Agudas Yisroel held an impressive first-ever conference in
Sao Paulo, Brazil for rabbonim and public figures from all of
South America intended to foster cooperation and to
strengthen Judaism across the continent.
The conference opened with an address by Rabbi Shmuel Bloom,
executive vice president of Agudas Yisroel of America and
vice chairman of the Agudas Yisroel World Executive
Committee, who thanked all the participants for coming and
offered special praise for HaRav Eliyohu Walt, a prominent
rov in Brazil and a member of the World Executive Committee
who took a leading role in organizing the conference.
He read aloud a letter by HaRav Shaul Dolinger, who
formulated the idea of the conference ten years ago with
Rabbi Moshe Sherer, the late president of Agudas Yisroel of
America. In the letter HaRav Dolinger, formerly a prominent
rov in Brazil and today the head of Torah and educational
institutions in Ashdod, expresses excitement that the idea he
spoke of years ago was being carried out.
Rabbi Bloom noted that at the first major gathering of Agudas
Yisroel the Chofetz Chaim zt"l said that when Jews
gather and work together it serves as an act of Kiddush
Sheim Shomayim and therefore immediately achieves the
goal.
HaRav Shmuel Aryeh Levin, the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas
Chofetz Chaim in Buenos Aires, called on Agudas Yisroel to
assist in the construction of an extensive public framework
for Jewish communities in South America headed by rabbonim
and gedolei Torah. Only an organization with a rich
past and fabulous record of activity could undertake the task
of building a Torah framework centered around gedolei
Torah in South America as well.
HaRav Eliyohu Walt said that as a boy in Brazil he had only
one friend who kept Shabbos while today the observant
community has grown considerably, which he attributed to
cooperation among all of the rabbonim and public figures in
Brazil. He noted the verse, "Boruch haboh besheim Hashem,
beirachnuchem mibeis Hashem" (Tehillim 118:26) begins in
the singular and ends in the plural because the power of the
rabbim is comprised of those same individuals who seek
to act in the name of Hashem, and through this power they
succeed in sanctifying the Name of Heaven berabbim.
Following the opening speeches workshops were held to discuss
education, kollelim, the Daf Yomi, outreach,
antisemitism, chessed and cooperation with Eretz
Yisroel. Each of the issues began with opening words by
one of the representatives.
HaRav Yitzchok Dishi, the rov of the Sephardic
kehilloh in Brazil and the head of Torah and education
institutions in Sao Paulo, spoke about strengthening Jewish
education in South America.
HaRav Yitzchok Shaked of Santiago, Chile, spoke of the
importance of opening kollelim in every location in
order to alter the face of South America from the standpoint
of Torah. HaRav Moshe Metz, the director of Agudas Yisroel
from Florida, spoke about his experience in outreach with
Spanish speakers, particularly young people, and proposed
organizing summer camps.
HaRav Nota Zilberstein, who heads an outreach organization in
Sao Paolo, raised ideas for community activity with
families.
HaRav Shmuel Havlin, a rosh kollel in Brazil,
discussed the increase in the number of Daf Yomi participants
in the country, saying 5-10 minutes of halochoh has been
added each day in order to complete all four parts of the
Shulchan Oruch together with the completion of the
Shas.
On the second day of the conference the issue of South
American antisemitism was discussed extensively.
HaRav Leib Chamalanetzky of Buenos Aires discussed
manifestations of antisemitism in Argentina and how the
Jewish community is coping with them, and made proposals to
counteract it across the continent.
HaRav Dovid Weitman of Sao Paulo, who operates a soup kitchen
for the poor, spoke about chessed in South American
kehillos and made proposals regarding the issues of
housing and health care. He also described a special project
to find work for the unemployed.
HaRav Yeshayohu Pasternak of Brazil spoke about activities
aimed to foster sholom bayis as well as youth
activities. He said only joint action by rabbonim and
educators would lead to success in this area.
At the end of the meetings, Rabbi Bloom reported on Agudas
Yisroel of America projects to assist Jews in Eretz
Yisroel such as Betzedek and suggested ways to include
representatives of Agudas Yisroel in South America to assist
in projects to help Eretz Yisroel.
At the end of the conference a decision was reached to found
an Agudas Yisroel movement in South America to be led by
rabbonim and gedolei Torah. The founding committee
will be headed by HaRav Shmuel Aryeh Levin of Argentina and
HaRav Yitzchok Walt of Brazil together with Rabbi Shmuel
Bloom of New York and Rabbi Moshe Metz of Miami. Agudas
Yisroel of South America will remain in constant contact with
the organization in the US and with the Executive Committee
of World Agudas Yisroel in Jerusalem.
