Page 22 - HaMizrachi Chanukah 2021 - USA

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1956 fi.! 1960 1962

The newly merged Mizrachi and HaPoel ' The first Bnei Akiva World Mizrachi
HaMizrachi, and other Religious Zionists, "Ulpana" for girls is establishes the Center
form the National Religious Party founded in Kfar Pines for Religious Education

My Rebbe,

Rav Neria

Rabbi Dr. Michael Zvi Nehorai

I "Tell me," he said, "did your father put Back then, most of the country thought
twas a few years before the estab-
on tefillin? Did your mother light can-
lishment of the State of Israel. I
that a democratic state, by definition,
was a boy, arriving alone in the dles?" I said, "Of course!" "Did you eat was entirely at odds with Torah and
country as a refugee, the only matzah?" "Definitely!" "Did you have Judaism. Years later, I was asked to
remaining member of my family, on a mezuzah?" "Obviously," I answered, speak about Rav Kook at Yad Morde-
a ship of unauthorized immigrants. I and then I burst out crying. "What chai, a kibbutz affiliated with HaSho-
was ultimately brought to a camp in do you think I am, not Jewish?" Then mer HaTza'ir. I said that the whole idea
Atlit. After I was there for a length he said, "My boy, if you go to HaSho- of a Zionist state is contained in the
of time, they needed to transfer me mer HaTza'ir, you should know that Torah, which educates us to be Zion-
to an institution. Most of the institu- they eat chametz on Pesach, there's no ists. I explained to the crowd that we
tions belonged to anti-religious move- mezuzah, there are no tefillin, there's no must adhere to the Torah because it
ments, and all the refugee children Shabbat!" I didn't know such a thing sustains the people, and our prior-
had to choose which movement they was possible. It had never occurred to ity is to take care of the people.
would join. They had us line up, and me! I asked what to say at the counter, We have Jews and we have a
when each of the children went up to and he said, "Say 'Mizrachi'!" When I state, and neither can exist
the counter, they told him where to got to the counter and said "Mizrachi," without the other. That's
go - Mapam, Mapai, and so on - unless I was different from everybody else. what I said to my audi-
the child took the initiative to tell That's how I got to Kfar HaRo'eh, and ence at the kibbutz.
them where he wanted to go. Most of from that point onward, I was under There was
the children were sent to non-religious the wing of Rabbi Neria.
movements.
I thank Hashem for the miracle that
happened to me. I was standing in
line and getting closer to the table
where my fate was to be sealed. While
I was standing there, a tall older man
came over and gave me a gentle push.
I looked up at him as if asking, "What
do you want?!" and he said to me in
Yiddish, "Where will you register to go,
dear boy?" I said, "HaShomer HaTza'ir."
Then he asked, "Why?" I explained
that I'd heard good things about it -
the food, a pool, lots of fun, hikes.

22 I HAfv11ZRACHI