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Sixty-eight years after the controversy over Yerushalayim's first public swimming pool — Many Waters Can't Quench The Flames
By Yehuda Zaks
Rav Moshe Porush zt"l
Part III
For Part II of this series click here.
For Part IV of this series click here.
This series was first published 33 years ago, in 1993.
During the past generation we are accustomed to secular domination of Jerusalem, with several religious enclaves. However, it was not always thus. Jerusalem considered itself a holy city, and it was a deliberate effort on the part of anti-religious elements to break the kedusha. It was a war that began around the first World War, and continues to this very day. However, many crucial battles were fought during the first years of the State. One of these was the opening of the first mixed swimming pool in Jerusalem in 1958.
Every new insult to the sanctity of Jerusalem was fought. Each caused its pain and left its scars. Important to understanding the struggles that continue to this very day are the accounts of these earlier struggles. We are confident of long-term victory, but there is a long road back.
Mass demonstration against the Jerusalem swimming pool
This picture and the next one are from volume 5 of Sharsheres Hadoros by Rabbi Menachem Porush zt"l
Nonviolent Demonstrations?
A pogrom in Yerushalayim? Jerusalemites arrived at one demonstration with their hands literally tied. This was their way of "proving" that they weren't violent. This, however, had no effect on the police, who continued raining violent blows on religious protesters.
A gathering took place at the Kikar Shabbos intersection. Without prior warning, the police turned fire hoses on the protesters. They then descended on the masses, swinging their clubs. Innocent passersby were wounded. The police then began breaking into people's homes. The cries of children intermingled with the sound of shattering windowpanes. The "guardians of law and order" hurled rocks into houses. Miraculously, no one was harmed.
In the wake of this unbridled attack, a day of prayer was arranged, to take place throughout the Jewish world. On the seventh of Adar, thousands gathered on the corner of Batei Warsaw.
The sounds of prayers, chosen expressly for this seventh day of Adar, reverberated through the air. Yerushalayim was already accustomed to gatherings of this sort. On this day, the entire focus was on prayer. The idea of demonstrating was far from everyone's mind. The police officers on the scene were bored. They began driving by on motorcycles, inciting the crowd. Others sounded their sirens, intending to disturb the tefillos.
A short distance away, the elders of the Sephardi council also staged a gathering. They said chapters from Tehillim and carried placards. Suddenly, the police descended upon them, kicking and pushing. Afterwards, they began attacking anyone and everyone present. The assembled, who had gathered in prayer, pressed their lips together tightly and gritted their teeth. Although angry, they exercised restraint. Instead of striking back, they broke into song. "Utzu eitzah vesufar," they sang, in voices punctuated with groans of pain.
They then tried to disperse. The police, however, decided to "restore order," although order had in fact been maintained throughout. Never mind that, though. Fire hoses were turned on at maximum force and aimed directly at the protesters. The force of the current knocked many to the ground. Shop windows shattered loudly, and a book store in the vicinity was destroyed.
Even after using up all the water, the police refused to despair. Fire extinguishers bearing the municipality's emblem were quickly brought. The municipality and Police Force worked in conjunction to thwart the religious. The public was enraged, and no amount of water could quench its fiery wrath.
The world began to take note of the demonstrations in Yerushalayim. Foreign reporters and cameramen who were on the scene had the opportunity to view, firsthand, the "forbearance" of the police towards the chareidim. A mere 24 hours earlier, they had attended a meeting with the Prime Minister. The topic of discussion was "Israeli forbearance." Perhaps it was for this reason that the gloomy sight wrung a smile from them.
The police hurriedly patrolled the area. Their orders were to apprehend as many people as possible. Sixteen "demonstrators" were rounded up, among them two girls. The venerable Rav, R' Eliyahu Maizes, was also arrested. The wailing police sirens pierced Jerusalem's streets as the demonstrators were transported to prison. The police car carrying Rav Maizes went in the direction of the Magen David Adom station.
The demonstrators remained imprisoned through Shabbos. In a true testament to "Israeli forbearance," they were taken to the distant Hartuv prison, where their families would be unable to visit. Even those prisoners who were considered to be "less dangerous" and were therefore incarcerated in the Russian Compound received no visitors. With the exception of one British tourist, no one dared to go near the area. That tourist didn't know what he was in for.
A Civilized Request
Rav Shlomo Hochhoizer walked slowly towards the police station. He never walked quickly on Shabbos. Besides, here everyone was Jewish. Surely, they would allow him to meet with his imprisoned brothers. He walked the length of the gloomy walls, foreboding in their naked simplicity, and searched for someone who would be able to translate his request.
When he noticed a policeman passing by, his eyes lit up. "Excuse me, sir. Would you be able to translate my request to the officer?" he asked politely, and waited for a response. The policeman cast him a withering glance, filled with fury, and remained silent. Suddenly, he fell upon the rav, giving vent to his hatred, and struck the man with all his might.
The cries of the victim and his attacker echoed throughout the building. Other officers who arrived on the scene were quick to join the fray. Even when the Rav's blood flowed from multiple wounds, the uniformed rabble continued to beat him. With the last of his strength, the man managed to escape. Limping, he made his way to the offices of Agudas Yisroel. This was a prime example of the treatment imprisoned demonstrators received at the hands of the police.
When asked to comment on the incident, Ber Bliman, the senior officer, didn't understand what they wanted from him. "I rescued the man from his attackers," he said, stressing his humanitarian gesture.
Other prisoners complained that they were beaten during their prison stay, but their accusations fell on deaf ears. One said that his glasses had been taken. Another arrived with bloodstained clothes. "I was returning from a doctor's appointment, when they arrested me," he claimed. Despite this, the apprehended were imprisoned for ten days.
Ha'aretz, "the paper for thinking people," justified the police officers. "As long as the religious confine themselves to appeals to the public conscience, they are within their rights. However, once they begin... using violence, there is nothing to prevent the government from taking the same measures against them that they would against any other terrorist group."
The demonstrator's persistence resulted in repeated imprisonment. Those who had been put on probation at the beginning, for participating in "unlawful gatherings," were later imprisoned. They utilized the courtroom as a platform to explain their position. R' Amram Blau was quickly sentenced to four months in jail. There, he met his son, Uri, and R' Hillel Schlesinger. Yeshaya, another of R' Blau's sons, was incarcerated in the Damon prison.
The chareidim were incensed over the Police Force's conduct. MK Rabbi Shlomo Lorentz raised the issue in the Knesset. Rav Moshe Porush and Rav Yitzchok Meir Levin, head of Agudas Yisroel, met with the Police Commissioner to discuss the matter. Would these contacts yield results? In an effort to find a solution, R' Levin browsed through a thick file of newspapers. While doing so, one of the morning headlines caught his eye. (Yediot Acharonot, 1 Iyar): "A Government Guest Is Imprisoned!"
Police attacking Rabbi Zalman Reichman z"l
The Shame of a Zionist
R' Zalman Reichman served as rabbi of the large Beis Haknesses Tsion, in the Bronx. Considered a prominent Zionist leader, he worked day and night to collect funds for Israel. He served as chairman of the executive committee of the Agudas HaRabbonim of America and Canada. He was, in short, "a good Zionist." R' Reichman came to Israel at the personal invitation of Teddy Kollek, who served at the time as head administrator in the Prime Minister's office.
Kollek invited R' Reichman for the tenth anniversary celebration of the founding of the State. R' Reichman was met with open arms wherever he went. He celebrated the seder night in an atmosphere of high spirits and happiness. Everything went according to plan until that Tuesday, the eighteenth of Nisan.
R' Reichman and his son were passing by the Geula-Strauss intersection (Kikar Shabbos). At that moment, a demonstration against the pool was taking place. The two men innocently passed by. They were apprehended, beaten, and humiliated. R' Reichman sent a detailed memorandum to the Prime Minister, describing what had happened:
"At 6:00, I passed Yeshivas Chayei Olam (at the intersection, above what is now Bank HaPoalim). Suddenly, police officers appeared from the direction of Rechov Yeshaya. I saw one policeman wave his club, and bring it down forcefully on a woman's back.
"My son turned to the officers and asked in an emotion-choked voice why they were hitting the woman. Officer Wilk immediately screamed, 'Arrest him!'
A number of policemen fell upon him, and dragged him, amidst a rain of blows, to the police car. Although my son didn't struggle, the police continued to beat him. Officer Wilk himself grabbed my son and shook him violently. Even in the police car, the assault continued. To this day, he retains the scars from this beating."
R' Reichman was unable to remain silent in the face of such brutality. "Why are you arresting my son?" he asked. "He hasn't done anything!"
In response, Wilk shrieked "Arrest him, too!" The officer quickly grabbed the government guest, and twisted his arm backwards. "I still feel the pain today." They then shoved him into the police car with his son.
The two men were taken to the Russian Compound, where they underwent interrogation. Apparently, the methods of investigation are a reflection of the place's name. The investigator, Shaul Marcus, pressed the son to sign the testimony without reading it, as the law requires. "I told my son to read it before signing, as this is the law. The investigator's expression hardened and reprimanded me: `Shut up! This isn't America!'"
Indeed, their conduct and methods of investigation were more appropriate for totalitarian regimes.
Meanwhile, Officer Wilk arrived. Rav Reichman introduced himself, and asked that he be permitted to relate what had happened to Minister Shapira. When Reichman explained that he was an official guest of the government, the officer granted his request. At the same time, the degrading procedure continued. The police conducted a thorough body search, and took his tie. He was then taken to a jail cell.
"I suffer from diabetes. When I asked them to bring me a certain medication, which is vital for this condition, or to at least contact my wife and let her know what had happened, they refused!" he wrote.
The Prime Minister received R' Reichman's letter. He passed it on to Police Commissioner Shetreet for investigation. In a government meeting, the commissioner expressed his apologies. The religious ministers demanded that immediate action be taken.
When news of R' Reichman's imprisonment reached the United States, the Jewish community was enraged. A delegation representing various organizations and institutions presented itself to Simcha Peret, the Israeli consul in New York. They protested against the treatment this prominent Zionist activist and tourist had received at the hands of the police.
No one protested against the police brutality towards helpless women and children who were not Zionists.
"What do you feel?" one reporter asked R' Reichman.
"Shame. Just shame," he replied.
Rabbe Moshe Porush speaking at the dedication of Beit Chinuch LaIvrim
Attempts To Buy The Site
During that entire time period, Shiff remained intractable in his position. He refused to even consider forgoing his plans for the pool's construction. The decision was therefore made to remove the hechsher from his hotel: He could no longer be relied upon when it came to kashrus. The Chief Rabbinate informed Shiff, as well as the Government Bureau of Tourism, that they would revoke his hechsher unless he put a halt on his plans.
Chaim Shiff began to worry about his profits. This confrontation occurred on the Erev Pesach of Israel's tenth anniversary, and hundreds of tourists were expected. Shiff hastily dispatched a letter to the press bureau, in which he declared: "I have forfeited my rights to the pool in Jerusalem. I no longer have any connection with the company."
Rav Menachem Porush: Shiff frequently came to me in order to quell the unrest. This was because he stood to lose [a fortune] if the hechsher was removed from his hotel as a result of our activity. From my conversations with him, I realized that he was evasive, [and not to be trusted.]"
This time, Shiff made a serious error. He assumed that he would once again succeed in ensnaring the religious in his net. Rav Menachem Porush, however, suspected deception. At the same time, people affiliated with Neturei Karta did some detective work. Just a few days after Shiff's declaration, a persuasive, fact-filled document lay on the desk of the chairman of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. This report clearly proved that not only did Shiff remain a partner in the venture, he was the driving force behind it.
The gaon, Rav Zalman Sorotskin, hurried to the Chief Rabbi's home with the report in hand. "You must revoke the hechsher from the President Hotel and the student's hostel," he exclaimed decisively. (Both were owned by Shiff.)
Within a short time, the hechsher was removed.
Shiff now acted the part of "victim." "You're destroying my business!" he cried. In protest, he began to fire the hotel's workers. "Since I have fewer guests, I need fewer workers," he explained. His objective in so doing was to put pressure on the Chief Rabbinate, and in this, he succeeded.
One day, a group of workers arrived at Chief Rabbi Yitzchok Nissim's home. They started shouting and creating a scene. Within a short time, the infuriated group grew unruly. "Let us in!" screamed one of them, breaking down the door. The workers stormed into the house. They rushed wildly through the rooms, wreaking havoc. Here and there, the sound of shattering glass was swallowed by cries. While trying to wrest a certificate of kashrus for the hotels, the workers heard sirens. Police, who had rushed to the site, forcibly removed the hooligans from the premises.
Why had the workers chosen to unleash their rage specifically on R' Nissim? The answer was to be found in a letter, printed on Moatza Hadatit stationery. The letter stated that Rav Nissim was the only one opposed to reinstating Shiff's hechsher. The others were prepared to discuss the matter.
Torah-true Jewry was greatly embittered by the Moatza Hadatit's stand. How could they consider giving a hechsher to Shiff's hotels at the height of the struggle? Was this how Hapoel Hamizrachi conducted the council?
Despite intense pressure, the Chief Rabbinate stood firm. It refused to give in to threats. The hotelier, now backed into a corner, was compelled to change his tactics. His memory is crystal clear, even after thirty years. Only his intentions, which subsequently became known, were less than sparkling.
Shiff: "I came to withdraw, and I said, if it bothers you, if it's a chillul Hashem, I'm prepared to sell it to you. Turn it into a mikveh." This, in a mocking tone.
He asked R' Porush to find a number of affluent datiim to buy the pool. He only wanted, he said, a dignified way out of the whole mess. The various religious factions met at Rav Yitzchok Meir Levin's home, where they decided to mobilize the necessary funds for the pool's purchase. This was subject to the agreement of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and the Chief Rabbinate.
Why did the negotiations run aground?
Shiff: "The negotiations never got off the ground. It could be that they collected a bit of money. But they didn't buy. They never had any intention of buying."
MK Menachem Porush: "We took steps to purchase the pool. In fact, Mr. Binyomin Citron from Brazil agreed to buy it. However, in the interim, the Histadrut purchased it."
At first, the owners asked for 350 thousand lira. Shiff drove a hard bargain. He raised the price more than once, claiming that the original calculations had contained an error: He had really invested 400 thousand lira. They decided to examine the company's books. If an error really existed, they would pay the higher figure.
With great effort, they amassed the necessary sum, and the negotiations went into high gear. This time, too, Shiff tried to worm his way out of the deal. Late one night, R' Menachem Porush heard a knock at his door. When he answered, he found himself face to face with the young and ambitious hotelier. "I won't permit the pool to be sold," he informed R' Porush decisively. The Aguda activist raised his eyebrows in surprise.
What happened?
"The loss of my hotel's hechsher resulted in a loss of 60 thousand lira," he said. He declared that unless he was compensated, he wouldn't allow his partners to go through with the transaction.
Rav Porush shrugged his shoulders and shook his head in refusal. He wouldn't submit to extortion. They decided to find a third party to arbitrate between them.
End of Part 3
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