Page 25 - HaMizrachi Chanukah 2021 - USA

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1973 1974 1976 1977
Israel defeats Syria and Egypt Gush Emunim, a movement committed World Mizrachi's Education Center Over 80 Mizrachi kibbutzim
in the Yorn Kippur War, but to building settlements in the newly grows to 184,000 students in Israeli and moshavim are now
loses 2,688 soldiers liberated territories, is established schools, yeshivot and midrashot flourishing throughout Israel

"The Rav was an independent

thinl<er, but he fundamentally agreed

with the Mizrachi approach:'

AN INTERVIEW WITH RABBI HERSHEL SCHACHTER
L ast month, Avi Borgen asked rabbanim that we must try to choose

Rabbi Herschel Schachter,
Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva the lesser of two evils. The Gemara in
Eruvin explains this principle.
University's Rabbi Isaac
Rabbi Shach ultimately reached the
Elchanan Theological Seminary, to
same conclusion as Rabbi Soloveitchik,
reflect on Rabbi Soloveitchik's move
many years later after the Rav - that
to Mizrachi.
we have to be involved, be willing to
join the government, and get things
accomplished.
AB: Why did Rabbi Soloveitchik become
an activist in the Mizrachi movement?
RHS: The Rav said that he felt the AB: Over the years, Rabbi Soloveitchik
Agudah had made a major mistake by occasionally disagreed strongly with
not encouraging European Jewry to some of Mizrachi's positions. How did
move to Eretz Yisrael before the war. he feel about the movement in his later
So many lives could have been saved years?
from the Holocuast if more Jews had
RHS: The Rav would sometimes con-
gone to Eretz Yisrael!
demn the government for taking a
But the Rav also disagreed with the certain stand and praise Mizrachi for
approach of Agudath Yisrael after the standing up to the government. And
State of Israel was established. Many sometimes he would strongly disagree
rabbanim believed that it was yehareig with Mizrachi when he felt they took
v'alyavor, that one must give up his life the wrong position. After one such
Top: Rabbi Schachter with Rabbi Soloveitchik;
before joining the coalition government disagreement, someone asked the
Below: Rabbi Schachter at Mizrachi's Yorn
in the State of Israel! But Rabbi Solove- Yerushalayim Mission in 2017. Rav if he was leaving Mizrachi. Rabbi
itchik said that even when the govern- Soloveitchik responded, "I didn't say I'm
ment is doing anti-religious things - quitting Mizrachi! A husband and wife
by Rabbi Moshe Shternbach, then a
and in the early years, the government never have disagreements? I don't get
young whipper-snapper, who quoted
was very anti-religious - you have to divorced every time I have a disagree-
great rabbis from earlier generations
choose the lesser of the two evils and ment with my spouse. Yes, I disagreed
who said it is forbidden to join the coali-
join the coalition government. You have with the position the party took in the
tion government. So Rabbi Shach wrote
to act, you have to be involved, to make Knesset, but I'm not getting divorced
a letter to his relative, Rabbi Shneur
a difference! from Mizrachi!" The Rav was an inde-
Kotler in America, and said they should
pendent thinker, but he fundamentally
Years later, Rabbi Elazar Shach took the hang this letter up in all the yeshivot
same position as the Rav, and said that in America. In this letter, Rabbi Shach agreed with the Mizrachi approach.
the Charedi community must join the explained why he felt that the Charedi Avi Borgen is a media ops manager at
coalition government. When his posi- community had to join the coalition, Initiative, a global media agency. He is a
tion became public, he was attacked for we have a tradition from our graduate of Yeshiva University.
HAfv11ZRACHI I 25