Agudath Israel of America's national headquarters in
Manhattan was the venue of a Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah meeting
last Tuesday, 16 Cheshvan-11 November at which the
distinguished roshei yeshiva and rabbonim who constitute the
Agudath Israel movement's highest policy-making body spent
two-and-a-half hours considering a number of important
issues.
Among the issues discussed was whether Agudath Israel, as a
nationally recognized public spokesman for the Orthodox
Jewish community, should weigh in on the "Pledge of
Allegiance" case before the U.S. Supreme Court -- which will
rule on the constitutionality of the pledge's reference to
the Creator.
The Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah decided that an amicus curiae
(friend of the court) brief should indeed be filed,
setting forth the legal rationale for invoking the Deity in
the pledge -- and, more importantly, making clear that
Orthodox Jews support patriotic acts that acknowledge the
Ultimate Authority over human events.
Another legal case that was discussed concerned
discrimination against the Boy Scouts for the group's
principled position on behalf of moral behavior. Here again,
the rabbinic sages directed Agudath Israel to take a public
stance in support of the Boy Scouts, and to make its views
known to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Also on the agenda of last week's meeting was the question of
how to react to reports of a planned world-gathering in
Yerushalayim of activists promoting immoral behavior. The
gathering is scheduled for 2005, but since the last such
international carnival in celebration of what the Torah calls
to'eivoh brought an estimated half-million
participants to Rome, it was deemed important to already
begin discussions at this early stage of steps to be taken in
the face of this potential colossal chillul Hashem in
the Holy City.
Another major discussion focused on the issue of residual
restitution funds from the Swiss Bank settlement, and what
Agudath Israel World Organization's position should be
regarding their dispersal. The Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah called
for the submission of a claim on behalf of yeshivos and
kehillos that can be seen as successor institutions to
similar entities that were destroyed by the Nazis and their
henchmen, ym"sh.
