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to send two students to participate in a people? You couldn’t learn anything from because she felt embarrassed. All of Rabbi
symposium on the topic: “What are young this Anat of Emek Yizrael? It’s possible to Fried’s attempts to locate her were in vain.
people doing in their free time?” Rav Tzvi learn from every person – including a teen-
Yehudah assigned the task to the late Rabbi age girl who lives in the valley!” Rav Kook “Anat” became a code word between
Chanan Porat and Yochanan Fried. The two then began listing everything that could be Yochanan and Chanan when they talked
arrived at Tel Yosef, where the conversation learned from Anat: her love of the Land of about religious and secular values. When
shifted to the spiritual world of yeshiva stu- Israel, her connection with the earth, her Chanan decided to publish his correspon-
dents, Torah study, the IDF recruitment of dedication to working with her hands, the dence with the girls at the Gesher seminar-
religious boys and girls, and more. brotherhood among the Jews of the kibbutz, ies, the image of that unknown girl who
After an hour and a half, a teenage girl and much more. Rav Tzvi Yehudah finished called herself Anat came before his eyes,
as well as the lesson Rav Tzvi Yehudah
stood up, introduced herself as Anat, and his harsh rebuke: “I don’t understand what taught him: there is something to learn
asked: “If you are truly such good people, happened to you!” from everyone, including the secular
what can you learn from us?” Chanan, like When Yochanan Fried told Chanan Porat
any good Jew, answered her with a ques- about their Rebbe’s words, Chanan was kibbutzniks. And so he called his book
tion: “And what can you offer us, for exam- deeply troubled. He understood Rav Tzvi ׁש ֵּ ק ַב ְמ י ִכֹנ ָא ת ָנ ֲע ת ֶא, In Search of Anat.
ple?” Those present teased Anat (“you’re Yehudah’s lesson well: there is something  This essay was originally published in Hebrew
disturbing the conversation!”), and the to learn from every person in Israel, and in Matzav HaRuach.
discussion continued. particularly from those working the Land
At the end of the meeting, Chanan went – even if they are not religiously obser-
home to Kfar Pines, while Yochanan Fried vant. Even if we are convinced that we are
traveled to Jerusalem, where he told Rav right and that others have much to learn
Tzvi Yehudah about their experiences from us, we also have something to learn
at the symposium. When he mentioned from others. If we don’t find anything to
Anat’s question, Rav Tzvi Yehudah asked, learn from them, it’s a sign that we haven’t
“And what did you answer her?” Yochanan searched deeply enough or that we don’t
replied: “We asked her what she could offer want to look deeper.
us, but she didn’t say anything.”
Yochanan Fried tried to contact Anat, call-
Rav Tzvi Yehudah’s reaction was harsh. ing all the kibbutzim in Emek Yizrael to get
For twenty minutes, he tore into Yochanan her contact information – but her trace Haggai Huberman
Fried mercilessly: “Shame on you! You had disappeared. Over time, it became is an Israeli journalist and author,
traveled all the way to Ein Harod, and you clear that Anat was not her real name; at and the editor of Matzav HaRuach.
weren’t able to learn anything from these the symposium, she made up the name

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