Addressing the Motzoei Shabbos Keynote Session at the annual Agudah convention, the rosh Agudas Yisroel, Rav Yaakov Perlow, issued strong remarks regarding differences of opinion on issues of the day affecting the chareidi community.
The rebbe issued a disclaimer stating that he is not speaking on behalf of Agudas Yisroel, but only stating his own opinion.
About six minutes into his drasha, the rebbe said he wished to respond to a remark that was made that in Eretz Yisroel there are chilukei deos (differences of opinion) that all need to be validated, and “nobody can feel that he is being pursued by the other party,” but the rebbe said that “as an individual I would say that that’s not the nekudah. … The nekudah (point), and unfortunately its derivatives fall into excesses sometimes, [with] things that shouldn’t be said and things that shouldn’t happen, but there’s one basic nekudah here, not a question of the chok hagiyus (draft law). It’s a question of a hanhagah (general conduct and approach), that the rov minyan v’rov binyan (majority) of the olam haTorah has accepted from the days of Rav Aharon Leib [Shteinman] zeicher tzaddik livrocha on, and is continued on by Rav Gershon [Edelstein] and the Sar HaTorah of our day, Rav Chaim Kanievsky – es chapt ah tzitter (one shudders) when one speaks about him.
“And yet there is a miyuta demiyuta (tiny minority) of people obstinately refusing to accept that hanagah, and that’s where all the problems come from, and that’s the real issue.
“Of course, nobody’s perfect. Of course, sometimes things are said or done that should perhaps be more controlled, and I don’t know exactly what [incidents have been referred to…], and again I am not speaking in the name of the Agudas Yisroel, but I’m speaking in my own name, and in the name of Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky as well – he told me just a short hour ago. We ought to become an agudah echas, but there’s a certain derech how the hanhogas hatzibbur (public approach) has to be guided. And we can’t bring this chilukei de’os to America. We can’t. And nobody should say that the Agudah takes sides; everyone is entitled to his own viewpoint.
“But meine tayere brider (my dear brothers), es tit mir zeier vey der hartz az ich darf zich dermanen du (It pains my heart that I have to mention it here.). I came here to this convention not intending to speak a milah achas (one word) about what’s happening in Eretz Yisroel, aber efsher darf men klor machen far dem tzibbur az mir darf shtellen dem dogesh da vu der dageish balangt (perhaps we have to make clear for the public that we have to establish the emphasis were the emphasis belongs).”
The Agudah Convention’s theme this year was “Moving Forward.”
The convention, being held in Stamford, Connecticut, began on Thursday, November 22, and will concluded tomorrow, Sunday, November 25. Thousands have watched live streaming of the convention keynote sessions, including the aforementioned remarks of the Novominsker Rebbe, here on Matzav.com.
The Thursday night session was addressed by Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rav Yeruchom Olshin, Rav Yisroel Reisman and Rav Binyomin Eisenberger. The Motzoei Shabbos session featured the Novominsker Rebbe, Rav Yaakov Perlow, Rosh Agudas Yisroel, Rav Uri Deutsch, Rav Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi, Shlomo Werdyger, Rabbi Shlomo Gertzulin and Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zweibel.
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
At least someone has the courage to say it like it is.