Dei'ah veDibur - Information & Insight
  

A Window into the Charedi World

19 Iyar 5759 - May 5, 1999 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
NEWS

OPINION
& COMMENT

HOME
& FAMILY

IN-DEPTH
FEATURES

VAAD HORABBONIM HAOLAMI LEINYONEI GIYUR

TOPICS IN THE NEWS

HOMEPAGE

News
Appointments Announced at the European Aguda Convention

by Yated Ne'eman Staff

The announcement at last week's European Aguda convention held in Bournemouth that two of Britain's leading gedolei HaTorah had joined the presidium of the British Aguda was greeted with great enthusiasm by the large gathering attending the public session on Sunday afternoon.

The conference chairman, Mr. Yitzchok Meir Cymerman announced that HaRav Bezalel Rakov, the rav of Gateshead, and HaRav Shammai Zahn, the rav of Sunderland, had acceded to the request of the British Aguda's officers and joined HaRav J. H. Dunner, the rav of Adass Yisroel and HaRav Y. M. Rosenbaum, the Gerrer rosh yeshiva, to head the British Aguda.

The convention, which was attended by a large number of rabbonim and ba'alei batim, opened on Friday evening with greetings from Mr. Cymerman who warned the chareidi community against the inroads of Reform Judaism.

"Make no mistake and think that the problem does not affect the chareidim. The growth of Reform and Masorati (Conservative) is a threat to the entire structure of Klal Yisroel," he said.

The convention's Guest of Honor was the Bostoner Rebbe whose presence pervaded the atmosphere of the entire proceedings. Speaking at the public session he made a fervent appeal for the preservation of the family unit.

He was critical of sons not davening with their fathers in the same shul. Such behavior, he said, was the beginning of the end of Torah tradition which has guaranteed Jewish continuity throughout Jewry's troubled history.

HaRav Rosenbaum, the Gerrer rosh yeshiva, who presided over the public session, made a fervent plea for chareidim to identify themselves with Agudas Yisroel, "as we are the yorshim of the gedolim and tzaddikim who created the organization, because they saw in it the bulwark against the growing tide of Zionism and Reform."

HaRav Rosenbaum eulogized HaRav Yitzchok Flakser zt'l member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah in Eretz Yisroel whose shiva concluded on that day, as well as HaRav Benzion Blau, a former Aguda Presidium member who was niftar during the Aguda Convention four years ago.

HaRav Elchonon Halpern, the Hon. President of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations and member of its beis din conveyed the kehilla's greetings and best wishes to the convention.

The rav of the Union, HaRav H.B. Padwa who, due to ill health, was unable to attend, also conveyed his brochos.

In a far reaching programmatic speech the Gateshead Rav spelled out the objectives of Agudas Yisroel which are entirely based on da'as Torah and should also be strengthened and supported by all chareidim ledvar Hashem. He also highlighted the zechus of the Lubliner Rav for having introduced the daf hayomi.

Mr. N. Roosen, Chairman of the Aguda in Holland, made a presentation on behalf of the European Aguda to Rabbi Azriel Schechter in recognition of his widespread activities in the sphere of Hatzolah, Chinuch Atzmai, and other worthy causes.

Rav Chaim Kaufman of Yeshiva Tiferes Yaakov-Gateshead also addressed the public session.

A particularly lively session took place under the chairmanship of Mr. Refoel Bergman LLB. on the subject of "The wider interests of Klal Yisroel -- The way forward."

Councillor Joe Lobenstein MBE said that the Torah concept of the way forward differed entirely from that of society around us. To the uninitiated it may sound simplistic but it is the basis of our hashkofo.

"Our way forward is the way backward" based on the Torah concept of she'al ovicho veyageidecho." He reiterated that Agudas Yisroel was created by gedolei haTorah to be the shofar of authentic Judaism and related the achievements of prominent Agudas leaders who served in the prewar parliaments of Poland, Rumania and Latvia.

It is from this, he said, that we have to take our cue for representatives in public establishments and he gave some details of what had been achieved by orthodox representation in local government.

Mr. Pinchos Kornfeld, member of the World Aguda Executive, bemoaned what he called the unnecessary multiplicity of Torah institutions.

"Why can a child of a Gerrer Chossid not learn in the same cheder as a child of a Vishnitzer Chossid?" he asked. "The self-imposed ghettoization of the chareidi circles is not conducive towards creating achdus in our midst," he said.

Rabbi Avrohom Yosef Lazerson painted a bleak picture of what he regarded as the future of Yahadus hachareidis in Eretz Yisroel and noted the orchestrated hatred of all secular parties against Torah Jewry. He made special reference to the misuse of power by the secular courts which was an insult to all standards of democracy.

A session on kashrus problems was presided over by Mr. Yaakov Schonberg and addressed by Dayan Osher Westheim of the Manchester Beis Din and Rabbi A. Adler, author of Kashrus and Medicine, of Gateshead.

A session on shidduchim was chaired by Mr. Alexander Strom and addressed by Rabbi J. Marmorstein, principal of the Sarah Schenirer Seminary, Rabbi N. Mantel, rav of Lucerne, Switzerland, and Rabbi Sh. Weingarten of Golders Green.

Rabbi M. Miller, principal of the Gateshead Seminary, addressed the Sunday morning session on "The Brilliant Child Versus the Child with `Special Needs'." The session was chaired by Rabbi C.Y. Davis, executive director of the British Aguda.

A highlight of the convention was the two outstanding speeches by the renowned speaker Rabbi Pesach Krohn of America who specially traveled to Bournemouth to grace the convention with his outstanding addresses.

Droshos on Shabbos were given by Rav Ch. Horowitz, rosh hakollel of Antwerp, Rav A. Schlesinger, av beis din of Strasberg, Rav A. Schechter, Rav Bezalel Rakov and Rabbi Dovid Cymerman of Bnei Brak.

The Seuda Shelishis session which was introduced by Mr. Joshua Bloch of Zurich, chairman of the Swiss Aguda, and heard brilliant discourses by Rav Shimon Hirschler and by HaRav Shammai Zahn, rav of Sunderland.

The daily daf hayomi shiurim were given by Rabbi Simcha Bamberger of Manchester.

The final session dealing with problems encountered by people who have to travel was presided over by Rabbi Yehuda Bondi.


All material on this site is copyrighted and its use is restricted.
Click here for conditions of use.