In the ongoing struggle to try to get charedim to help relieve the appalling suffering and strain upon the reservists, there is a significant new development. A fascinating large advertisement appeared in The Jerusalem Post this weekend. It was a letter addressed to 27 wealthy philanthropists, who are invited this week to a special retreat to raise funds for the charedi yeshiva world:
In case you’re reading this on your phone and can’t make out the text, here it is:
To the hosts of the International Fellowship of the Keren Olam HaTorah retreat
Solly Azrak (Panama)
Meir Birnbaum
Joachim Cohen (Paris)
Ezra Erani
Shimon Glick
Avi Goldstein (London)
Ralph Herzka
Benzion Heitner (Toronto)
Ariel Mashiyev (Toronto)
Yaakov (John) Kaplan (Toronto)
Jack Hilu (Mexico)
Salomon Jasqul (Mexico)
Boruch Jeremias
Boruch Karfunkel
Jimmie Khezrie
Yissachar Knoll (Ramat Gan)
Lelby Levison (London)
Yitzchak Miniashvili (Herzliya)
Chaim Rajchenbach (Chicago)
Yitzy Rokowsky
Alberto Safra (Sao Paulo)
Leizer Scheiner
Rubin Schron
Jack Silvera (Panama)
Ronald Wilheim (Cincinatti)
Reuven Wolf
Wolfson Family
Tyrone Zinman (South Africa)
We are turning to you, as important supporters of Am Yisroel during these challenging times.
Just this week, 60,000 reservists have been called up for the next phase of the war. Many are talmidei chachamim, older men, with wives and children. Their families are collapsing under the mental and financial pressure.
How can the Yeshiva World stand by while their brothers are drowning? We know that it is possible to both serve in the army and live a Torah life. It is possible to have both Safra and Seifa.
Instead of spending money to keep bochurim out of the army, let's invest in finding ways to support their Torah learning while in the army.
The time is now!
Please don't abandon Klal Yisroel in our time of greatest need.
The letter is signed by two organizations: The National-Religious Reservists’ Forum and Shutfut LeSherut: Religious Women for IDF Enlistment. The latter is made up of mothers and wives who have suffered the terrible consequences of their sons and husbands being away for much of the past two years.
The event itself is being organized by Keren Olam HaTorah, which is the fund that seeks to perpetuate the exponentially growing charedi kollel system. The “Gedolim” will be coming to speak, of course. But the organizers are very sneaky. They know that many of these American philanthropists don’t buy into the hardcore charedi worldview, which is at war against the rest of Israel rather than helping Israel with the actual war. And so they will also have some speakers and entertainers who represent a moderate, we-support-Israel perspective, to distract from the fact that the money is going to people who do nothing of the sort.
The campaign against the event by the religious reservists and their wives has very significant potential, in several ways. First, it’s not coming from politicians or secular activists, it’s coming from religious Jews beseeching on behalf of other religious Jews, including talmidei chachamim. Second, the target is not politicians, but rather people who are misled into providing the funding which enables the charedi freeloading lifestyle to perpetuate and grow. Third, it’s not any anonymous group that is being targeted, but rather 27 specific, named people. Fourth, it sends a message to the charedi world that the non-chareidi world has had enough and is going to be actively opposing them. Fifth, the request is simply to divert the Torah-supporting donations to other Torah institutions - those that will actually help the nation rather than increase the problems.
Some articles about this campaign have started to appear in the press, and you can expect more over the next few days. Let’s hope that it has an impact. Meanwhile, if you know any of the people attending, maybe you could contact them and explain why their money would go to much better use supporting Torah institutions that integrate charedim with helping Am Yisrael in its hour of need.
In other news, my new book, The Lions of Zion, reached our US office and ships this week! But if you’re in Israel, you can join the official book lauch tomorrow, and hear about the book’s content and development - complete with props! Order the book and sign up for the launch at www.BMNH.org.il/Lions
I think this is an excellent development- we need to use the language of the yeshiva world to identify what is really going on and appeal to the sensibilities of these philanthropists so they know who and what they are really supporting.
Also, on different note, why we are letting the Charedi parties in Israel make off with a gravy train worth 10 million shekels to fund Uman for Rosh Hashana, I have no idea.
It's not about believing the rhetoric (these people are shrewd; generally, they don't believe the rhetoric - - although a few do).
Rather it's about hobnobbing with the illustrious Rabbonim (emotional and ego-driven value) and with each other - more deals, more $$).
And defying the muscle-flexing, self-interested Rabbonim whose approval they crave is not going to happen.