Signings against Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak • "Maran outraged: Amnon wants to cancel all these?"

What went on behind the scenes of a vigorous publishing of a letter signed by dozens of great scholars and Sephardic Rabbis, against Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak?


Anyone who understands a little on public relations (and there are plenty in the haredi community) can say that Shas made a mistake when dragged into a fight against the founder of the Party Koach Lehashpia. When they started to respond, the movement went down the slippery slope. He said - they responded, and so on. The climax was reached when Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak went to Reb Chaim Kanievsky and managed to pull from him a single word ("apparently"), from which it was possible to understand, that G-d forbid, Hgr"ch is against Hgr"o Yosef. But that is how it seemed to the observer.


The one who entered the picture and decided to publish a letter, protesting the degradation of the President of the Council of Torah Sages was Rabbi Shalom Cohen, a member of the Council of Sages of Shas, and head of Yeshivat Porat Yosef. He was the man who had done most for the return of Aryeh Deri to the movement, and it seems that he feels responsible to make sure everything would be okay.

One involved behind the scenes in signing the rabbis said: "The letter formulation was done by Rabbi Shalom Cohen, after hearing statements from Amnon Yitzchak. Most of the fury against Rabbi Amnon were the claims that Hgr"o Yosef does not decide for himself - and his family decide for him. He also corrected, proofed and improved the text several times."


It is important to note that Hgr"sh Cohen insisted not to call the title of Rabbi Amnon Yitzhak, but Reb only. He even spoke with Rabbi Shimon Baadani, a member of the Council of Torah Sages, about it.



"At some point, probably after a meeting between Rabbi Amnon and Rabbi Baadani, Rabbi Baadani asked to omit the name of Amnon from the letter. Rabbi Shalom Cohen refused adamantly. Following Amnon's aggravated statements, Rabbi Baadani has agreed to keep the name of Amnon Yitzchak, and spoke strongly against him at a conference in Ashdod.

Statements of "after 120" tipped the scales

A source involved behind the scenes continues: "A well known Yemeni Rabbi came to Hgr"ch Kanievsky and asked whether to sign the letter of protest, because he feared for himself and other personal reasons. Hgr"ch said to 'turn to Hgray"l who is the Gadol Hador'. Hgray"l said not to sign, but he must protest verbally the insult to the Torah.


"There were a few distinguished rabbis who refused to sign," says the man. "There were a number of rabbis who at first hesitated, but then heard certain expressions of Amnon Yitzchak, in which he states he is the alternative leadership 'after 120' (radio Eilat and Channel 10), and other statements - and when they understood that this is not a signature for political reasons, decided to sign.

Meanwhile, Rabbi Amnon published during a lecture in Hadera with Rabbi Yaakov Lugasy, where he apologizes for his signature, and says as if he was misled. "In practice," says the man, "Rabbi Lugasy signed after consulting with Rabbi Moshe Zadka, and ordered him to sign. Later Lugasy turned to Rabbi Zadka, and said he does not feel comfortable with the signature, since he owes Rabbi Amnon gratitude for printing his books. Rabbi Zadka replied that he could pull his signature, but he must protest verbally.

One of the close household members of Hgr"o says: "According to Rabbi Amnon Yitzhak, Maran's letter is a fake. In practice, Maran wrote it in his own handwriting, after he asked to hear the statements of Amnon Yitzchak, and consulted with a number of rabbis who came to pray at his residence last week."


Close students of Hgr"o, who come to his home, commented disparagingly on the videos published by Rabbi Amnon, where he shows Hgr"o's love for him. "What is this like? A couple who were married at a fancy wedding and then divorced. It is unthinkable to use proof of wedding photography for a couple's love of each other."

Hgr"o was angry: "All this Amnon Yitzchak wanted to cancel"

Why is Rabbi Amnon not allowed to enter the room of Hgr"o for a meeting?


An associate explains: "In recent years, Maran spoke against him several times. Only recently during the war with the singers, the rabbi refused to see him, saying that this is not the way of Torah to go to war independently, and then - to come and get a blessing.


"At the Hidabrut organization which made a conference at the Teddy Stadium in the summer a year and a half ago, with the singer Zion Golan and the presence of Maran, Amnon was strongly against the conference and against the organizer, Pinchas Reuven. In his lectures he argued that one must not attend the conference. Already then, Maran was angry at him, and at the end of the conference, when he was in his car and saw firsthand the masses, he said angrily: 'All these Amnon Yitzchak wanted to cancel?"

The Sephardic Rabbis protest letter was published prominently in the dailies and Orthodox magazines. Only Yated Ne'eman, the Degel HaTorah newspaper homepage, did not print the protest.

Why?

Household members of Hgray"l Steinman returns and clarifies: "Hgray"l never gave any legitimacy to the Koach Klehashpia party. The letter was not published, not because the honor of Hgr"o Yosef is not important to us G-d forbid. "According to them, the fear is that the secular coming to lectures of Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak will remember the letter rabbis wrote against him, and will not want to change their actions a bit."This is the man that rabbis have signed against him, why should we listen to him?" they will think.


We were unable to receive the response of Amnon Yitzchak and the Koach Lehashpia party.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!