Dear Friend,
The following is an official statement from Agudath Israel of America, and will appear in
the upcoming issue of The Jewish Observer. I thought you would find it of interest.
Rabbi Avi Shafran
ON AGUDATH ISRAEL'S STANCE REGARDING THE
WASHINGTON JEWISH SOLIDARITY RALLY
A number of letters have been received by Agudath Israel of America, along with an even
larger number of phone calls and e-mails, concerning our stance with regard to the April
15 rally for Israel in Washington, D.C. - we declined to co-sponsor or actively promote
the event, and suggested that individuals consult their own consciences and seek their own
rabbonim's guidance on whether to personally participate.
Several critical letters to us were circulated widely by e-mail; and the letters columns
of Anglo-Jewish weeklies, as well as other media outlets, featured an assortment of
attacks against Agudath Israel and the Gedolei Torah who stand at its helm. The
public nature of those criticisms and attacks demands a public response.
For the record:
What sets Agudath Israel apart from many other
organizations is our "top down" approach to policy: we take our guidance from,
and are proud to act as directive-conduits for, the Gedolei Yisroel who stand at our helm.
There are times when that guidance and those directives are readily comprehensible
to us or to our constituents, and other times when they may seem counterintuitive or
baffling. In either event, though, we are honored to tread the path they lay out;
that is the essence of Agudath Israel.
Needless to say - though some of the scurrilous attacks against Agudath Israel have
actually stated or implied otherwise - these Gedolei Yisroel are deeply anguished and
agonized by the terrible situation in Eretz Yisroel. Their empathy and concern for acheinu
Beis Yisroel ha'omdim b'tzoro u'v' shivya know no bounds. Their talmidim and
followers are well represented,
disproportionately so, among the ranks of American Jews learning and living in Eretz
Yisroel. Their hearts and minds are consumed with the current crisis, and with the
question of what we as a tzibbur should be doing at this critical time.
However, not every effort aimed at supporting our embattled fellow Jews, no matter how
well-intended, is necessarily endorsed by our Gedolim, or immune to the proverbial
"law of unintended consequences." Sometimes what might superficially seem an
obvious imperative may in truth be considerably more complex.
In this particular instance, our Gedolim made it clear that Agudath Israel as an
organization could not sponsor or otherwise lend its name to the rally. As was
explained to the many people who contacted us about the matter, Agudath Israel has a
longstanding policy prohibiting it from formally lending its name to any public rally
whose format or content may not be in accordance with certain deeply held principles of
the movement.
However, as to individual participation in the rally, different rabbonim and roshei
yeshiva within the broad camps of Agudath Israel had a variety of opinions. Some
supported, some opposed; some left it to the conscience of each individual. Among
supporters, some felt yeshivos should participate; some felt only girls' schools should do
so; some felt only adults should.
Given the diversity of views within the hierarchy of our Torah leadership, the decision
was that Agudath Israel as an organization should neither encourage nor discourage
anyone's participation in the rally, but rather leave it to individuals' consciences and
personal rabbinic guidance.
Thus, while some may have chosen to hold the Washington rally up as a "litmus
test" for concern over the current dire situation, it is grossly unfair to do so.
And it is particularly tragic that such a choice has led to ill will and worse.
The harsh criticism directed at rabbonim and roshei yeshiva who did not support the really
is particularly troubling. Is it not reasonable to assume that these Torah leaders
were motivated not by "political considerations," as some have charged, but
rather by Jewishly legitimate concerns? After all, are there not obvious
difficulties with counseling attendance at a gathering where, one could rightfully assume,
tz'nius standards would be compromised, and non-Orthodox rabbis given prominent
religious roles? Compelling halachic or hashkafic concerns do not simply melt away
in the face of a demonstration organized and controlled by the broader American Jewish
establishment. Torah-affirming Jews know that, while hishtadlus may be necessary,
what matters in the end is if our actions are proper, and pleasing to Hashem. And then
there is the question of the substantive impact of the rally. Theoretically, might it have
held the potential for, chas v'sholom, an adverse effect? Indeed, in retrospect, is
there no reason for concern that the rally might indeed have included elements that were
counterproductive? Might the crowd's audible and negative response to a high-ranking
administration official's ill-timed remarks about the deaths and suffering of Palestinian
civilians - understandable though the booing may have been - have damaged the Jewish
community's standing in the White House? It most certainly provided ample fodder to
anti-Israel talk show hosts and anti-Semites seeking "proof" that Jews don't
care about any suffering but their own; is this not cause for concern?
On the other hand, Jewish lives are on the line these days. And while experts differ
as to just how much public rallies like the Washington gathering actually accomplish, is
it not at least conceivable that a massive public demonstration on the streets of the
nation's capital might, directly or otherwise, result in greater security for Jews?
If so, are there pikuach nefesh considerations that render other concerns less weighty
under the circumstances?
Also relevant to the equation is the question of Jewish unity: At a time when all segments
of American Jewry are called to show their concern for our beleaguered brethren in Eretz
Yisroel, might there not be terrible backlash - and possibly even chilul Hashem - if the
Torah community is seen as being poreish min hatzibbur? And what about our brothers
and sisters on the front lines in Eretz Yisroel - if we can show them a tangible sign of
hishtatfus b'tza'ar, would that not be a source of chizuk at a time of crisis?
These are complex and difficult questions, and
it is no easy task to balance the various considerations - as evidenced by the different
opinions of different Gedolei Yisroel on the matter. One thing, though, is certain,
at least to Torah-sensitive Jews: Judgments about whether a particular public response to
a crisis situation is clearly beneficial, clearly detrimental or unclear, and whether and
to what extent to participate in that response, are judgments that must be made through
the prism of Torah, by people steeped in Torah learning and Torah outlook who can help
guide us through the difficult sugya of Yisroel bein ha'amim.
Some fifteen years ago, Rabbi Moshe Sherer, zt"l, emerged from a Moetzes Gedolei
HaTorah meeting where one of his recommendations on a sensitive shtadlonus matter had been
rejected and he had been instructed to pursue an entirely different approach. Those
present expected him to be disappointed or downcast. He was, instead, enthusiastic
and invigorated. "I may not always understand or concur with their
decisions," he told them, "but I believe b'emunah sh'leima that only good things
can come from a process where Gedolei Yisroel have the final say."
In the end, as in the beginning, Agudath Israel exists not to oblige its members but
rather to serve them - in major part by acting as a conduit for the directives and
suggestions of Gedolei Yisroel. While the position we took on the Washington rally
may have chagrined some, we remained true to our mandate and mission.
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