Former Likud minister Silvan Shalom recently spoke of how a secret meeting between Rav Chaim Kanievsky and former Prime Minister Netanyahu influenced a decade of Israeli history.
Shalom began by relating that he was familiar with the famous residence at 23 Rashbam Street, having visited it several times when he served as finance minister and later as foreign minister.
“I was made regular visits to Rav Kanievsky to receive his brachos and advice and to discuss various issues,” Shalom related. “Before the elections of 2009, I accompanied Binyomin Netanyahu, who was running for the premiership, to Rav Kanievsky’s home to ask about the possibility of the UTJ joining a Likud-led government.”
“Likud and UTJ were at an impasse back then, in part due to their leaving the coalition and the financial decrees imposed by the second Sharon government,” Shalom said. “But due to my close relationship with the rov’s son and grandson, I managed to arrange a secret nighttime meeting at the rov’s home. The result of that meeting was that UTJ joined the Netanyahu government after the elections.”
That was the beginning of a close relationship between the two parties that spanned years.
Shalom concluded, “The wisdom, modesty, and unique manner of Rav Kanievsky will be sorely missed by the Jewish people, his family, and his many talmidim — among them myself.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
R’ chaim would meet with all types of people. He was a people person. He liked people and the people liked him.
Shkoyach Dov!
Very choshuva comment!