Page 70 - issue
P. 70
plus Mizrachi) won 54, and the Folk- Within a short time, national parlia- parliament that would include members
spartei (secular and anti-Zionist) 26. You mentary elections were held, and here, from each of the three groups. The Ach-
can see that the frum got a big part of the too, all the Jewish parties competed to dus (frum) party got two seats in parlia-
vote, though not the majority. But that win seats in the Lithuanian parliament. ment. Now they had to find frum people
was to change. Here things were a little trickier as very who could understand Lithuanian!
few Jews, particularly frum Jews, spoke
As soon as the nationalrat convened, or even understood Lithuanian, the lan- They did find them. One was the rov
sharp differences broke out between the guage of the parliament. But the main of Mariampole, Rabbi Avrohom Dov Pop-
Zionists and the Achdus. The debates thing was for the Jewish population to pel. Mariampole was a city of 100,000,
were at a high level, but they revealed elect Jews, of whatever stripe, so that with 6,500 Jews of all stripes; it was no
what we know today: In modern times, there would be some representation of “shtetl.” Mariampole had a very active
the frum and the non-frum see Judaism Jewish interests in the parliament. Zionist element, which actually founded
and “Jewish” in fundamentally different the first all-Hebrew day school outside of
ways. There were stormy if eloquent de- uuu Israel. This was a secular school, the first
bates over chinuch (education), over the of many. To be the rov of such a com-
very purpose of a kehila (community), I shouldn’t go into this level of detail, munity meant one needed to be a diplo-
over the content of Jewish culture – over but I will. There were four democrati- mat and a politician, especially when the
all sorts of fundamentals. The two lead- cally-elected parliaments between 1920 majority of the Jewish population there
ing protagonists were Shimshon Rosen- and 1926.10 The first parliament had six was secular or sympathized with them.
baum for the non-frum and the Ponove- Jews, the second had seven Jews, the It is hard for us in America to understand
zher Rov for the frum. Indeed, it was just third three Jews, and the fourth seven. this. We do not have mixed communities
at this time that the 34-year-old Rabbi The question for the Jews was: whom to of frum and non-frum (despite the slo-
Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman became the elect? gans). Yes, we are a community of fate,
rov of the important community of Pon- but that’s about it. In Lithuania, things
ovezh, and he jumped into politics with At first, the various Jewish groups were quite different. There really was a
both feet. tried achdus – not the party of that name, single kehila, a formal community, com-
but unity. That is, the Jewish parties col-
lectively drew up a list of candidates for
10 In 1926 there was a fascist coup and that was the end of democratic elections.
62 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
spartei (secular and anti-Zionist) 26. You mentary elections were held, and here, from each of the three groups. The Ach-
can see that the frum got a big part of the too, all the Jewish parties competed to dus (frum) party got two seats in parlia-
vote, though not the majority. But that win seats in the Lithuanian parliament. ment. Now they had to find frum people
was to change. Here things were a little trickier as very who could understand Lithuanian!
few Jews, particularly frum Jews, spoke
As soon as the nationalrat convened, or even understood Lithuanian, the lan- They did find them. One was the rov
sharp differences broke out between the guage of the parliament. But the main of Mariampole, Rabbi Avrohom Dov Pop-
Zionists and the Achdus. The debates thing was for the Jewish population to pel. Mariampole was a city of 100,000,
were at a high level, but they revealed elect Jews, of whatever stripe, so that with 6,500 Jews of all stripes; it was no
what we know today: In modern times, there would be some representation of “shtetl.” Mariampole had a very active
the frum and the non-frum see Judaism Jewish interests in the parliament. Zionist element, which actually founded
and “Jewish” in fundamentally different the first all-Hebrew day school outside of
ways. There were stormy if eloquent de- uuu Israel. This was a secular school, the first
bates over chinuch (education), over the of many. To be the rov of such a com-
very purpose of a kehila (community), I shouldn’t go into this level of detail, munity meant one needed to be a diplo-
over the content of Jewish culture – over but I will. There were four democrati- mat and a politician, especially when the
all sorts of fundamentals. The two lead- cally-elected parliaments between 1920 majority of the Jewish population there
ing protagonists were Shimshon Rosen- and 1926.10 The first parliament had six was secular or sympathized with them.
baum for the non-frum and the Ponove- Jews, the second had seven Jews, the It is hard for us in America to understand
zher Rov for the frum. Indeed, it was just third three Jews, and the fourth seven. this. We do not have mixed communities
at this time that the 34-year-old Rabbi The question for the Jews was: whom to of frum and non-frum (despite the slo-
Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman became the elect? gans). Yes, we are a community of fate,
rov of the important community of Pon- but that’s about it. In Lithuania, things
ovezh, and he jumped into politics with At first, the various Jewish groups were quite different. There really was a
both feet. tried achdus – not the party of that name, single kehila, a formal community, com-
but unity. That is, the Jewish parties col-
lectively drew up a list of candidates for
10 In 1926 there was a fascist coup and that was the end of democratic elections.
62 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
