BY NESANEL GANTZ
“For this we will be moser nefesh. We will go against whoever it may be. There will be no compromise. The olam ha’Torah will remain beautiful and will continue to grow and bloom.” Ami spoke to one of the invitees, Rav Eliezer Kahaneman, nasi of Ponovezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, who explained the importance and purpose of the asifah. “What was very clear,” Rav Kahaneman said, “is that we have to sit and learn. That’s the number one thing we have to do to get rid of the gezeirah. “First of al, the roshei yeshivah stressed that they must see to it that their talmidim sit and learn. The talmidim must know that learning Torah is the main weapon against this decree. There was a kol [rumor] that if somehow things don’t go as they should, then we’ll have to do other things that are being considered. “We need to show that all the roshei yeshivah are backing the concept of not, chas v’shalom, entertaining any pesharos [compromises] or allowing even one talmid chacham to stop learning. That’s something everybody should know. This wasn’t a discussion, questioning what we should do. It was a call of achdus to show everyone is together.” As far as whether bachurim should go to the conscription centers and only then not sign up, Rav Kahaneman added, “It was mentioned that those who did like the Rosh Yeshivah [Rav
Shteinman] said, to [go to the centers and not sign up], had no problems or had everything taken care of.” Rav Kahaneman concluded with a message: “It had to be made clear that our position is that not even one talmid chacham be denied the ability to learn Torah. Until now it was understood that we [the roshei yeshivah] are against something. We’re actually not against anything. We’re for learning Torah. And we’re opposed to anything that disturbs Torah.” At the same time that the kinus under Rav Shteinman’s leadership was going on, a kinus was held with the attendance of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of Agudas Yisrael, the leading admorim of Eretz Yisrael who, besides coming out in unity against the draft, spoke about coming to America to foster intercontinental unity. Rav David Cohen, rosh yeshivah of Chevron, speaking at the meeting with Rav Shteinman, mentioned the simultaneous gatherings: “At this very same time, the gedolei ha’Torah of Torah and chasidus, the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of Agudas Yisrael, are meeting to unite the whole olam ha’Torah, to unite all of chareidi Jewry, to express both an outcry [against the draft] and a chizzuk, to establish like a reinforced wall the groundworks we maintain the Torah on in klal Yisrael, and not to give up on even one talmid chacham, not one ben Torah”—this is the joint call of the leaders of klal Yisrael.
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