Thursday, February 14, 2008

PLEASE CALL/WRITE AGUDATH YISROEL OF AMERICA

bs"d
 
Call the Agudath Yisroel of America (contact information below) and ask them to speak out!  Rabbi Simcha Kook spoke to Rav Eliashiv and to Rav Shteinman and to the Noveminsker Rav.
 
Odelia Jacobs wrote me this email.
 
 
Dear Robin,
    I just finished speaking with Rav Kook, Chief Rabbi of Rechovot.
Rav Kook told me that he met personally with each one of the
Gedolei Hador amongst the list, Rav Elyashiv, Rav Shteinman.....
and he also met last week with Rav Perlow and they all urged
us to do our hishtadlus in tefila and actions on behalf of Eretz Yisrael.
 
They mentioned that these are dangerous times, worse then
pre Holocaust!!!!!
 
WE MUST ALL UNITE IN ACHDUT TO DEFEAT THE RESHAIIM.
IN ACHDUS WE ARE STRONG B/C HASHEM BLESSES US EVEN MORE!!
 
Please ask Rabbi Bloom why the Aguda in NY still remains silent and
does not follow the lead and request of the Aguda in Israel???
 
                                                    Odeleya Jacobs
 
So I forwarded this letter to Rabbi Avi Shafran, spokesperson of Agudah asking him to please reply to Odelia's question.  This was his reply. 
 
 In a message dated 2/13/2008 9:39:47 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, Shafran@agudathisrael.org writes:

Only last week we publicized (to yeshivos, shuls and a large e-mail list) a call from the Gedolim in E"Y to recite Tehillim and convene Yom Kippur Koton services on erev Rosh Chodesh because of the dire situation in E"Y, and held such a service in our offices.  Any other special tefillos or actions that those Gedolim ask us to do, you may rest assured we will undertake with alacrity.

"Remains silent"?  Perhaps your correspondent might pursue a true zechut for Klal Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael in not judging other Jews harshly and unfairly.

May we merit better times.


I responded by saying Will the fact that we davaned last week suffice? Would that really stop the Kassam Rockets?    On the other hand, constant, action, networking, public pressure, etc.  whatever, to physically stop the Kassam Rockets and of course daven, now that would be much more effective. 
 
Apparently this response didn't impress Rabbi Shafran.  But perhaps he will be more open to your responses.
 
Here is an excellent letter to the Gedoilim from Menachem Kovacs.
 

Letter from Menachem Kovacs takovacs@comcast.net
to influential Rabbanim to act now to keep Yehuda and Shomron as well as all Jerusalem under Jewish control 

(Dr. Kovacs is Director of the Jewish Roots Center in Baltimore and Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Montgomery College in Maryland.)

BH

 

6005 Baywood Av

Baltimore, Md  21209

April 7, 2008

Rosh Chodesh Adar Rishon, Parshas Teruma

 

Dear Distinguished Rabbanim,

 

Please use your influence to request a brief and strong public statement from Rav Steinman Shlita and Rav Eliyashi Shlita and from other prominent Rabbanim and other Jewish leaders and organizations to overtly support the importance of Israel retaining Yehuda and the Shomron (aka "The West Bank") in addition to all of Jerusalem because;

 

(a)    They are all integral parts of Eretz HaKodesh and not "occupied" lands as our enemies contend. The very first Rashi in the Chumash tells us we will have to tell the world when they say we stole the Land that we should reply that it was G-d who gave it to us and in Parshas Masei inter alia it is G-d Himself who delineates the Holy Land's boundaries which include Yehuda and the Shomron, and

(b)   Abandoning Yehuda and Shomron, G-d forbid, would put the Jews in the remaining Israel in  a real and present existential danger on a much larger scale than the Jews today in Sderot, Ashkelon, etc. who are faced with daily rocket attacks and fatalities. The 1967 Report on Israeli security requirements of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Defense Department (The Pentagon) concluded that retention of the entire West Bank as well as Jerusalem, The Golan Heights and Gaza is an indefinite security imperative for the Jewish State, With the abandonment of Gaza to Hamas terrorist rule with increasingly advanced weapons and with the renewed stockpiling of weapons by Hizbollah after Israel's defeat in the Second Lebanon War, Israel must draw its red lines with the remaining land for its self-defense.

 

This is not a "political" matter. It is a matter of Israel's survival and, perhaps in turn, the survival of the Jewish people.  In addition, what is at stake goes to the very essence of retaining our connection as the Am Hashem to Eretz Hakodesh, a holiness we witness and experience every day and even more so now during this Shmitta year. Through your efforts now in this matter of Pikuach Nefesh, where Jewish lives and deaths are literally at stake, may Hashem bless your efforts with success to reverse the evil decree as He did "in those days at this time".  May the result be that the Jews in Israel and indeed everywhere will truly experience "Orah VeSimch VeSasson Vicar", dwelling securely with Hashem's protection.

 

BeKavod Rav.

Menachem Kovacs


Agudah made a commitment to speak out for Jerusalem.   They did so at their Agudah convention in November. 
 
 
Part of their resolution is as follows:"NOW, THEREFORE, the delegates to the 85th national convention of Agudath Israel of America hereby resolve that Agudath Israel of America, under the direction of its rabbinic leadership, should communicate to appropriate government officials the organization's strong belief that, for the reasons set forth above, Israel should not relinquish parts of Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty, and the American government should not pressure the Israeli government into doing so."

So the United States gov't didn't listen to Agudah's appeal.  Neither did Olmert.  So is that the end of Agudah's appeal.  If someone you love is threatening to go off a cliff and you ask him not to and he doesn't listen, do you simply give up trying to convince him and only pray? What happened pre Nazi Germany?  Jews were silent then as well. 

 Of course, it's not just about Jerusalem.  It's not just about Sederot.  It's about all of Eretz Yisroel.   Even if Olmert's gov't agrees due to public pressure, to allow Jerusalem to remain in tact (no prayers allowed however on Temple Mount) and to continue with the destruction of settlements in Judea and Samaria to pacify those that object to dividing Jerusalem only, we can't be fooled. it's not the real thing.  It's only their phase one of taking Jerusalem as well.  
 
If Olmert speaks tough or responds marginally, regarding the Kassam rockets but continues to allow an influx of weapons into Gaza and turns a blind eye, then his talk is to pacify us but it's not for real. 
 
Let Agudah use their inside influence to convince Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Shas ministers to leave the government.  Even Rav Ovadia Yosef's oldest son, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef made a statement that Shas should leave the government since there is serious negotiations going on regarding Jerusalem.  Will they wait too long to leave as did Netanyahu?

 
Please call and/or email:
 
Rabbi Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Rabbi Avi Shafran, and Rabbi Gertzulin - Public Affaris can be reached at Agudath Yisroel  212-797-9000 
Rabbi Pesach Lerner at The Young Israel can be reached at 212-929-1525
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb of the OU can be reached at  212-563-4000
Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky Chabad Headquarters  at 718 774.4000 / fax 718 774.2718
 
and ask them to please end the Silence regarding Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and the establishment of a Terror State Chas Vechalilah.
 
Their respective emails are:
plerner@youngisrael.org
dzwiebel@agudathisrael.org
shafran@agudathisrael.org
execthw@ou.org
hq@lubavitch.com 
 

'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing' (or words to that effect)

 
Please cc:  or bcc: all correspondence to myself and/or Susie Dym and/or Odelia Jacobs 
Odel216@aol.com  so that it won't be ignored.
 
P.S. Faxes work the best.
 
 
1. Chaim Amsellem Tel:  02-649-6457 02-675-3474  fax 02-649-6527 eamsalem@knesset.gov.il
 
2. Ariel Atias  Tel: 02-675-3220 aatias@knesset.gov.il  Minister of Communications
 
3. David Azoulay Tel: 02-640-8184 02-640-8185  fax:02-675-3908 dazulay@knesset.gov.il
 
4. Shlomo Benizri Tel: 02-640-8196  02-640-8197  fax:02-675-3747 slomob@knesset.gov.il
 
5. Amnon Cohen Tel: 02-640-8372 02-640-8373 fax 02-640-8927 amncohen@knesset.gov.il
 
6. Yitzhak Cohen Tel: 02-640-8397  02-640-8398 fax: 02-670-6157 izchakec@knesset.gov.il
 
7. Yakov Margi Tel: 02-640-8187 02-640-8188 fax: 02-675-3759 ymargi@knesset.gov.il
 
8. Avraham Michaeli Tel: 02-640-8128  02-640-8129 fax: 02-675-3961 amichaelli@knesset.gov.il
 
9. Meshulam Nehari Tel: 02-640-8446 02-640-8447 fax: 02-649-6447 mnahari@knesset.gov.il
 
10. Yitzhak Vaknin Tel: 02-640-8106 fax 02-649-6027 yvaknin@knesset.gov.il
 
11. Eliyahoo Yishai Tel: 02-640-8406 02-640-8407 fax: 02-666-2909 eyishav@knesset.gov.il 
      Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
 
12. Nissim Zeev Tel: 02-640-8151 02-640-8152 fax: 02-649-6549 nzeev@knesset.gov.il
 


 




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