Rabbi Elyashiv Aplogizes – Wait a minute! Maybe not …, Chabad Declares War On Agudath Israel, Degel HaTorah

Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the spiritual leader of Israel's Lithuanian haredim and of the Degel HaTorah political, party apologized today for slighting the Gerrer Rebbe, widely seen as the leader of Israel's hasidic haredim. Except that Rabbi Elyashiv, who quite regularly speaks out of both sides of his mouth, did not really apologize or, if he did, he did not do it for attribution. Matthew Wagner of the Jerusalem Post reports:

A purposely obscure, face-saving meeting Thursday between MK Moshe Gafni (Degel Hatorah) and the Gerer Rebbe, Rabbi Ya'acov Aryeh Alter, facilitated the merging of the Hassidic and Lithuanian haredi political parties into a united list.

After the meeting between Gafni and the Gerer rebbe, the Lithuanian Degel Hatora and the Hassidic Agudat Yisrael related contradictory reports on exactly what happened.

According to Agudat Yisrael, Gafni apologized to the Gerer rebbe in the name of Degel Hatorah for slighting the Hassidic leader.

According to Degel Hatorah, no apology was offered. The meeting had nothing to do with the ongoing tension between the two haredi parties that caused a split at the beginning of the year.

MK Ya'acov Litzman has demanded that Degel Hatorah apologize to the Gerer Rebbe for ignoring the Hassidic leader's opinion on joining Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's coalition.

However, Degel Hatorah has been unwilling to compromise itself by openly admitting that an apology was justified. [This is the same reason Rabbi Elyashiv has not publicly retracted erroneous rulings including his ruling against Indian hair wigs and his riduculous claim that Rabbi Nosson Slifkin was a heretic and that his books contained heresy. Rabbi Elyashiv doesn't like to look human in public. – FM editor.]

The Gerer Rebbe disagreed with Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the supreme halachic and spiritual authority for Degel Hatorah on how to join the government coalition. The Gerer rebbe felt it was important for all Agudah members to accept positions in the government immediately, while Rabbi Elyashiv demanded a three-month waiting period.

Gafni and Avraham Ravitz the two Degel MKs split with the three Agudah MKs after Agudah refused to accept Elyashiv's opinion.…

What is the motivation for this 'reconciliation'?

However, despite their difference there is one strong impetus for running on a united list: both parties are dangerously close to falling below the three-mandate minimum if they run alone.

Ah, but there is more to this starry-eyed love affair than meets the eye. Chabad has quietly gone on the warpath against Agudath Israel and, therefore against the Gerrer Rebbe, forcing Agudah to accept Rabbi Elyashiv's non-apology:

Righwing haredi elements, particularly Chabad followers, plan to run an aggresive campaign against Agudah for sitting in the government during disengagement, said a Chabad source.

"An American Millionaire plans to fund a campaign that shows that [Agudath Israel's] Litzman was a partner in that crime."

So it seems Dr. Irving Moskowitz may be back to his old tricks.

Comments

[Rabbi Ariel Sokolovsky]

By the grace of the Rebbe Almighty
Shalom everyone!
The Rebbe-Almighty generally told Chassidim to vote for the "most religious party" He also clarified that a party, a Rabbi or a politician which sells out its heart for money in particular placing the life of Yidn in danger and creating tremendious chilul Hashem (public desecration of G-ds name) cannot in good concience be called most religious or religious for that matter.
So called Degel haTorah was originaly created to fight against the Rebbe-Almighty and to raise money for the erev rav who sit and scoff at Moshe Rabbeinu of the generation to allow the m to continue doing more of the same.
The Rebbe also taught that ideally it would have been better if the politics in Israel would be similar to America at least till Moshiach is reveled ... with few major parties with religious Jews represented in them influencing the matters from behind the scences without creating public chilul Hashem each year and thus pushing the Israeli public from anything related to Yidishkeit as you all know some of my own relatieves who are Russian Jews were able to become observant when they moved from Israel to Canada specificly for the reason above...
The Rebbe-Almighty said that the very existance of something called "ministry of religions" an entity which till very recently sponsored avodah zorah-idolworship among other things in a Jewish state in particular with a religious Jew at it's head is a chilul Hashem - desecration of G-d's name thus the Rebbe-Almighty eventualy dismantled it using Tommy Lapid to do the job...
The Rebbe-Almighty thru people who listen to His teachings will eventualy rule worldwide and no two bit punk like Shmaryahu shlit"a (nothing personal) will be able to stop that...
Mark my words...Read Daniel 7 and the articles and videos on RebbeGod.blogspot.com linked to my name bellow this post and you'll see.
With respect and blessing.
Rabbi Ariel Sokolovsky
BostonChabad.com
Moshiach Info Center International
Currently located in Portland Oregon
617-372-2312
Yechi Yehovah Tsidkeinu!
Long Live the Rebbe-G-d Almighty forever and ever!

[rebeljew]

At least you are just a "two bit punk". I thought he might go for AntiChrist ... er, I mean AntiRebbe. No, AntiChrist is even better.

In fact, maybe the whole chant should use the terms more widely used among English speakers, when we translate the chant.

Long live our lord, our teacher, our judge, King Christ forever and ever.

[Paul Freedman]

rJ: so "heresy" matters?

[Paul Freedman]

Ariel--my last 2 cents: if you tried to do less you could accomplish more.

[Dovid]

Ariel, honestly get a different hobby, you're wasting your life here, use some of those "Independent funds" and get some therapy.