Page 53 - HaMizrachi Tisha B'av 5782 USA

won the election, and Rabbi Herzog Rabbi Herzog, begged him to remove was becoming a distracting protest.
returned to Ireland. any reference to his doctorate from his The police were forced to move the
name. Rabbi Herzog refused, however, protestors away from the assembly
Within a few months, however, Rav explaining that “people should con- hall so the voting could take place
Kook passed away, and the position sider me for what I am, not what they in peace. When the vote was finally
of Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi became counted, Rabbi Herzog had won a
available. Both Rabbi Herzog and want to make of me.” narrow victory, 37 to 31, over Rabbi
Rabbi Charlap were nominated for the Others supported Rabbi Charlap Charlap. Though many of Rabbi Char-
position, and a heated debate among because they believed him to be the lap’s supporters remained bitter over
their respective supporters ensued. natural successor to Rav Kook, and the outcome, Rabbi Herzog went on
Although the two rabbis personally because they believed that the new to distinguish himself, and the future
maintained a dignified distance from yishuv should be led by a rabbi famil- State of Israel, throughout his tenure
the angry debates over their candi- iar with the old yishuv. Rabbi Herzog, as Chief Rabbi, until his death in 1959.
dacies, some of their supporters pub- though friendly with Rav Kook, had
lished false claims and misquoted never been his student. Furthermore,
other Torah leaders to further the case his cultured European background
of their chosen candidate. was radically different from that of the
rabbis of the old yishuv. Nevertheless,
Many who opposed Rabbi Herzog Rabbi Herzog was politically savvy and
believed that his secular education dis-
qualified him for the position. Rabbi befriended many influential rabbis
throughout Eretz Yisrael, ensuring he
Yehudah Leib Maimon, the leader of had many passionate supporters of
Mizrachi in Israel, was opposed to
Rabbi Herzog’s candidacy, explain- his own. Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff served as a
ing that he did not want “a doctor in On election day, the atmosphere was community rabbi in Buffalo, New York and
English, but rather a gadol in halachah.” tense. As the seventy electors gath- Baltimore, Maryland. He is the author of
Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tukachinsky, a ered to vote, the British Mandate several books and hundreds of articles, and
close personal friend and backer of police were called in to control what currently lives in Jerusalem.

Religious Zionist Solutions to the Yom 1 14 B A 2 A L 3 E S 4 R O 5 15 A N 6 S E 7 A V 8 R E 9 16 C 10 H O R 13 D
11
12
Yerushalayim edition
V
E
R
H O
18
Shlichut puzzle 17 H 20 A S M O N E A 21 N 22 19 E N E M Y
23 B E A T E N 24 T O W E 25 R 26 27
M A N N S R E L Y A N D
28 29 30 31
E M E S H O A R D S T A R
32 33 34
M A S N A S I R I E T S
35 36 37
J E R U S A L E M
38 39 40 41 42 43 44
S E D E R M I E P T A B
45 46 47 48
S N O W P S A L M R E M A
49 50 51
E D U J O H N R O L E S
52 53 54 55
G R A V E G U I T A R
56 57 58 59 60
S O L A R K I N G D A V I D
61 62 63
O R A T E E L A L T I C S
64 65 66
IN THE NEXT EDITION OF HAMIZRACHI B A S E D L O W Y E V A S
| 53