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Remembering

Rav Chaim Drukman ל״צז

Yedidya Meir

Rav Chaim Drukman zt”l, who passed away on the 7th night of Chanukah (December 25, 2022) at the
age of 90, was Israel’s senior Religious Zionist leader. Born in 1932, he survived the Holocaust by hiding
with his parents, making Aliyah in 1954. Over the course of his lifetime, he was a leader of almost every
major Religious Zionist institution. He was the head of the Or Etzion Yeshiva, head of Yeshivot and
Ulpanot Bnei Akiva, rabbi of World Bnei Akiva and also served in the Knesset for the National Religious
Party. He received the prestigious Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2012. Most significantly,
Rav Drukman inspired thousands of students, playing a key role in the growth of the Religious Zionist
movement in Israel and around the world. May his memory be a blessing for all of Am Yisrael.

lthough Rav Drukman was well was sanctified for Torah, the nation and at Machon Meir in Jerusalem. Meeting Rav
known, it is only now that we the land.” Drukman changed her life. At the memo-
have begun to truly grasp the full rial event, she spoke about her connection
Ascope of his character. From his In the winter of 1969, about a year and a to Rav Drukman with great emotion. Her
early days as a Jewish child in the town half after the great victory of the Six Day name is [Minister of National Missions] Orit
War, Rav Drukman published an article in
of Kitov, Poland – a child who, statistically HaTzofeh in which he called for the Israeli Strock.
speaking, was not supposed to survive at public to draw spiritual conclusions from “I am one of those people who merited to
all – until his funeral ninety years later, the results of the Six Day War. He wrote receive the light of the Torah and values
as an elder of the tribe, a revered leader, that there is a great thirst for faith among that Rav Drukman instilled in people who
and a beloved teacher. Tens of thousands large sections of the people, and that we came from far away – from really, really far
of mourners accompanied him to his final are obligated to satiate it. “The youth in away. When I ask myself, what was it about
resting place in tears. the farms and in other places are thirsty him that made me and others open up and

A few months ago, I had the privilege to for faith. If we do not act at this moment, draw closer to Judaism, I think that the
host an event in his memory. So many sig- we will be judged for it... we must go every- most fundamental thing, even before his
nificant things were said. Not only “יּו ּ ל ִע ְל where throughout the land and bring the love of the Torah, people and land, was Rav
ֹות ָמ ְ ׁשִנ,” “for the ascension of his soul,” but word of G-d. For if we do this in the right Drukman’s love of G-d. His closeness to G-d
also “ּוני ֵתֹומ ְ ׁשִנ תֹו ּ ל ַע ְת ִה ְל,” “for the ascension way, surely many hearts will be open to was at such a level that it was impossible
of our souls,” here in this world. This was receive it.” not to be drawn to it.”
the feeling we experienced during every Rav Drukman did just that, giving classes And then Minister Strock pulled out her
story told about Rav Drukman. It almost in kibbutzim and summer camps, bringing cell phone and said: “With your permis-
doesn’t matter which story or memory you the word of Hashem to those places. And sion, I want to play you something from
heard or when the story occurred during the hearts were indeed open to receive. Rav Drukman himself. This is one of the
Rav Drukman’s long life, the “punch line” Many ba’alei teshuva were born from those first things I heard when I first came to his
was always the same and is summed up meetings. One of them was a young woman house. I play it for you so that you can feel it
by the six words on his simple tombstone: from Jerusalem, an 11th grade high school together with me.” She put the phone closer
“ץ ֶר ָא ָל ְו ם ָע ַל ,ה ָרֹו ּ ת ַל ׁש ֶדק ויָּי ַח ל ָּ כ,” “His entire life student who came to Rav Drukman’s class to the microphone, and from it emanated
ֹ

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