HaRav Sholom Schwadron zt"l
Demonstration And Provocation
At 5:00 p.m. the demonstration began. Gedolei Yisroel stood on a platform in front of Bank Leumi. The voice of R' Shalom Schwadron, the Yerushalmi maggid, echoed through the street. The masses repeated posuk after posuk of Tehillim after him. The sound of the shofar rent the heavens. With hoarse voices, the people said the sholosh esrei middos. Then the signal to march was given.
From the moment they began reciting Tehillim, the provocation began. Bareheaded teenage boys and immodestly dressed girls congregated opposite the marching point. They made noise in an attempt to disrupt the prayers. "We want a bracha," they yelled. They also shouted disparaging remarks at the bnei yeshiva. Banners with the insignia of Achdut Ha'avodah flew over their heads.
Hundreds of people on the "Central Committee for the Sanctity of Jerusalem," whose role was to maintain order, rushed to the scene. However, they were unable to drive away the rowdy youths, whose numbers were increasing.
The police, positioned on side streets, were summoned. Before nightfall, police reinforcements were called in from other districts. By the time they arrived, fighting was well under way. Three truck loads of police officers descended. Accompanied by horses, they made their way through the crowds, breaking up brawls. A number of youngsters were taken to Magen David Adom and to Sha'arei Tzedek Hospital. When the demonstrators began to march, the rabble accompanied them, along with their verbal barbs and provocations.
The sounds of the shofar continued to echo through the streets of Jerusalem. Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, the crowd marched, protesting the opening of a swimming pool in the King's Palace. Gedolei Torah and Admorim marched next to bnei yeshiva, youths, businessmen, and merchants who were "on strike for the day," in accordance with the directives of the rabbonim.
Venerable rabbonim rode in cars amidst of the crowd. The demonstrators filled Yaffo Street: From Kikar Beit Hadegel—today Mercaz Klal—until King George Street. At Kikar Hadegel they accepted the oath of generations—"If I forget thee, o Jerusalem, may my right hand be forgotten."
The Gaon Av Beis Din of Brisk, the Admor of Gur, the Gaon Av Beis Din of Tchebin, the Gaon Av Beis Din of Lutzk, the gaon R' E.Y. Finkel, the Admor of Kupitchnik, and the Gaon Av Beis Din of Pressburg all stood at the head of the procession. Roshei yeshivos, members of the Chief Rabbinate, and the Beis Din Hagodol all marched. Knesset members representing Agudas Yisroel and Poalei Agudas Yisroel marched alongside them.
Throughout the demonstration the streets were closed to cars. Rechov Strauss appeared black from the masses of demonstrators clad in 'yeshivishe' garb. Those assigned to maintain order labored hard to do so. Hundreds of police officers cleared the way for the protesters.
The marchers halted at the Rechov Hanevi'im intersection. Once again, they fervently recited chapters of Tehillim. Once again, the shofar echoed through the city, while the people trembled. Afterwards, the marchers continued west to Kikar Beit Hadegel. The crowd stopped, and the tension mounted as they anticipated the declarations that were to be the climax of the demonstration.
"The instructions, directives, and design were those of the Gaon Av Beis Din of Brisk," said MK Rav Porush. "The gaon also determined the order and timing of the prayers. I was merely his emissary. I mediated between him and the gaon Rav Epstein, to ask if we should recite om ani chomah."
After the gedolei Torah arrived in the square, R' Shalom Schwadron opened with Ovinu Malkeinu. The masses then recited selichos with the thirteen middos. Cries of "I remember, o' G-d, and I groan when I see every city built on her own mound, while the city of G-d is sunken to the lowest grave," resounded throughout the square.
The chazzan recited the three pesukim customarily said when accepting the yoke of Heaven: "Shema Yisroel," "Hashem Melech," and "Hashem Hu haElokim." R' Menachem Porush's voice rang out in the ensuing silence, as he declared the intentions of the demonstration.
Throughout the program, a group of bareheaded students stood nearby, shouting insults at the demonstrators. When the three pesukim were recited, they, along with everyone else, were deeply moved. Shaken, they stood silent until R' Porush finished speaking. When a group of hooligans renewed their verbal attacks, the students motioned them to be quiet. They were still shaken by what they had witnessed.
At the same time, Histadrut officials stood on their porches and mocked the fervor of the worshipers. They tried to create a disturbance by mimicking the demonstrators in a cheap and vulgar manner.
A group of hooligans from within the religious camp also organized provocation. They opposed the demonstration because its initiators had acquired a permit from the Zionist administration. Using youngsters, they staged a cheap caricature with allusions to Nazism. The masses of demonstrators were angered and disgusted by this "presentation."
Twenty-four hours later in New York, five thousand people participated in an assembly, identifying with the demonstration in Yerushalayim. Rabbi Moshe Sherer declared the purpose and aim of the demonstration. Also in attendance were: HaGaon Rav Aharon Kotler, HaGaon Rav Moshe Feinstein, HaGaon Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky, and the Admorim of Bluzhev, Sadigora, Novominsk, and Boston. The gathering made a deep impression on everyone.
Everyone, that is, except for the pool's owners...
"At one point, I was summoned to Ben Gurion's home in the middle of the night," relates Chaim Shiff. "Present were Moshe Bar Am, Agron, and all of the old-timers from Mapai. Ben Gurion expressed reservations as to whether to continue construction on the pool. He said, 'Look at that huge demonstration. Look at the masses of Rabbonim.'
"The pool was close to completion. I said to him, 'If we stop building the pool, there's still a chance that they'll force you to don a streimel and white stockings, and to grow a beard,'" said Shiff venomously.
Perhaps he had forgotten that just a short while ago, he had said to Rav Porush, "If it bothers you, I'm prepared to sell."
Moshe Bar Am, who was then council secretary, stated in a newspaper interview, "We helped Shiff preserve his ideological motives."
Shiff didn't hold his ground much longer. Within a short time, he called a halt to the pool's construction, despite its being close to completion. Moshav Shoresh "came to the rescue," and purchased the pool.
To ensure that there would be no trouble, hired guards and watchdogs presided over the pool's grand opening. However, all remained calm, and they were soon let go. Although no one created a disturbance, the public warily kept its distance. Fearing violence,the people stayed away.
The pool's "true" opening took place the following Shabbos. Although designed to hold a maximum of five thousand people, more than double that number came. In addition to trampling the sanctity of Yerushalayim, they shamelessly desecrated Shabbos. Speculators sold 850 pruta entrance tickets for two lira—more than double their face value. The despairing chareidi public paid their dues in coins of pain and sorrow.
"Alas, the faithful city has become a harlot!" (Yeshaya, 1:21)
The End of The Struggle
Why didn't you continue staging demonstrations after the pool opened?
Rav Porush: "Gedolei Yisroel felt we had already done all that we could."
From that point on, the pool no longer caused a stir. The controversy continued to rage only in meetings of the Municipal Council, where insults were hurled and reactions were filled with scorn.
Agudas Yisroel tried to accomplish whatever it could. At one meeting of the Municipal Council, Agudas Yisroel proposed a law that would set certain standard regulations for pools. Among the points made were: complete separation of the sexes, modesty in the bathing area, modest attire while walking outside the pool area, and that the pool be closed on Shabbos and chagim.
In contrast to the deep faith, tenacity, and chastened faces of those who made Yerushalayim's pain their own, the secular representatives exhibited frivolity and unbridled scorn. The discussion turned into an argument, and the following exchange took place: (The protocol is preserved in Agudas Yisroel's archives in Yerushalayim.)
Rav Moshe Porush: "The only ones who go to the pool are riffraff whose lifestyles are unrestrained and debauched."
"Avarsha" Arsat (who took pride in his Russian accent and Chabad descent): "My family is proud to be counted among that riffraff."
Rav Porush: "I was walking the city streets one night, and all I saw were youngsters [bumming around.]"
Arsat: "Why were you wandering around at night?"
Ganer (Progressive Party): "Why don't you yell about the moadonim? Their ethical level is more questionable than that of the pool."
Rav Porush: "I would also like to go to the pool."
Agron: "[We'll give you] a complimentary entrance ticket..."
Rav Porush: "I won't go to that abomination of a pool."
Arsat: "We'll change the water in your honor."
Rav Porush: "You are destroyers of Yerushalayim, all off you..." (He pounds his fist on the table.)
M.Bar'am: "Shut up! I can pound harder than you."
M. Zar: "[Why don't you] get American dollars so you can continue your incitement?"
Incidentally, the law proposed by Agudas Yisroel was defeated 10 to 1.
When all was lost, The Eida HaChareidis unsheathed its ultimate weapon. Rav Menachem Mendel Gerlitz, who was present at the time, relates: "A large crowd of people, invited beforehand, stood outside the shul in Batei Warsaw. No one was permitted to enter, except the ten men whose presence was required. Black candles of unrefined tallow were lit, lending an atmosphere of somber gloom pervaded with fear. The rabbonim were fasting. Barefoot, they stood before the open sefer Torah, immersed in the Kavanos of the holy names.
Pulsa d'nura. (Fiery lashes.)
The crowd, numbering in the thousands, maintained perfect order. The tension was palpable, as they waited for the rabbonim to emerge. "Pulsa d'nura," many murmured, a shiver running down their spines. Suddenly, the rabbonim appeared at the entrance, wearing grave expressions. They approached the loudspeakers and announced: "We have recited the formula of the Kol Bo, in the presence of ten, with black candles, barefoot, and with an open sefer Torah..."
From that moment, Agron's life was in danger.
The pool gave the people of the Eida HaChareidis no rest. They continued to hold protest gatherings.
The Precedents
The swimming pool in Jerusalem had been preceded by other mixed swimming facilities elsewhere. Twenty years earlier heated protests and controversies over swimming pools were already commonplace. A mixed pool by the name Gallei-Gil opened in Ramat Gan, making waves among the religious public. These, however, were waves of grief, not of delight.
A petition was sent to Sir Herbert Samuel, governor at the time:
"To His Excellency, the High Representative of the government of Palestine: A pool which permits mixed bathing constitutes a destructive force, estranging the younger generation from basic tenets of modesty. Moreover, the lack of restraint that results from such a facility is a source of degradation, desecrating the honor of the Holy Land, whose sacredness is above all. This land received it's sanctity from the Creator of the world, who detests lewdness among all nations. We therefore request that His Excellency close down the pool, and prevent similar facilities from opening in the future," they wrote.
We received a copy of this petition from the estate of the esteemed Rav Uri Rosenberg, one of the founders of Yeshivas HaMasmidim in Yerushalayim.
Sir Herbert didn't prevent the pool from opening, and later on, others opened similar facilities.
A Kosher Pool
Subsequently, the question arose of building a pool of another sort: One which would be under supervision and permit only separate swimming. Someone sent us a letter which the Steipler gaon, ztvk'l, wrote to the av beis din of Komemiut. The subject: The pool in Chazon Yechezkel. The Steipler wrote:
"In and of itself, there is no issur involved in opening a swimming pool. To the contrary. This will prevent people from travelling to the beach, which is filled with lewdness and filth...The rabbonim who came to me claim they will accept full responsibility for supervising the pool, and that peritzus will be permitted neither inside nor out, ch"v. Obviously, if the situation changes, so does the din.
"I asked Maran HaGaon HaRav Shach, shlita, and he told me that as far as he knows, these are trustworthy and responsible men."
Rav Moshe Feinstein, ztvk'l deals with this issue in Igros Moshe, (Chelek Even HaEzer.) He writes:
"This is definitely not an issur. What's more, it involves the mitzvah of gemilus chassodim towards children and youth, whose pain is great when they have no place to swim and cool off. It is even possible that this will draw them closer to limud haTorah. What's more, as a result, people will be less likely to go to the beach, which is full of peritzus. This being the case, opening such a facility is not only a mitzvah, it is an obligation!"
In places where mixed swimming is allowed, "sin crouches at the entrance." Under supervision, such a pool is "not only a mitzvah, but an obligation." Strict adherence to halachic requirements is, therefore, a bridge over troubled waters.
The Troublemakers
These troublemakers acted on their own initiative. They certainly didn't have the backing of any established group. The Eida HaChareidis, Neturei Karta, and Agudas Yisroel all worked towards the same objective. Despite the differences of opinion between them regarding what type of action to take, they worked in close cooperation. Only those who cast off the authority of gedolim resorted to violence.
The Brisker Rav used the following analogy to define such hooligans:
"Two chase after a mouse: A cat, and a housewife. The latter wants to be rid of the mouse. The cat, on the other hand, is interested in having the mouse around, so that he will have whom to chase.
"There is a type of zealousness," explained the Brisker Rav, "whose goal is to stop up breaches, to remove stumbling blocks. But there is also zealousness of another sort. This type wants problems to exist, so that there will be something against which to fight."
An esteemed Yerushalmi, today one of the city's prominent rabbonim, entered a printing shop during the height of the demonstrations. He noticed youngsters from that fringe group printing circulars designated to create provocation. He hurriedly informed the police of what he had seen. Subsequently, the man entered the Brisker Rav's home.
"Please have a seat, R' Moser," (i.e. informer) said the Brisker Rav, without mentioning the man's name.
The man sat down.
"Did you hear what I said to you?" asked the Rav.
"Yes. You told me to sit down."
"No, I said, sit down, R' Moser.
The guest's expression grew grave. "Does the Rav know what happened?" he asked, and proceeded to relate the chain of events.
"If that is the case," said the Brisker Rav, "then what you did isn't considered informing. The RaM"A (siman 388) explicitly states that if an individual does something which is liable to cause damage to the community, it is permissible to inform on him."
The Brisker Rav stood up suddenly and began pacing back and forth. He added: "There are those who forget that they will be asked 'Did you learn Torah? Were you faithful in your business transactions?' There are those who think the only question will be `Did you speak against the government, or not?' "
The Idolatry Of Israel
R' Velvele's verdict was decisive and piercing, all the more so in light of his well-known opposition to Zionism. This opposition may be seen from the following incident:
During the height of the demonstrations, a prominent Jerusalemite, son of a well-known Sephardic Rabbi in America, came to the Brisker Rav's home. He stood chatting with a group of men who were there. "The American Rabbis are completely at fault," he said.
The Brisker Rav, who usually didn't intervene in other people's conversations, this time made an exception. "What you say is true. Recently, your father paid me a visit. We started talking. 'I have already nullified the idolatry which goes by the name 'Zionism,' he said to me.
I answered, `Idolatry of a Jew [in contrast to that of a non-Jew,] can never be nullified.'" (i.e. It must be destroyed.)
Occasionally, the hooligans openly stated their intentions to create provocations. This occurred on Taanis Esther. The chareidi public wanted to go en masse to the grave of the gaon R' Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky, in order to daven there, and to ask him to be a meilitz yosher for Yerushalayim.
A fringe group guaranteed that they would disrupt the procession because R' Moshe Porush had obtained a permit from the police. As a result, the trip was cancelled.
This was a terrible disgrace for the godol b'Yisroel, R' Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky, who had served as Rosh av beis din of Yerushalayim.
