To the surprise of some the turnout for the Monday morning, 5 Tammuz 5772 tefilla rally at 04:45 was quite impressive, with a few thousand people attending. The event was called by the Eida Chareidis, and pashkavilim indicated the event enjoyed the support of a number of gedolim shlita. Men gathered at Kikar Shabbos and women and children at another venue nearby.
1,500 burlap mourning clothes were distributed to highlight the pain of those being mispallel against the gezeira, the government’s decision to draft most chareidim at the expense of emptying batei medrashim nationwide.
According to a Chadrei Chareidim report released on Sunday night, the pashkavilim stating that HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita and HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Halevy Wosner Shlita gave their support for the event were not true, and that the gedolim shlita did not such thing.
The report says the shluchim, described by Chadrei as “kanoi’im” came to Rav Wosner and asked him to sign a letter highlighting the importance of torah study and the harshness of the gezeira seeking to draft everyone. Rav Wosner did sign such a letter as did Rav Kanievsky. It appears that was used to add their names to the kol korei for participation in the predawn event. When Rav Kanievsky heard this he indicated that he was unaware this was the intention of the letter presented to him, to use it for the rally, for that was not his understanding.
Apparently a number of avreichim asked Rav Chaim during the day if they should attend the event and he instructed them to “go ask Rav Aaron Leib” and they did just that.
Rav Shteinman is quoted as saying protests have always been a vehicle used by the Eida but one who learns torah should not stop learning to participate in such events.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Photo- חדשות 24
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4 Responses
The article refers to “the government’s decision to draft most chareidim at the expense of emptying batei medrashim nationwide”. What a bunch of nareshkeit. The government’s proposal would only involve kollel yungerleit aged 18 for a year or two of national service which would in reality help assure that they have a kolle ot safely return to and keep their families safe. All the older bochurim in their 20s and 30s would continue learning. No one is sgguesting to “empty” every beis medrash in the medinah. Its good to know that the gadolim, shlita, were deceived into signing this kol koreh (not the first time this has happened).
You wrote: “highlight the pain of those being mispallel against the gezeira, the government’s decision to draft most chareidim at the expense of emptying batei medrashim nationwide.”
Considering that the government hasn’t yet decided – much less published – what they are going to do, this was simply another “show of force”.
Proof? They lied about which Gedolim endorsed them, as you wrote: “When Rav Kanievsky heard this he indicated that he was unaware this was the intention of the letter presented to him, to use it for the rally, for that was not his understanding.”
HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita and HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Halevy Wosner Shlita daven k’vasikin at 4:45 am. They don’t have time for hafganot.
it’s when you start out articles like this one with things like: ‘to the surprise of some’ that you loose credibility and professionalism from a news source to a gossip source. Who was surprised? Is that what they were saying at the Mir? News should be FACT not heresay…you would never find the NY times saying such a thing unless it was based on a poll.