For months, the ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) has been pressuring senior officials in Yad L’Achim to agree to work with the intelligence agency towards saving lives.

According to a Ladaat report, the head of Yad L’Achim, Rav Shalom Dov Lifshitz decided to remove the uncertainty and he turned directly to ISA Director Yuval Diskin in a letter.

According to the report, at least four senior Yad L’Achim officials have been approached by ISA officials in the hope of enlisting their assistance. One of them apparently approached a gadol hador to inquire as how to respond, with the report quoting the unnamed gadol as saying, “your activities for Yad L’Achim for pidyon shvuyim saves Am Yisrael no less than the ISA hopes you will do for it.”

In his letter, Rav Lifshitz writes that he has no doubt that siyata d’shmaiya plays a major role in the organization’s success, well above their mundane efforts. He invited Diskin to come and visit, to get a first-hand look at the organization and its operations rather than rely on roundabout efforts towards learning how Yad L’Achim operates.

In response to the report, Yad L’Achim explained it cannot reveal all the details regarding its activities or any contacts with the ISA.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)