In a shiur given by Eida Chareidis Ravaad HaGaon HaRav Moshe Sternbuch Shlita on Wednesday, Rosh Chodesh Shevat, the rav addressed the recent acts of terrorism in France and the calls from Israeli government officials to French Jews to come to Israel. Rav Sternbuch stated that Israel is not safer, referring to the Jews from Yemen and their spiritual destruction in Israel, which he feels is likely to occur in the event of a mass aliyah from France.
Excerpts from the rav’s word, who spoke of the time when Israel wished to induct women, and the Brisker Rov, Rav Yoel of Satmar and other gedolim abroad waged a war against it. He explained there were those who opposed the gedolim for they felt they were showing the world the division between Jews, but the gedolim were undeterred for they realized they must fight the chilul Hashem as taught by the Shulchan Aruch and Rambam. Opponents were busy with the superficial adopted by the majority, those who clearly did not understand the how one is compelled to act.
“And in our times, the government sends emissaries to France to bring the French Jews here, to disperse them as they did with the Yemenite children who were taken from their homes and not even permitted to observe Yom Kippur. They were told in Eretz Yisrael one does not have to observe mitzvos and the same can happen today regarding French Jewry R”L and if we the rabbonim of Eretz Yisrael and the Diaspora do not proclaim publicly that it is forbidden for them to come to Israel until such time it is certain that they will be settled in chareidi areas and attend chareidi mosdos. We mustn’t be afraid at all of making such a declaration nor of a chilul Hashem. On the contrary, this is the true Kiddush Hashem, and the nations of the world will know we oppose the aliyah of French Jewry to Eretz Yisrael, for they will be tricked here, and this has been proven that there is no difference between Eretz Yisrael and France for in Eretz Yisrael today, a terror attacked occurred on a bus.
“HaGaon HaTzaddik Rav Moshe Schneider ZT”L told me that when they wanted to come from Germany, the Jewish Agency refused to give permits, telling them youths have priority for aliyah so they may live here as opposed to the elderly… My rebbe and teacher responded to them harshly, telling them their words are nonsense – the opposite for the young are free of Torah and Mitzvos when they come to Israel and they are already dead for the wicked are referred to as dead in their lifetime, but we who come to Eretz Yisrael to serve Hashem and dedicate our lives to this service, we are living and will never die for our good deeds will stand forever. But the young, the free, have died some time ago.
והרי הם שולחים “מתים” ממש לארץ ישראל”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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26 Responses
Powerful words. And 100% on target and correct – though the Gaon hardly needs my approval.
Rabbonim in Europe told their people not to leave before the Holocaust too. What else is new?
Kibut Galiyot…Moshiach is coming…NO ONE CAN STOP IT…
in truth, the situation here in israel today is very different than it was then. first, the yemenite jews were unassimilated in yemen but were not learned. in france, the jews are either learned or assimilated. the learned ones cannot be “tricked” into leaving yiddishkeit and the assimilated ones at least have the chance here in israel to become swept by the chozen btshuva movement or at least increase their chances of marrying a jewish person even if they do not become bt. also, the torah environment today in israel is much much stronger than it was when the yemeites came and the chozer btshuva movement is also much stronger. also the french jews are presumably coming with their families unlike the yemenite jews who came here with only the youth which made them vulnerable. it is really an unfair comparison.
Sounds like the words of the Maraglim…..
Eida should open up absorption centers for the french to help keep them frum as opposed to telling them Israel is a bad place.
A provocative headline that does not reflect the sense of what Rav Shternbuch Shlita said!
In a nutshell he warned against coming until & unless French Jewery will be assured they will be setteled in Frum areas, and not as has been done in the past settling frum people is areas that was a danger to their Frumkeit.
This is not a request that is without merit. This is not a fringe, fanatical request. Unfortunately we see the spiritual battle going on, with the “share the burden” campaign, and the attack on Charedi education.
The headline is pure yellow jounalism. Very sad!
Most French Jews, other than those who are zionists to begin with, will probably prefer North America (note that Canada has a certain attraction to someone who speaks French rather than English). Once it is clear the Jews are being chased out of France (and out of Europe), they become eligible for asylum.
For secular Jews, even zionist Israel is an upgrade from a Torah perspective.
If Jews want physical safety, they should consider research into space travel. Of course, one might argue that had Ha-Shem wanted us to have a nice quiet place to live in, he would have told Avraham Aveinu to move to some place such as New Zealand or Madagascar (both of which are islands and both were uninhabited at the time).
According to the Rabbinical Center for Europe’s research, over 85% of European Jews assimilate and intermarry with non-Jews; 80% do not attend synagogues, even on the central holiday of Yom Kippur; over 75% of Jewish children in Europe do not receive a Jewish education, and over 90% of European Jewish students have no connections with the Jewish community.
Something about the Rav’s comments doesn’t add up.
The learned rav was himself born and raised in England. He was able to make aliya and now lives in Israel thanks to the State of Israel and its Law of Return, vd”l.
Those terrible memories of the Rabonim in Europe in the 1930’s forbidding the Yidden to move to America.
As the holy rabbi ssys I listen and do even if i dont understand because let’s not be foolish who and what are we when it comes to this holy sage??
It is precisely because Rav Sternbuch was born and raised in England and spent many years in South Africa before moving to Israel, that we should take note of what he says. he understands better than most both side of the coin. And ‘most’ includes the secular Israeli zionist politicians like Netanyahu and the zionist rabbis.
It takes a Gaon like Rav Shternbuch to say that French Jews, only a tiny fraction of whom are haredi, should not come to Eretz Yisroel unless they are “settled” in haredi neighborhoods and attend exclusively haredi schools!
Majority of French Jews are typical Chardal/Charedi lite, excellent Noam & Torani Mosdos to attend & kehillos to integrate into.
It is time to remove the Yemenite BATTLEGEAR …. Move forward & breathe in the new realities of Torah b’tzion.
Probably harder to get a spot in a Lakewwod Beis Yaskov/yeshiva than to find a Charedi school in Israel.
all of the people challenging the Rav are either am haratzim or apikursim, be mevater.
“According to the Rabbinical Center for Europe’s research, over 85% of European Jews assimilate and intermarry with non-Jews; 80% do not attend synagogues, even on the central holiday of Yom Kippur; over 75% of Jewish children in Europe do not receive a Jewish education, and over 90% of European Jewish students have no connections with the Jewish community.”
In France that is not the case. Nowhere else in the world, not even in Israel, do you find a large Jewish population that is mostly observant. And this has happened at the same time that the community both rejected charedi isolationism and embraced the culture of its host country.
to perplexedyid: This suggests they’ll be coming to North America (the French speakers might prefer Canada, the rest the US)
to Yagel Libi: He could just as easily live in the Republic of Palestine (contary to zionist propaganda, hareidi Jews were living in Eretz Yisrael long before Hertzl was even born)
His advise is most likely taken out of context. Bringing up the past mistakes of the state is not really helpful and no longer practiced. On the other hand, had the Temani stayed in Yemen they would have been slaughtered whole sale similar to those who remained in Europe in the 1930s. If his statement is to address where they should reside and socialize with when they make aliyah then here too we have “Peshitta.” Those who are Haredi should live in…. Haredi areas, Those who are Dati should live in… Dati areas, and yes the vast majority who are either traditional or chiloni should live in… those areas. Not complicated.
Netanyahu wants to settle them in Yehuda and Shomron. Is he interested in a religious infrastructure for them? NO! This is dangerous. Most of them are Sephardi, that means second-class to the Israeli elite.Yes, there are differences between them and Yemenites, but there are similarities and the Zionists can come up with new tricks tailor made to ruin them.Even the Ethiopians were mishandled.
#17- Contrary to Satmar propaganda, Ashkenazi Jews were barely tolerated in E”Y and very, very few Ashkenazi Jews lived in E”Y prior to Zionism. There is almost no chance that the learned rav would ever have stepped foot in E”Y without Zionism.
I hear what he’s saying. But why does he assume that the French Jews would be actively settled somewhere, rather than moving to a community of their own choosing?
Headline should be read as ” NON CHAREIDIM AND DOGS NOT WELCOME IN ISRAEL”
or ” DIE AS CRUM JEWS IN EUROPE AT THE HANDS OF JIHADISTS RATHER THAN FASHMUTZING MY HOLY BACK YARD”
The ravaad and his eida have reincarnated the dor churban bayis sheini as described by the Netziv in his classic intro to sefer Bereishis.
Shame on #1,6,11,12 and 15 for being fooled by his smokescreen!
It takes a Gaon like Rav Shternbuch to say it like it is
Unpalatable especially since all commentors in their insides are aware of it to be correct,but hate the fact
#22 Shame on you, chareidi amiti
Splicing out context ,eh?
#20 False as always
Thousands were coming during the Mandate,and many more would have came EXCEPT for modern zionism
#10 #13 #16 & #18
גדול המחטיאו יותר מן ההרגו is hyperbole !?
While most french are hardly religious ,they are also hardly a potential large fifth column towards our religion,
(which they could become under israeli dominance
e.g. the russians)
Anyone writing against Rav Sternbuch-not as a different opinion but derisively -or other Rabbonim from before the war is “atid litein et hadin”.besides he is obviously speaking about sending the young and impressionable being sent alone. This problem is self evident and clear and can be seen to a degree with many youngsters coming alone. This was also a machloket among gedolim before the war,a totally different subject.Angry comparisons based on bias and irreverence and not hearing the others opinion leads to serious transgressions r”l.