Consolidated block? • Religious Zionist rabbis met with Vizhnitz and Gur Rebbes

Rabbi Eliakim Lebanon with the Rebbe of Vizhnitz

The issue of the 'equality of burden',and recruitment of yeshiva students, which is making it difficult to establish the coalition and the possibility of joining the government by the hareidi parties, is bringing the latter to creative moves, which may save the world of Torah.

Last week, at the United Torah Judaism meeting held on Monday in the Knesset, a decision was taken by which members will share their roles to promote a move to consolidate rows with the Jewish Home. MKs Yisrael Eichler, Meir Porush and Menachem Eliezer Moses were placed in charge of contact with Naftali Bennett, chairman of the Jewish home, and MK Uri Ariel, chairman of Tekuma which became part of the NRP.

MK Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Litzman were placed in charge of coordination with the vertices of Shas - Eli Yishai, Arye Deri and Ariel Atias.

At first it seemed that contacts with the political heads of the Jewish Home party met with blocked walls: appointments were postponed and the parties failed to reach a dialogue.

At the same time Rabbi Shay Peiron, located in second place in Yesh Atid, succeeded to embrace Naftali Bennett. He said that without them his chances to enter the Netanyahu government are slim, and that they should work together, agreeing on the issue of 'equality burden'.

However, the channel with Shas was successful and included meetings of reciprocity between Gur- Shas, including Aryeh Deri's visit to the Gerrer Rebbe, and the historic meeting of the Gerrer Rebbe at the home Hgr"o Yosef.

Rabbinical channel

The one who managed to promote a channel with the Jewish Home, is Hagaon R' Simcha Hacohen Kook, Chief Rabbi of Rehovot, who is close to both haredi rabbis and national-religious rabbis.

Hagr"s Kook, who sees the partnership between the national – religious public and Yair Lapid - a disaster, decided to go for a direct channel of rabbis with rabbis - and succeded.

After all, we must remember that there are parts in the Jewish Home who will also have a problem of recruit of yeshiva students, as they too have yeshivos such as Merkaz Harav, Yeshivat Har Hamor, Yeshivat Beit El and more. Last July, some of the greatest rabbis of the religious- national Rabbis – Hageonim R' Dov Lior, Eliakim Levanon, Zvi Yisrael Tao and Shlomo Aviner – also wrote sharp letters against the conclusions of the Plessner Committee, and stated: "Especially now, the state of Israel is in extremely difficult spiritual dangers, so it is important sevenfold to increase Torah study and support its learners."

Last Friday, under a veil of secrecy, Hagaon Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, Rosh Yeshivat Merkaz Harav met with the Gerrer Rebbe, when Hagr"s Kook was also present at the meeting.

This evening Rabbis Yaakov Ariel, Shmuel Eliyahu, Eliakim Lebanon and Haim Druckman reached the house of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe in Kiryat Vizhnitz, Bnei Brak.

Due to a family Simcha, the visits to the Gerrer Rebbe's home were postponed until tomorrow morning, when Rabbis Tzvi Israel Tau and Sternberg – Roshei Yeshiva of Har Hamor, and Rabbi Zalman Melamed will arrive at his residence.

Tomorrow night Hagaon Rabbi Dov Lior will come to the Belzer Rebbe's house.

The emerging deal includes cooperation between the three parties: the Jewish Home will ensure the preservation of the status quo in Israel, including understanding about the recruit of Yeshiva students, the hareidi parties in turn shall commit themselves on preserving matters of Greater Israel including an overwhelming opposition to the evacuation of settlements.

One should note that the deal was launched only after gaining approval in principle of Hagaon R' Aharon Leib Steinman.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!