Rabbi Aharon Kotler

In the summer of 1937, the third convention (knessiah) of Agudath Israel was held in Marienbad. It was attended by hundreds of rabbis, heads of yeshivas and grand rabbis of Chassidic communities from a number of countries. Rabbi Aharon Kotler attended this convention. The central topic of discussion was the recent proposal of Britain’s Peel Commission to partition Palestine, designating a piece for a Jewish state. (The British government eventually dropped the proposal because of the Arabs’ opposition to it.)

The periodical Hapardes (Year 11, Issue 7) reports: “On Sunday evening, the 16^th of Elul, the gedolei Torah gathered to discuss the question of a state for the Jews, and to deliver a decision to the Knessiah, to which the eyes of all Jews were turned. The gathering was stormy, and among the participants were the Gerrer Rebbe, the Chortkover Rebbe, the Boyaner Rebbe, the Sadigerer Rebbe, and the greatest rabbanim, all members of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah. They deliberated for seven hours, battling each other; they drafted decisions and fought over every stroke of the pen. Rabbi Wasserman, Rabbi Kotler, Rabbi Rottenberg from Antwerp, the Rabbis of Czechoslovakia and Hungary were in favor of rejecting any suggestion for a Jewish state, even on both sides of the Jordan, even if it was established on a religious foundation, because this would be a sort of denial of the belief in the coming of moshiach. Even worse, this small state would be built on the foundation of kefirah and the name of heaven would be desecrated. However, the Rebbes of Boyan, Sadigur, Rabbi Tzirelson, Rabbi Levin of Reisha, and Rabbi Sorotzkin held that it is possible to agree according to the laws of the Torah to the establishment of a Jewish state in part of Eretz Yisrael without denying the coming of the redeemer.

The following appears in Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch’s Teshuvos Vehanhagos, v. 2 siman 140: 

When Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman and Reb Ahron Kotler saw that the Knessia was even considering the idea of a Jewish state, they wanted to leave in protest. But Reb Chaim Ozer Grodzensky, who was ill and not able to attend himself, sent them a message that they should not leave. 

Reb Aharon supported the network of schools called Chinuch Atzmai, which relied on Israeli government funding. But at the same time, he held that the ideal was to educate children in school that were completely financially independent.  The following is from Lo Sasur (Thou shalt not depart) Page 42 Declaration and Letters, Document 17.

American Israeli Torah Center
5 Beekman Street, Suite 531-2
New York, NY 38

Thursday, of the Torah Portion Emor, May 6, 1954

To: The Esteemed Rabbis and Community Leaders in Toronto

Whereas the situation of children learning Torah in the Holy Land is in a horrific and frightful condition, with every day worse than the previous one, it requires extensive efforts, and we must stand up at this fateful hour under conditions that never existed in the history of the Jewish People.

We would like to present our esteemed friend, the philanthropist ………. who took it upon himself to visit you on behalf of the American Israeli Torah Center.

The American-Israeli Torah Center, which was established here at the request of the great rabbis and heads of yeshivas in the Holy Land has the goal of establishing new Torah schools in the maabarot camps and new settlements , and to assist small religious schools in the Holy Land from joining the government-run school system. These schools also are unaffiliated with the government-supported religious school system [Chinuch Atsma’i]. These unaffiliated schools are organized under the American Israeli Torah Center, and include some 5,000 Jewish children who study Torah with reverence as has been the practice throughout history. The government does not interfere in the curriculum, and does not provide even a single cent. This is the foundation of the existence of Judaism for maintaining the Jewish yeshiva schools and the Torah in the Holy Land.

Therefore, we ask urgently ask you to assist us to try to create great success for this great and lofty goal, and may G-d fulfill in you the verse Blessed is he who sustains the Torah. May you be blessed with all the best.

Yours truly,
Aharon Kotler

When Bais Yaakov of Borough Park began teaching classes in Ivrit B’Ivrit (that is, translating the holy words of Chumash into Modern Hebrew), a group of parents complained, until the school staff agreed to present the question to Rabbi Aharon Kotler. The staff and a group of parents (among them the Debretziner Rav) came before Reb Aharon. The staff argued that they had no textbooks besides those produced in Eretz Yisroel, which were written in Ivrit. The parents argued that the purpose of teaching in Ivrit was to inculcate the students with the Zionist ideology. They demanded that the school teach in Yiddish, or at least arrange for separate Yiddish classes.

As he listened, Reb Aharon’s face grew stormy. He stood up and said fervently, “There is no doubt that teaching in Ivrit is completely forbidden. It is an assimilation worse than all other assimilations in the world. For the goal of Zionism is to uproot the holy Torah from its source. Assimilation with gentiles is like a gentile idol, which can be nullified; but assimilation with Ivrit is a Jewish idol, which can never be nullified! (See Avodah Zarah 52a.) If you teach in English, that is the language of the country and we have no choice, because we need to know the language to earn a living and so on. This is like teaching one’s child a trade. But if we teach in Ivrit here in America, it serves no constructive purpose; it is only to bring the children closer to Zionism. Therefore it is definitely forbidden.”

But the staff threatened that if Reb Aharon ruled this way, they would resign in protest and Bais Yaakov would have to close down. The Debretziner Rav commented, “Who ever heard of one of the parties in a Din Torah threatening the dayan?” In the end, Bais Yaakov arranged separate classes in Ivrit and Yiddish. (Botzina Kadisha v. 1 pp. 263-264; Shailos Utshuvos Be’er Moshe v. 4, 140:6)

When, following the first Israeli elections at the beginning of 1949, the Agudah and Mizrachi parties, as members of the United Religious Front, entered the ruling coalition, Reb Ahron Kotler gave a speech at a meeting of Agudah of America, in which he questioned this decision. Reb Yaakov Rosenheim had suggested that the Agudath Israel of America 1) send their blessings to the United Religious Front; 2) give their blessings to the Agudah’s participation in the ruling coalition; 3) express satisfaction at the exchange of letters between Ben Gurion and Reb Yitzchak Meir Levine. This is how the newspaper “Hakol” described Reb Ahron’s speech on 29 Av 5709 (1949) (the Hakol had published earlier an incorrect version of the speech, which Reb Ahron himself pronounced inaccurate in a letter to the Agudah executives): 

As far as the United Religious Front, Reb Ahron Kotler said that our participation in the Knesset as citizens of the state is obligatory without a doubt, and there is no question about this. The Knesset is the place to publicize to all the Torah view on all current issues. On the other hand, non-participation would strengthen the power of the secular and silence the voice of chareidi Jewry in the Land. The issue that “we are participating in anti-religious legislation” is not problematic, for in a parliament everything is done by the majority; only the majority bears the responsibility. It is also clear and self-understood that a united appearance of all the religious Jews is many times stronger, both before the elections and in the Knesset itself. Is is very desirable that all who believe in Hashem and His Torah should participate in the Front. Therefore, Reb Ahron expressed complete agreement to the suggestion that they send their blessings to the United Religious Front. However, he added that in order to express the Torah view clearly and fundamentally, the representatives in Knesset should have included gedolei Torah; the current makeup of the representation was not sufficient.

As far as the second suggestion, that the meeting give its blessing to the participation of the Agudah in the ruling coalition, Reb Ahron was opposed for several reasons. For it is clear that, in truth, there are reasons against participation. First of all, it is hard to participate in a Jewish government in the Holy Land that does not see Torah and religion as the very being and foundation of existence of the Jewish people. Moreover, the ruling coalition works as a unit and everyone who participates in it, even if he initially expresses his opinion against something, bears nevertheless responsibility for all actions taken by it, unlike the parliament (i.e. unlike those in the minority of a parliament). Besides the question of responsibility for anti-religious actions, the very fact that we are inside sooths the conscience of the chareidi public, weakens our opposition to a certain degree, and weakens the indignance which we must feel when the government does things against the Torah. Those who are opposed and protest then appear to be extremists, far from the Yishuv and the reality, for it seems as though the actions [of the government] were taken with the agreement and participation of the religious representatives in Knesset.

On the other hand, if there are great and important accomplishments made possible by our participation in the ruling coalition, it is worthwhile to participate.

To decide this matter requires deep weighing of the factors. And since from afar it is difficult to weigh and rule on these matters, it was the decision of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah in America to leave the decision in the hands of the gedolei Torah in Eretz Yisroel. It is true that a positive decision was reached, but it is clear that this is only to be classified as “eis laasos laShem heifeiru sorasecha” (a sin commited for the sake of Hashem). And there are great gaonim of Torah in Eretz Yisroel, like Reb Isser Zalman Meltzer, the Brisker Rav and the Chazon Ish, may they live long, whose opinions we do not know on this matter, and rumor has it that they are against participation. And one must not say that we need not take into account the opinion of gedolei Torah who are not active in Agudath Israel, for this view is “treif.”

Therefore, in any case, even if it was necessary for us to enter the coalition, we in America should not give our blessing and express our satisfaction at this composition of government, and announce our desire to participate. Besides, an after-the-fact announcement by chareidi Jewry in America of our pleasure at the participation is not desirable even as far as the practical gain and possible accomplishments for Torah Judaism of such participation is concerned, as everyone understands.

Reb Ahron did not say (as alleged) that they entered the government “because they wanted to” or because they wanted to give “government positions to relatives.” He said that there may have been good side reasons to do it, which had value, but they are not enough to decide a great question like this. For example, a network of religious officials would definitely be a way to influence and accomplish, and this is an important achievement, but this is not enough to decide. Although we cannot go into the main question now and we cannot rule on it from afar, nevertheless an expression of happiness serves no purpose.  (Printed in Mikatowitz Ad Hei B’iyar, p. 187)