On the free-end of a Vilna 1937 edition of the Tanya, I found a Hebrew inscription by Yitzchak Dovid Wein, an emissary of the former Lubavitcher Rebbe.
ב"ה י"ב אייר תש"ט נוייארק
בקרתי אז את יונייטאד ניישאנס בפרעש מאדא לאנג איילינד
וישראל נתקבל בתור חבר ליונייטעד ניישאנס
יצחק דוד ויין
translating as
the 12th of Iyar, 5709, New York
I visited the United Nations in Fresh Meadows, Long Island, and Israel was accepted as a member of the United Nations
Yitzchok Dovid Wein
R. Wein is mentioned several times in the Sichos of the previous Rebbe, was he perhaps acting as a representative of the Lubavicher Rebbe in urging for Israel's acceptance? The date corresponds to the date May 11, 1949, the day that Israel was accepted to the UN and during this period, the UN was residing in Queens, NY, awaiting relocation to their new quarters in Manhattan. The Rebbe's relationship with Zalman Shazar is well known, was the Rebbe involved in the efforts for Israel's acceptance to the UN?
B"H.
ReplyDeleteI read this article with great interest.
I wanted to upload a picture I once took from a certain book, plus a letter written almost 7 decades ago, however I could not figure out how to upload images.
As of now, one can try to email me if one would like (The blog Owner has my email address), and I will send him those pictures.
A few years ago I found an article from Shazar in a book called: In the Time of Harvest: Essays in Honor of Abba Hillel Silver on the Occasion of His 70th Birthday ( I don't even remember now, how I came to it). I found this story, with his own version of which I took a picture of his version.
I sent those pictures to a friend, who wrote a long message to be attached below.
My friend sent me back the following (he wrote it from a point of view of Hashkafah. This is not my intention as to why I am sending this, but rather in regards to the various historical points which he points out):
Thanks for sharing. From all the other 6 sources out there (printed in נשיא וחסיד) this seems to be the most accurate.
הנני להעתיק מה שכתבתי בזה לפני שנה בדרך אפשר:
1. Shazar's Yechidus and Kfar Chabad
What we know from the Rebbe’s Igros Kodesh (10:99) is that Shazar, who was from geza chabad, was the one to initiate the idea of a Chabad agricultural village in Eretz Yisrael for the Chabad refugees (perhaps after his encounter with many of the upon his visit to Prague in the previous year of 5707).
On 27 Marcheshvan 5708 (November 10th, 1947) the Frierdiker Rebbe wrote to shazar a letter (Igros Kodesh 13:451) urging him to assist in arranging proper kosher education for the European refugee children. At the end of that letter the Frierdiker Rebbe added, "כמדובר" he should notify when he can come visit to discuss the idea of establishing a Chabad village for Chabad refugees.
Shazar had traveled to NY to join the political effort ensuring a majority vote at the General Assembly of the UN in favor of a Jewish state. The designated day was November 16 but then got postponed to November 19, 1947 (16 Kislev 5708). On this day, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution #181 accepting the “Partition Plan”.
Shazar visited the Frierdiker Rebbe and the idea of establishing Kfar Chabad was accepted. The rest is history. Rabbi Yisrael Gordon remembers when Shazar visited 770 in 5708 and saw him in the corridor.
Shazar was also present at the Frierdiker Rebbe's 19 Kislev 5708 farbrengen. (When Shazar visited the Rebbe Purim 5720, during the farbrengen the Rebbe repeated the words the Frierdiker Rebbe related at that farbrengen of 5708, about the Alter Rebbe's mesiras nefesh for Eretz Yisrael, and the Rebbe connected it with the establishment of Kfat Chabad at the time.
Interestingly, during that farbrengen of Purim 5720 the Rebbe spoke at length how the approach of ככל הגוים בית ישראל is improper, etc.).
Part 22. Details of the Yechidus
ReplyDeleteThere are seven versions published in Nasi V'chasid (Kraus, 1999) regarding this story. The first six were related in later years, in the 60’s and 70’s, and they were published by various writers and journalists, non-chassidic. The seventh was related by Shazar (1) to anash in Kfar Chabad, (2) only three years later, on 19 Kislev 1950, and (3) it was written down by a tamim/chasid.
1) The details of Shazar receiving a phone call from the Rashag in the name of the Frierdiker Rebbe, and receiving a bracha concerning the UN vote is not mentioned in the seventh version. Only in the other six. Possibly the Frierdiker Rebbe’s writing in the abovementioned letter “כמדובר” is a reference to that phone conversation.
2) The first version and the seventh version (not the other four) has Shazar relating the following details:
In that yechidus the Frierdoker Rebbe responded to Shazar’s idea to establish an agriculture village for the refugees with enthusiasm. To Shazar’s remarks that in the past such activity was discouraged, the Frierdiker Rebbe responded: “This shouldn’t stir you; we have no regrets. At that time, it was not necessary, but now is the time.”
Part 3
Delete3. Was there a change in hashkafa?
1) The Frierdiker Rebbe made it very clear to anash that he did not change his view concerning Zionism and the State. In a letter dated 25 Shevat 5709 (Igros Kodesh 10:94-95) the Frierdiker Rabbe wrote the following:
“The Anash who have currently immigrated to Eretz Ha-Kodesh as well as those who already dwell there, and those who are actively working to satisfy the needs of those who arrive, should clearly understand, that my advice to some to travel to Eretz Ha-kodesh does not constitute any change in my previous position in general regarding the question(s related to) Eretz Yisroel and the emigration of Jews there in particular. The immigration of Anash should not be conceived of as a mass, collective aliyah, since I advise each person according to their individual circumstances”.
What then did the Frieardiker Rebe mean with his words “At that time, it was not necessary, but now is the time.”? לפי עניות דעתי the explanation is as follows:
There was a youth movement called HeHalutz (The Pioneer) that trained young people for settling in the “New Yishuv” of Eretz Yisrael. It became an umbrella organization of the pioneering Zionist youth movements. Youth movements played a considerable role in politics, community organization and Zionism, particularly between the two world wars. Adopting an official Zionist platform in 1922, the movement stressed an agricultural way of life, leading many of its members to the Kibbutz movement in Mandatory Palestine.
At its peak, between 1930 and 1935, HeHalutz operated in 25 countries throughout Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Northern South America. By the eve of Second World War in 1939, HeHalutz numbered 100,000 members worldwide, with approximately 60,000 having already emigrated (aliyah) to Mandate Palestine, and with 16,000 members in training centers (hakhsharot) for the pioneering life in the Land of Israel.
Within the religious quarters (both inside and outside of Agudas Yisrael), there were differences of opinion in as to what attitude should be taken towards the practical work of the new “Yishuv” in Eretz Yisrael. Should encouragement be given to “hachshara” and to the immigration of “pioneers” (Halutzim), etc., in order to strengthen Torah observance on the holy soil, or should orthodox Jewry preferably refrain from such activities on the grounds that they might both be misinterpreted as consent to the ideological background of such “pioneer-work” and also expose devout young people going through the process of “hachshara” and “aliya” to corruption of their ideological attitude?
This caused, at the time in the 1920’s, major conflict between the Frierdiker Rebbe and Ger. The Frierdiker Rebbe was from the leading opponents of hachshara work and of sending chalutzim to Eretz Yisrael for the above-mentioned reasons. After World War Two, by contrast, with the issue of refugees (not pioneers), the Frierdiker Rebbe felt that now was the time to establish a village in Eretz Yisrael, for hafatzas hayahdus and mayanos in Eretz Yisrael as well.
By no means was this to sanction Zionism and the State of Israel, as the Frierdiker Rebbe’s letter quoted above. This was reinforced by the Rebbe – see igros Kodesh 3:483. Toras Menachem 52:79. And more.
2) the UN resolution:
DeleteIt is not clear what exactly transpired during the phone call Shazar received, and what were the exact words the Frierdoker Rebbe said. At the same time, we know that the Frierdiker Rebbe’s attitude to the British at the time in 5708 was in the negative. The Frierdiker Rebbe supported the work of those who were fighting the British and with self-sacrifice were seeking to help their brethren – refugees – who were still in danger, in Europe, and those in danger by the local Arabs. – see Sefer Hasichos 5708 p. 162 & 216.
The UN resolution of 1947 (5708) was a tremendous blessing, as that brought great salvation to hundreds of thousands of Jews with the ability to immigrate to Ertz Yisrael. This was implemented through the establishment of the State of Israel when its first enactment was the cancelation of the cruel British White Paper of 1939. This is the positive dimension of the State of Israel, as it provided and provides a makom hatzalah for Jews.
(The UN resolution and the subsequent events of 5708 presented a remarkable opportunity, as the Jewish people could have established a government according to Torah, but it was an opportunity missed.)
Recently I got a hold of another source relating the bracha the previous rebbe granted to shazar to succeed in winning the UN vote of 1947 concerning Eretz Yisrael. This is in a letter that Rabbi Leibel Raskin ע"ה sent to the Rebbe dated
"עש"ק פרשת ראה תשי"ג":
"It was during the critical moment, as some of the participating nations began to retract their decision in favor of the proposed plan, when Mr. Shazar received a phone call from the Previous Rebbe’s office concerning the UN vote. To his reply that the situation is very critical the Previous Rebbe responded that he should not fall down in spirit, for with G-d’s help everything will be in order and they will succeed. Mr. Shazar joyfully related these words to his colleagues noting that he is of hope that everything will be in order since the Lubavitcher Rebbe said so."
—This episode was related to Rabbi Leibel Raskin by Mr. Nechemyah Argov, the Military Secretary of Prime Minister Ben-Gurion, while the latter was notifying the former that the government was granting him an exit-permit to leave the country in 1953 in order to travel to the Rabbe in New York. (This letter I can send to one who would like to email me)
It should still be clear that the Frierdiker Rebbe did not change his holy view regarding Zionism and the State, as he clearly wrote to ana"sh in a letter printed in Igros Kodesh vol. 10 pp. 94-95.
See here for more about Rabbi Vine:
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/dovidzak/status/1597054111408484352