Page 80 - issue
P. 80
What evolved in Lithuania was a net- Yosef Leib Bloch) is sanctioning it, he Tom” named Friedman, and put him in
work of schools called Yavneh: Yavneh knows what he is doing.” cherem, so to speak. But Dr. Rachmile-
schools for boys and Yavneh schools for witz, at the direction of the Kovner Rov,
girls, around 50 schools in total. Though The Chofetz Chaim understood that did not boycott Friedman, even though
the leaders, the daas Torah of Yavneh, every medina is unique; the main thing Friedman was an assimilated Jew. Ach-
were from the Agudah, the schools were was that the schools were under the guid- dus was in principle opposed to breaking
formally for students from both Agudah ance of daas Torah, which they certainly off relations with the ruling party. On
and Mizrachi families, something that were. Yavneh in the Republic of Lithua- the other hand, Achdus had promised to
did not happen in the Republic of Po- nia was basically under the guidance of obey Jewish Faction decisions, and here
land. Most people do not realize that the Kovner Rov, the Telzer Rov, and the they were unilaterally disregarding this.
there were no Bais Yaakov schools in Ponovezher Rov, and they paskened on So the Zionists and others blew a gut and
the Republic of Lithuania. Instead, there a case-by-case basis, different rulings for Rachmilewitz was out. The other parties
was Yavneh. The secular studies in these schools in different communities with would not agree to include his name of
schools was at a high level as they had different situations – more modern, less the joint Jewish list of candidates for
to compete with Tarbut, but the limudei modern – it depended on the situation. election to parliament.
kodesh were also at a fairly high level. For In other words, real psak.13
girls it was up to the twelfth grade, and New elections were about to take
in Ivrit (or Ivris, to be exact). For boys The kind of school you could set up place anyway, so Achdus ran two new
it was up to the eighth grade; then they in, say, Poland, would not work in Lith- candidates for parliament (Rabbi Poppel
hoped you would go to a yeshiva. But uania; you had to adjust to local reality. became very ill and had to step down).
there were many boys who did not want One new candidate was the Ponovezher
a high school with zero secular studies, These sentiments were expressed Rov himself, who engaged in a crash
so Yavneh created in Kovno a frum high- quite bluntly in a remarkable speech in course to learn Lithuanian, with not too
school for boys who wanted a secular 1928 by one of the most prominent Lith- much success. The second candidate?
education, but with plenty of Gemara. uanian rabbonim, Rabbi Boruch Horow- The Kovner Rov summoned Dr. Raphael
Instead of the normal Lithuanian eight- itz of the community of Alexot, and a Holzberg, who was principal of Yavneh
year high school program (finishing with Slobodker Rosh Yeshiva to boot: Teacher’s College in Telz. Holzberg’s fa-
a B.A.), the Yavneh boys high school ther was a nephew of the Bais Halevi, so
program took 10 years, to accommodate There are two types of education he was from the right family. Holzberg
more Gemara. Here, too, classes were in out there [in frum communities]: a) had a Ph.D. in math from a real Russian
Ivris, except Gemara, of course, which Torah chinuch and b) frumkeit chi- University, so he would command re-
had to be taught in Yiddish.12 nuch. In Germany, Latvia, and oth- spect from the Lithuanians and from the
er Western European communities, Zionists. When recruited by the Telzer
As I said, the secular studies were tak- they have frumkeit chinuch, where Rov for Yavneh, Holzberg had told him,
en seriously, but with a twist. All the clas- Torah scholarship is not the central “I don’t think you want me. I am a little
sics of Western literature were taught, focus of the education. Here in Lith- too Mizrachi for you.”
but in Hebrew translation. Shakespeare, uania, Torah scholarship has always
Tolstoy, Victor Hugo, Dickens – all in been the center of education, and it The Telzer Rov asked him, “Are you
Ivris. You see, everyone viewed his or her was from the Torah that [students] willing to follow my instructions?”
long-term future as ending up in Eretz came to the yir’a, to the frumkeit.
Yisrael, not Lithuania. Sadly, things did Yavneh was created to focus on To- “Of course! It is my highest kavod to
not turn out that way. rah scholarship; the frumkeit stuff is obey you in all things.”
to be dealt with indirectly.14
Rabbonim outside the Republic of “Dos iz die hoipt zach, that is the im-
Lithuania were surprised at the Lith- uuu portant thing,” replied the Telzer Rov.
uanian Yavneh school system, which “The politics I don’t care about.”
seemed so “modern.” However, as the But, back to politics. When the Lith-
Chofetz Chaim (who lived in the Repub- uanian government reneged on its glo- Now, three years later, Holzberg found
lic of Poland) famously remarked when rious promises to the Jews, the Jews re- himself summoned in the middle of the
asked about how Telz could set up such acted vigorously. The Minister for Jewish day “while reading a math book” to the
a modern Yavneh high school and even Affairs resigned, and the Jewish Faction Kovner Rov. “Yes, Rebbe?” Holzberg in-
Yavneh Teacher’s College for girls headed voted consistently against the right-wing quired respectfully.
by a Mizrachist, “If the Telzer Rov (Rav Christian Democratic Party, which ran
the government. The Christian Demo- The Kovner Rov handed Holzberg two
crats cleverly appointed their own “Jew” letters. “Sign these.”
as Minister of Jewish Affairs. The Zion-
ists, et al, were enraged by this “Uncle “What are they?”
“The first is your acceptance of candi-
12 Again, Lithuanian language and history were taught in Lithuanian.
13 The same thing happened in America when Torah U’Mesorah was set up, and Dr. Joe Kaminetzky had to deal with all kinds of situations. He submitted each
question to Rav Aharon Kotler and his colleagues.
14 פּה בְּלִיטָה הָי ָה. אֲ ֶשׁר לִּמוּד ַהּתוֹרָה ֵאינוֹ עוֹ ֵמד בְּ ֶמרְכָּזוֹ, וּבְ ַשׁאר מְדִינוֹת ֵארוֹפָּה ַהּ ַמעֲרָבִית ַקיי ָם חִּנוּךְ ֶשׁל חֲ ֵרדִיוּת, בְּ ַלטְבִּי ָה, בְּ ַאשְׁכְּנַז. חִּנוּךְ ֶשׁל ּתוֹרָה ו ְחִּנוּךְ ֶשׁל חֲ ֵרדִיוּת:ְיֶשְׁנ ָם ֶאצְלֵנוּ שְׁנֵי מִינֵי חִּנוּך
וּבְחִּנוּךְ ֶשׁל חֲרֵדִיוּת צְרִיכָה הִיא לְ ַט ֵפּל ַרק בְּ ֶדרֶךְ אֲגַב, ּגַם “יַבְנֶה” נוֹצְרָה בִּשְׁבִיל חִּנוּךְ ֶשׁל ּתוֹרָה. ֶאל ַהחֲרֵדִיוּת, וּ ֵמ ַהּתוֹרָה בָּאנוּ ֶאל ַהּי ִרְאָה,ּתָמִיד חִּנוּ ֵכנוּ חִּנוּךְ ֶשׁל ּתוֹרָה
72 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
work of schools called Yavneh: Yavneh knows what he is doing.” cherem, so to speak. But Dr. Rachmile-
schools for boys and Yavneh schools for witz, at the direction of the Kovner Rov,
girls, around 50 schools in total. Though The Chofetz Chaim understood that did not boycott Friedman, even though
the leaders, the daas Torah of Yavneh, every medina is unique; the main thing Friedman was an assimilated Jew. Ach-
were from the Agudah, the schools were was that the schools were under the guid- dus was in principle opposed to breaking
formally for students from both Agudah ance of daas Torah, which they certainly off relations with the ruling party. On
and Mizrachi families, something that were. Yavneh in the Republic of Lithua- the other hand, Achdus had promised to
did not happen in the Republic of Po- nia was basically under the guidance of obey Jewish Faction decisions, and here
land. Most people do not realize that the Kovner Rov, the Telzer Rov, and the they were unilaterally disregarding this.
there were no Bais Yaakov schools in Ponovezher Rov, and they paskened on So the Zionists and others blew a gut and
the Republic of Lithuania. Instead, there a case-by-case basis, different rulings for Rachmilewitz was out. The other parties
was Yavneh. The secular studies in these schools in different communities with would not agree to include his name of
schools was at a high level as they had different situations – more modern, less the joint Jewish list of candidates for
to compete with Tarbut, but the limudei modern – it depended on the situation. election to parliament.
kodesh were also at a fairly high level. For In other words, real psak.13
girls it was up to the twelfth grade, and New elections were about to take
in Ivrit (or Ivris, to be exact). For boys The kind of school you could set up place anyway, so Achdus ran two new
it was up to the eighth grade; then they in, say, Poland, would not work in Lith- candidates for parliament (Rabbi Poppel
hoped you would go to a yeshiva. But uania; you had to adjust to local reality. became very ill and had to step down).
there were many boys who did not want One new candidate was the Ponovezher
a high school with zero secular studies, These sentiments were expressed Rov himself, who engaged in a crash
so Yavneh created in Kovno a frum high- quite bluntly in a remarkable speech in course to learn Lithuanian, with not too
school for boys who wanted a secular 1928 by one of the most prominent Lith- much success. The second candidate?
education, but with plenty of Gemara. uanian rabbonim, Rabbi Boruch Horow- The Kovner Rov summoned Dr. Raphael
Instead of the normal Lithuanian eight- itz of the community of Alexot, and a Holzberg, who was principal of Yavneh
year high school program (finishing with Slobodker Rosh Yeshiva to boot: Teacher’s College in Telz. Holzberg’s fa-
a B.A.), the Yavneh boys high school ther was a nephew of the Bais Halevi, so
program took 10 years, to accommodate There are two types of education he was from the right family. Holzberg
more Gemara. Here, too, classes were in out there [in frum communities]: a) had a Ph.D. in math from a real Russian
Ivris, except Gemara, of course, which Torah chinuch and b) frumkeit chi- University, so he would command re-
had to be taught in Yiddish.12 nuch. In Germany, Latvia, and oth- spect from the Lithuanians and from the
er Western European communities, Zionists. When recruited by the Telzer
As I said, the secular studies were tak- they have frumkeit chinuch, where Rov for Yavneh, Holzberg had told him,
en seriously, but with a twist. All the clas- Torah scholarship is not the central “I don’t think you want me. I am a little
sics of Western literature were taught, focus of the education. Here in Lith- too Mizrachi for you.”
but in Hebrew translation. Shakespeare, uania, Torah scholarship has always
Tolstoy, Victor Hugo, Dickens – all in been the center of education, and it The Telzer Rov asked him, “Are you
Ivris. You see, everyone viewed his or her was from the Torah that [students] willing to follow my instructions?”
long-term future as ending up in Eretz came to the yir’a, to the frumkeit.
Yisrael, not Lithuania. Sadly, things did Yavneh was created to focus on To- “Of course! It is my highest kavod to
not turn out that way. rah scholarship; the frumkeit stuff is obey you in all things.”
to be dealt with indirectly.14
Rabbonim outside the Republic of “Dos iz die hoipt zach, that is the im-
Lithuania were surprised at the Lith- uuu portant thing,” replied the Telzer Rov.
uanian Yavneh school system, which “The politics I don’t care about.”
seemed so “modern.” However, as the But, back to politics. When the Lith-
Chofetz Chaim (who lived in the Repub- uanian government reneged on its glo- Now, three years later, Holzberg found
lic of Poland) famously remarked when rious promises to the Jews, the Jews re- himself summoned in the middle of the
asked about how Telz could set up such acted vigorously. The Minister for Jewish day “while reading a math book” to the
a modern Yavneh high school and even Affairs resigned, and the Jewish Faction Kovner Rov. “Yes, Rebbe?” Holzberg in-
Yavneh Teacher’s College for girls headed voted consistently against the right-wing quired respectfully.
by a Mizrachist, “If the Telzer Rov (Rav Christian Democratic Party, which ran
the government. The Christian Demo- The Kovner Rov handed Holzberg two
crats cleverly appointed their own “Jew” letters. “Sign these.”
as Minister of Jewish Affairs. The Zion-
ists, et al, were enraged by this “Uncle “What are they?”
“The first is your acceptance of candi-
12 Again, Lithuanian language and history were taught in Lithuanian.
13 The same thing happened in America when Torah U’Mesorah was set up, and Dr. Joe Kaminetzky had to deal with all kinds of situations. He submitted each
question to Rav Aharon Kotler and his colleagues.
14 פּה בְּלִיטָה הָי ָה. אֲ ֶשׁר לִּמוּד ַהּתוֹרָה ֵאינוֹ עוֹ ֵמד בְּ ֶמרְכָּזוֹ, וּבְ ַשׁאר מְדִינוֹת ֵארוֹפָּה ַהּ ַמעֲרָבִית ַקיי ָם חִּנוּךְ ֶשׁל חֲ ֵרדִיוּת, בְּ ַלטְבִּי ָה, בְּ ַאשְׁכְּנַז. חִּנוּךְ ֶשׁל ּתוֹרָה ו ְחִּנוּךְ ֶשׁל חֲ ֵרדִיוּת:ְיֶשְׁנ ָם ֶאצְלֵנוּ שְׁנֵי מִינֵי חִּנוּך
וּבְחִּנוּךְ ֶשׁל חֲרֵדִיוּת צְרִיכָה הִיא לְ ַט ֵפּל ַרק בְּ ֶדרֶךְ אֲגַב, ּגַם “יַבְנֶה” נוֹצְרָה בִּשְׁבִיל חִּנוּךְ ֶשׁל ּתוֹרָה. ֶאל ַהחֲרֵדִיוּת, וּ ֵמ ַהּתוֹרָה בָּאנוּ ֶאל ַהּי ִרְאָה,ּתָמִיד חִּנוּ ֵכנוּ חִּנוּךְ ֶשׁל ּתוֹרָה
72 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
