Many of our readers will surely remember the Hashkofoh articles written over many years in the Musaf Shabbos Kodesh edition of Yated by the late Rav Yisroel Shpiegl. As one who accompanied the rise of chareidi Jewry in the Holy Land, he clarified the position of Mafdal, the National Religious Party of yore, in its beginning steps.

The shrinking of Mafdal and its estrangement in these recent years (relevant to when the article was written) as being the central voice piece on religious matters have created a certain illusion that perhaps its leaders have learned something from all of the errors and failures of the past, hoping that they realized that in kowtowing to the secularists and uprooters of Torah, they did not gain a thing. But reality proves that what was in the past, also perseveres in the present and will also continue in the future. The Mafdal as the Mafdal. It has remained the same, and at the proper time, it is publicly exposed in its deceptive form, as in the past and in the present.

In later years, HaRav R' Chaim Shaul Karelitz wrote in Digleinu, the publication of Zeirei Agudas Yisroel, an article reacting to an declaration by one of the National Religious leading rosh yeshivos, why it was important for yeshiva students to enlist to the army. He wrote as follows:

They say that it was Vice President Vance who exerted pressure to put an end to the war with Iran. Apparently, Vance is no history expert. In an interview he gave to one of the media, explaining the significance of the settlement with Iran, the vice president noted that wars always end with diplomatic agreements, as is proven by WWII, which ended with such a treaty.

We don't know how many years of education Vance completed in his youth. Perhaps, precisely when his history class studied WWII, he had a cold and didn't attend the lessons, but a man who dreams of becoming president is expected to know some basic facts, one of which is that the war against Germany ended only after the U.S. demanded an unconditional surrender from Germany. Until they waved the white flag and submitted wholly, the war did not end.

Part 2

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. As Jews returned to their ancient homeland, they brought the golus back with them in the form of the life of hefkeirus as lived by the goyim. The Holy Land itself, left empty for almost two thousand years, and then beginning to be filled with the kedusha of the yishuv begun in the nineteenth century by the talmidim of the Besht and the Gra, was brought into exile by the insistence of those elements that wanted an anti-religious lifestyle. We are confident of long-term victory, but there is a long road back.

The Making Of A Tycoon

Chaim Shiff did indeed build the first kosher hotel in Yerushalayim. At the time, he was an energetic young man from Haifa, who wanted to make money. Short and moustached, the streaks of grey in his black hair lent him the appearance of a seasoned businessman.

Shiff started out as a packer in a depot. After a short time, he leased a store, where he sold groceries. In those days, Israel suffered from shortages of even basic food staples. Utilizing questionable means, Shiff succeeded in acquiring merchandise that was hard to come by. In court, his wife testified that he also sold illegal merchandise and goods that were either stolen or contraband.

Chaim Shiff quickly realized that Israel was fast becoming "a land of unlimited opportunities." He was also aware that in order to make money, it's important to make the right connections. Within a short time, he discovered the Chief Rabbi, Rav Herzog.