Agudas Yisroel of America and the Price of Greed
גילוי דעת
Letter written today by Rav Yosef Zalman Bloch Shlita regarding the “chinuch crisis” – a threat to the very lives of our communities both spiritually and physically
BS”D
Entering into negotiations about Chinuch of our children with any governmental body or anyone else for that matter, is like entering into negotiations about how to write Tefillin. Absolutely ridiculous and absolutely forbidden.
We do not have an “Education System”, we have a Mitzvah of Learning With Our Children. And it is interesting to note that in the second Parsha in Krias Shema, the Torah sandwiches Learning with our children in between the Mitzvah of Tefillin and the Mitzvah of Mezuzah, to show us that just as writing Tefillin and Mezuzos is a Holy Undertaking, so too is “writing” the Torah on the hearts of our children.
We are commanded to be good citizens and loyal to our governments. But, when the Government begins to Pasken Religious questions we are totally deaf. Our attitude can be summed up in two words, “Drop Dead”. We do not have anything to discuss with them we do NOT negotiate! We do not come to the table on issues of religion. For those who feel my language is too harsh, there is an alternative given in Chazal. They taught us that when dealing with King Nevuchadnetzar, Jews told him, “If you want to discuss taxes, you are king, if however, you want to discuss religion, you are equal to a dog”! So, if you like that expression better you can use it.
The real issue is that the frum organizations and schools don’t want to give up the Government monies that they take for the schools, and for THAT they are jeopardizing the entire Chinuch system. And at a time when BH Yidden have more than enough money to support our schools.
Agudas Yisroel of America for the last thirty years has been a totally worthless organization. An organization seeking a reason to exist. Now they have inserted themselves into this discussion as Peacemakers. They are the problem! They take millions for their useless organization from the same government bodies that they are supposedly standing up to. And they are working hand in hand with our worst enemies since Naziism. At the same time spreading lies among the frum Olom that they are saving our children. They do not follow the dictates of the Torah in how to deal with governments when religion is imperiled, thereby causing the problem to blossom and become truly life threatening.
We must be prepared for Mesiras Nefesh Mamosh. No one is coming to save us!
ואין לנו להשען אלא על אבינו שבשמים
יוסף זלמן בלאך
עש”ק אם בחקותי תלכו ה’ תשפ”ב
From Agudas Anshei Emes, here.