A delegation consisting of leading Rabbinic and religious
lay leaders from America and Europe plans to visit Israel in
the near future and have in-depth discussions with Prime
Minister Barak about the current political and religious
situation in the Holy Land.
This was decided at a meeting of the European Aguda
Executive held in Brussels last Sunday.
The delegation will express the identification of religious
Jewry the world over with the Jewish state in its current
precarious situation but will at the same time express its
bitter feelings about the government's intention to
secularize the Jewish State.
"World Jewry will not allow the sanctity of Shabbos, the
fundamental religious marriage laws as well as those of
kashrus to be sacrificed on the altar of secular
Jewish statehood," warned Reb Shlomo Klagsbald, veteran
leader of the Belgian Aguda.
The conference was attended by delegates from Great Britain,
France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, and
Holland.
It dealt mainly with the restructuring of the European Aguda
which, it was felt, was under-represented in many of the
restitution organizations.
As part of the reorganization it was decided that a European
Aguda office will be established in Brussels over which Mr.
Leibel Perleman of Antwerp will be in charge.
The chairmanship of the European Aguda will in the future be
on a half-yearly rotating basis, with Mr. Pinchas Kornfeld
of Antwerp as the first chairman, Mr. Joshua Block the
second, and a British member still to be nominated, the
third.
The following senior members of the Vaad Hapoel were elected
as Joint Honorary Presidents of the European Aguda: Mr. S.
Klagsbald, Mr. I. M. Cymerman, Mr. M. Hertz (Switzerland),
Mr. Rosen (Holland), and Councilor H. J. Lobenstein.
The meeting also dealt with the serious problems of ancient
Jewish cemeteries in Europe. It expressed appreciation to
Rabbi Elyokim Schlesinger and his committee for their
constant activities to protect the cemeteries and promised
to render them support.
Among resolutions adopted by the conference were:
* Support for the MKs of Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisrael
for their defense of Torah interests in Eretz Yisroel.
* An appeal to the Israeli government to desist from
implementing their plans to "secularize" the Jewish
State.
* To approach the German government to pass legislation to
protect the sanctity of Jewish cemeteries.
In summarizing the conference, Mr. Joshua Block, who
presided, said that much work is being done by individual
chareidim in many spheres of askonus. If these
efforts were channeled via the Aguda they would be even more
successful.
He also remarked that the conference coincided with the date
of the yahrtzeit of Moreinu Jacob Rosenheim -- 8th
Cheshvan -- the Founder of Agudas Yisroel.
Greetings to the conference were sent by Rabbi Y.M.
Abramovitz, chairman of the World Aguda Executive and Mr. I.
M. Cymerman who, for personal reasons, was unable to
attend.
