agudas Yisrael appeared before the UN committee.

“And so were the words of our teacher, HaRav Rosenheim, when he appeared at the United Nations at the head of Agudas Yisrael’s delegation, before the establishment of the state: ‘In light of our religious belief that prevents us from taking responsibility for specific acts of the government that are not in accordance with the laws of the Jewish Torah, we must be careful in accepting specific ministries. We believe that the Immigration Authority and the Welfare Authority can be managed by Agudas Yisrael ministers without conflicts of conscience. In the future, we will be prepared to enter the government as ministers without specific ministries while participating in general office work and while representing the views of the Jewish religious tradition across all governmental activity.'”

“Since HaRav Yitzhak Meir Levin zt’l retired from his position in the government at the end of 1951, until the establishment of the coalition and government in 1977, the service of Agudas Yisrael representatives as ministers was not on the agenda. In 1977, when the matter was again on the agenda, the Gedolei Yisrael were not comfortable with the representatives of Chareidi Judaism serving as ministers in the government because they believed that it was possible to act through the position of committee chairman. In the year 1983, the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah decided that a representative from Agudas Yisrael could serve as deputy minister, and it was even published at the time in Hamodia.

“In Elul 2014, the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah decided that in view of the legal situation, a member of Agudat Israel should be approved to serve as a minister in the government.

“As mentioned, if there is an ability to obtain essential needs without serving as minister, it is preferable to do it that way, despite the fact that it is permissible.

“Therefore, in 1995, when I entered the position of Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing, I acted in the capacity of a minister, and I was zocheh, baruch Hashem, to accomplish great things for the well-being of Chareidi Judaism and to bring about important changes in housing for all citizens, including the members of the Chareidi and Dati Leumi sectors. The reality at that time was that I did not have to serve as minister in order to do what I was privileged to do.

“Even today, after the elections held two months ago, my wish and intention was that I would not serve as minister but would serve as a deputy minister in a ministry where the minister would be a member of Agudas Yisrael. But since in the coalition agreement with Agudas Yisrael it was agreed that a member of Agudas Yisrael would be responsible for implementing the conclusions of the state commission of inquiry into the Meron disaster, and for this an ultimatum was made that the person responsible for this would be a minister, despite my desire to act as a deputy minister, I had no choice but to serve as a minister. And according to the decision of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah before the establishment of the state, and according to the decision of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah in the year 2014, and according to the decision of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and the Sarei HaTorah and chassidus in the past month, I am serving as the Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage.

“I enter my lofty position with mixed feelings, with reverence and humility, with the hope and expectation that I will be able to fulfill the will of those who sent me there and for the glory of Chareidi Judaism, that I can carry out the role without stumbling, that there will be no mishap under my hands, that I will be able to be mekadeish sheim Shamayim and that the name of Shamayim become beloved through me.”

זכותה של עיר קדשנו ותפארתנו וזכות התנא האלקי רבי שמעון בר יוחאי, ישפיעו טוב בעדנו שנוכל לעמוד במשימה החשובה, לחן ולתהלה.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)