This caught Hasidut Belza completely off guard and rather embarrassed her. At least, in my opinion.
Political commentator Yaakov Rivlin revealed (an excellent revelation, it must be said) in the newspaper 'Bekhila' that the Belza Hasidic Education Committee and other figures at the top of the court met on Monday with the Director General of the Ministry of Education Dalit Stauber, and with all the who's who of the ministry's top brass, with the 'matchmaker' of the move being MK Moshe Kinley Tor Paz, a representative of the Yesh Atid party - all in an attempt to formulate a model for core studies in the Belza Torah Talmud, which in return will be fully funded.
The controversy surrounding the revelation was not long in coming. All that was left for us to do was present the battle of the versions.
We emphasize that there is no citation of any one person in these words. All the conversations I had were neither for citation nor for attribution.
Very serious. I mean, we have no complaints, God forbid, against the Rebbe, we're not going into that part. But let's talk about the political matter for a moment: For several weeks now, MK Israel Eichler, Belza's political representative, has been conducting himself completely independently. He leaves the Knesset at will, he votes at will. We're tired of chasing him.
Now, looking back, we understand the logic that guided him. To please the Fritz in power, so that he would smile at the Hasidic Torah studies and so that the Ministry of Education would grant the court's Torah studies the best possible conditions.
In Belza, people come to Rabbi Eliezer Sorotzkin, the director general of independent education, with complaints: He didn't let us in all these years, we'll open our own network. Our own? Do they really delude themselves that they've established some 'Bnei Yosef' or 'independent education' here? There's no such thing today in 2022, we can only huddle under the broad umbrella of the Ministry of Education, with all that that implies. If this is what the Rebbe orders them to do, then we have nothing to say against it, God forbid, but in our eyes, it's really not a clean slate.
And maybe it will come out sweet. We are tired of being generous to Agudat Israel. For years, we have been taken advantage of with the 40-60 division, to our detriment of course, as if we are the 40 and Their Excellency is the 60, when we all know that the situation is exactly the opposite. The Jerusalem municipality elections did turn the situation a bit in our favor, to 50-50, and we are still discriminated against, because our share is much larger. So let's go to the elections, each faction separately, flag against Agudat Israel, on both sides of the fence, and see whose power is greater.
Is it dangerous? We won't pass the threshold? You made us laugh. They're the ones who won't pass. And in general, how will they go together, when the two parts there are yellow to each other, Gur-Vizhnitz on one side of the barrier, Shlomi Emunim-Belza on the other side of the barrier. Don't be surprised, by the way, if at the end of the day those who hate them come with us... 5789, but with a fascinating change. It's not Belza who will join us, like then, but Gur-Vizhnitz. Now we'll see who Chabad will go with. In other words, the majority will continue to go with Smotrich anyway... Maybe to annoy us, the flag-bearers, they will vote for Shlomi Emunim-Belza this time. On the contrary, on the contrary, the Haredi power in the Knesset will finally grow.
We are tired of giving Meir Porush a place on the party map and then seeing how Chabad is squinting at other parties, when it is actually supposed to be 'his' in the tabu. Good for them, Rabbi Shaul Alter's people will vote for them instead of Shas, we will maximize power, it only pays off. We personally will only increase our power. For our part, the Jerusalem faction is also invited to vote for them, and to explain to its people how it votes for those who founded the Hasidic MMA, or whatever they call this mutation.
And maybe it's time to divide into three heads, with each part representing its own party while running only for electoral purposes. Agoy A, Agoy B, and Degel. We have demonstrated unity between the factions that were once at odds, Rashbam and Ravad.
Belza claims that Rabbi Sorotzkin refuses to introduce the Torah teachings of Hasidism into independent education because it would undermine his exclusive control over the network. Still, an addition of thousands of students would automatically require changes in the administration. They are also angry, why is Gur in and they are not.
So here is the truth and it needs to be told. In the periphery, almost full core studies are taught, in the Haredi centers, almost none. When Rabbi Sorotzkin came in to ask Maran Rabbi Shteinman zt"l about Baazla, he answered in a complete negative - and no one suspects Rabbi Shteinman that he had administrative considerations in mind. He thought it was wrong to bring Hasidic schools, where students are currently studying, into the umbrella of independent education, which is actually changing. From a theoretical perspective, it is wrong to do such a thing.
The Belzaim will argue, what did Sorotsky gain? That he was forced to introduce even more core studies? This is not an argument. If a Jew asks you for a cigarette to smoke on Shabbat, you will refuse to give it to him even if he tells you that the alternative is for him to buy a whole pack with his own money. And in general, there is something like a will of the Graal here. Sorotsky cannot touch this instruction.
Yes, we heard that the Belzaim say that they entered all the great men of Israel, including the Maran Rosh HaYeshiva (-HaGir"G Edelstein) and received permission to enter independent education. We checked this, and those around Rabbi Gershon deny this outright, claiming "he vehemently opposed." That's the end of the story.
Now that their children will learn by heart, let them remember how much blood we spat in United Torah Judaism to change back the core law enacted in the 2013 term by the Lapid-Bennett 'Brotherhood' government, and let them be ashamed. For years we have been sweating in the ulpanim, to explain why a secular party is forbidden from trying to force the Haredim, in an unofficial way, to introduce core studies, and when they tried to explain to us - mainly the Yesh Atid people - how important this is for our children, how much it will prepare them for future work and life in general, we told them, without favors, let us protect Yavneh and its sages. Now the glorious Belz Hasidism is doing the reverse of this whole ideological thing? Let them enjoy it.
Even Gur Hasidism learns by heart, they claim? We won't elaborate on this subject, there are things that are better left silent. But go out and check how much they learn.
Does Eichler think we are stupid? That we don't understand the significance of the generous gifts from the people of the government of change? Clearly, someone let them understand, explicitly or with a meaningful wink, that Eichler's hand would move accordingly, and that Hasidism in Belza is not ungrateful. His behavior in recent weeks only indicates this.
So it's true that some say that the things were all planned behind his back, and that he didn't know, but we refuse to buy the lie. Rahamim didn't know. Come on, really.
It started with a challenge against us, which is actually against the important Rebbes who stand at our head, and it continues with a squinting at the Ministry of Education and its goals. Shame on them.
What didn't they say about us when they supported Nir Barkat for mayor of Jerusalem? That there it's a matter of who will take out the trash and send out notices for property tax payments. Here we are talking about something that all of Haredi Judaism fought against, in a campaign created by Dr. Shai Piron, the Minister of Education in the 'Brotherhood' government - and here we are running to the arms of his idea. Oh well, then we don't call it a Haredi state, but a Hasidic state. And instead of learning 30 new stories in English every week, God forbid, they will only learn two. What does it matter?
True, they will remind us that Litzman used to say all these years, "Nehara, Nehara, and Pashtia." But that only applies when the Pashtia is from our Rebbe. It cannot apply when on the other side there is a teaching from Rabbi Shaul Alter or any other Rebbe. Don't expect us to respect that.
Let them run alone in the elections and we will see them pass the threshold. Even if the Jerusalem faction, plus Eli Yishai, plus the people of Rabbi Shaul Alter are with them - they will not pass. Period. We, we have no problem joining the Lithuanians as well. We are in 2012, not 2019.
It's a shame we supported them in Yossi Deitch's stupid run in Jerusalem. We could have gotten a lot more from Moshe Leon, if we hadn't gone on this hopeless adventure with them. So the era of togetherness is over. It's them who wanted to arbitrate, to be left alone. We're fed up. Even so, they seem to be doing us a favor with every vote, and a great favor in that they support our opposition struggle.
As if Litzman has been a friend of Bibi's since the days of the Talmud Torah and they are not committed to him just like we are. And as if we are stupid and don't understand that Litzman did not accept a committee headed by him and was pushed like a cork into the position of faction chairman, just because they joined forces against us and without them we don't even have 40 against 'Degel''s 60. We have suffered enough trouble from them.
Are they jealous that some of those who control independent education are still alive? They have a problem. So it's true, they have the 'Hamveser', but in the face of sharp opinion articles in both 'Hamodia' and 'Yated Ne'eman' they won't be able to go out on the Haredi street. 'Hapeles' will also back us, because there they are against every initiative of the state.
I don't understand how we are in-laws in this affair at all? True, we went to arbitration together with Belza; we challenged Litzman-Tesler together, that is, Gur-Vizhnitz, but that doesn't mean that the whole Apache thing was done together. This story of core studies has nothing to do with us and all good. Don't mix politics in here for us. Don't predict separate runs in my country or in the local authorities. In a second, you will also take revenge on our municipal representative against Beitar Illit or perhaps Elad. That's not what we meant, we are not enemies of the Torah banner, we are on good terms with its people, and when there were those in Belza who wanted to avoid the budget law in exchange for a billion shekels, we were not part of this bargain. Our great representative in the Knesset, Meir Porush, was clearly in favor, and for further details, ask Yitzhak Pindarus, who even praised him for it.
True, we are less committed to the opposition that plays it off as 'we'll be back in power in a day or two'. We are realistic people and we would have already gotten along with the top brass of the government of change, only we would do it more intelligently and more wisely than Ichler, whose wisdom we admire and who still has room for improvement.
And in general, Belza denies that there is such a deal, we forgot to say. And besides, that Degel will take stock of their stubbornness all these years and their abuse of the Hasidic public, yes, we will choose harsh words to express our anger, and in this regard we are completely with Belza and their representative Ichler.
'Degel' threatens separation? They threaten all the time. We don't deal with it at all. What's more, the Belza Rabbinical Committee denies it. Did we already say that?
Eichler didn't even know about it. And the fact that his spokesmen knew about it doesn't mean that Eichler knew about it. And even if he did, he didn't know. And the Hasidic rabbis deny that there is even a deal on the horizon. We already said that, right?
We don't know what to say. If that happens, we'll think about what to do in the editorials in 'The Herald'. It's still early, they deny it.
What do you want from us? For years we have been abused, we do not want to include our Torah studies in 'independent education'. 'The Sons of Joseph' were not generous either. So what could we do? There are not enough generous people to maintain the Torah studies. The salaries of the teachers are in the ground. That is what we have.
And in general, get out of our vein, we have a Rebbe and by his light we will walk. Oh, and the news about the Hasidic MMA is not at all true.
The most frustrating thing was reading the message from MK Moshe Tor-Paz, the one called Kinley. "I am happy to announce that after a year in which I promoted quiet negotiations, a dramatic move is being implemented." Now everyone is sharpening their ideological swords against us, saying that we have become members of Yesh Atid (he is from Yesh Atid, right?) and that we are slipping on the initiative of Shai Piron, who is remembered in the Haredi parties in a negative way.
He also revealed what happened behind the scenes, saying that a year ago, seven heads of institutions "representing about 9,000 students in Belz Hasidism" came to him after realizing that in the current situation, "without core studies, students will have difficulty integrating into the labor market." That's what we told him, but the truth is, we're not interested in the labor market, but in budgets. We need a network. A roof. A framework for receiving budgets. We can no longer bear the economic burden alone.
So true, he added that we asked for an outline that would fit our lifestyle, but the fool continued and said, somewhere on Facebook, that "core studies will be introduced into the curriculum." With an exclamation point after the word core. How enthusiastic. Oh, and the stunner was in the closing sentence: "I thank Foreign Minister Yair Lapid for his support and close guidance." God bless us.
We categorically deny that there is such a move, that such a network would be established, and apart from the word "Balza", nothing of what he wrote is true. Yes, he is an honest man. But only in general. Except on this Facebook (they call it a post, but nowadays they haven't learned the ropes yet).
So much for the order of things. And let us end with a prayer: Lord of the universe, restore the Netanyahu government to its original form, so that we may not need the mercy of foreigners, and that our quarrels will begin and end with who will head the Finance Committee and who will sit in the chair at the Ministry of Health. And a Savior will come to Zion.
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